Clicks on the fly to Chicago

This click is when the flight was flying over Lake Michigan when we had around 20 to 30 miles to reach Chicago!! I loved O'Hare International Airport, my heart was elated and I was waiting to have a glimpse of it again. I already took connecting flight two times from O'Hare on my trip to Calgary. This is the best click of my trip..! Buildings of chicago are visible at a far end. I love this photo.

Here are few other clicks I made before reaching Chicago..

Birds eye view of Montrose harbour and Montrose drive when entering Chicago. To me, it looked like and man with his two hands stretched..

After this click, I packed my camera in and tightened by seat belt to reach the one of the biggest and the busiest airport in the world!!

24 Over... Next is Silver Jubilee :)

Birthdays are special days for kids. No different in my case, when I was young, I use to have a countdown for my birthday from the day when new year starts. I would count days to skip uniform and stand different in the crowd and get chorus birthday wishes & surprise gifts and distribute chocolates. As I grew up, slowly start day for the countdown got delayed. At least after my 18th birthday celebration, I have stopped having this countdown.

In this few years, my idea about birthday has changed and I have stopped celebrating the day. I feel birthdays are special days for moms who brought us to the world. So I have started buying her new dress from last year for my birthday :) Also for me, this day has turned to be a 'make a resolution' day every year. Resolution for this year is ready..!

It was February 25, 2010. A gifted morning..! I have wrapped myself with the bed sheet, still in bed and not yet out of sleep.. I was doing silent prayers and placing secret requests to God. I asked him, "Give me the power to get what I want.. Let me take the live the life as my heart instructs.. Heal my soul..!". Suddenly there was touch which was like saying to me, "You have been healed". I could sense that I was happy and smiling. "Happy Birthday Thangam..!" Now the voice got louder and heard it so close to my ears. Opened my eyes quickly to catch a sight of how God looks.. I was able to see a happy face with full of smiles. It was my mom. :)

Before I could thank her for wishes, she pulled me out of the bed and told me to come out.. I was not even fully out of sleep.. But I got out of bed and came out of the room.. And saw my favorite black forest cake with candles numbered 25 lighted. With all the happiness, forgetting that I have not yet brushed, I went to the cake and blew up the light in the candles and cut the cake and gave my mom, brother and brother's friend. When my mom gave me piece of cake, I regretted for not having brushed, as I have to wait to have my fav cake now. :( I was complaining my brother for this, because my mom and brother has planned the celebration so early as he has to leave home soon to catch his daily train to college. 

But in a minutes time he stopped me, by surprising with the things I have been asking him before few months. I got all in one day.. :) He gave me the Rubik's cube, pack of cards, TV video game, Video game cassette..! It was really a gifted morning.. I'm a person who love surprises. It was sweet surprise to start the year....!!

Two months onsite trip..!

I wonder if earth's rotation speed was increased for some reason.. My two months onsite trip looks like, it got over in 2 blink of eyes. But I have been lucky to have visited more places in short span of time.. Philadelphia, East Haven, Calgary and traveled through international airports in Newark, Chicago, Calgary, London, Hartford..! There is too much to write about.. The two months journey was packed with too much of work and some moments which are to be cherished ever for life and some unforgettable experiences. It was all together a fantastic journey..! I have to write so many posts about the trip.. Wait for them to follow soon..

Start of my dream trip...

One more day to see one of my, very old dream coming true. And I was all excited and getting ready for the whole thing, by packing my stuffs. In this whole lot of excitement, there was something troubling me. I'm going to miss my mom who will be awake for me, any time I come from office with all her love and brother who will fight with me all the time when I'm with him and who will miss me when I'm not around. I stopped packing, and took my mobile and gave a call to my brother. He used to stay away with his friends during the semester exams.

Me: Hi daaaaa.. Prasad!!

Prasad: Hi ka!!

Me: Exam yellam epadi pannuna?

Prasad: Hmmm.. Ok va panniruken.. (Whenever you ask him about the exams, he will say the same thing, whether he scores 80 or 40.. No change in that)

Me: Dei.. enna da epdi solra? Nalla yeluthuniya illaya? (This is me usually, though I know him very well, I will always react the same way)

Prasad: Cha.. atha vidu! Packing yellam epadi poitu irukku? Dollars yellam vangitaya office la irunthu? Ticket ah print pannitaya?

Me: Yellam panniyachu.. Saturday exam ku preparations yellam mudichitaya? Chance iruka airport varakku? (He is having control systems paper on saturday, the day Im flying and we already had a discussion about it. And I know its hard for him to make it to airport by 3AM, as it would take him a long drive back and forth on the day of exam. But still we thought, if he completes his reading, he can come there to airport)

Prasad: Illa ka.. Try panren mudincha alavuku..

Me: Illa.. Illa.. varatha.. Exam than mukiyam.. so see you after 2 months da.. sunday morning nee vituku vantha vudane, namma skype la pesalam.. Nan appa philadelphia la reach aiyuduven.. aparam daily gtalk la pesuvom.. Week end mattum skype pannikalam

Prasad: Hmmm.. (His voice started breaking and he is almost crying) Miss you ka..

Me: (I was also sentimental and if I talk more, I will end up in tears.. making my mom too cry and will go to office the next day with swollen eyes. So I suddenly changed my tone) dei.. enna feelings ah.. enna aluga vekalamnu pakaraya? nee ippo phone ah vechitu aluthu mudichitu call pannu.. appa pesalam.. enaku neraya vela iruku.. nan phone ah vekaran byeee... kandippa kupudu innum konja nerathula.. bye da..

This has been same in case of my brother always.. Whenever we are in the same place, we fight a lot.. But when I'm go to stay away from him, he will start pouring from eyes, always.. And on seeing him, I will shed tears more than he do.. This is usual.. What is unusual this time is.. I hold my tears.. And I was waiting for him to get Ok and call me back again. He called back and we talked for a while.. He wished me a great journey and asked me enjoy every bit of it and told that he will pray for my stay to get extended, so that I can earn what I want to settle in the life like I wished..

After the call, I talked with my aunt.. She was another person who was more excited than me for my travel.. Lucky to have such people for you in life. She gave me almost two hour session of how the travel is going to be.. Do's and Don'ts, where to go and where not to.. Later, my uncle called me for an hour and briefed me about the trip. They ensured that I have all the information to reach there safe all alone.. I owe this opportunity, any success that comes in my life to my uncle and aunt.. I slept with a happy heart that night..

Next day came.. And the long wait is over.. Have bid bye to my chennai office, friends in office.. old team.. new team.. security.. my college friends.. neighbours.. to the road side temples pillayar.. relatives.. To as many people as I could!! But I was little worried. And the reason was yesterday nights phone conversation with my brother. It was lil heavy to know that Prasad would not be able to come to airport to send me off and see my dream coming true and share my happiness due to his semester the next day.

I took very less attempt to do packing as that was taken care by well wishers! :) Everything was neatly packed according to the baggage allowance of British Airways! Yes that the flight that is going to take me to London from Chennai and again from Chennai to Philadelphia!!

Came home from office! Freshen up.. Had some hot idlis and three different chutneys for them. You could see my mom on that day! I would say that she was the HAPPIEST WOMAN on the world that day.. :) I felt nice on seeing her so happy.. My mom was more happy for, Im going to meet my uncle, aunt and cousins in canada than the fact I somehow struggled and slogged to get this opportunity to fly to US. :) Anyhow, It was so good to see her very happy.. Then, I made call to my brother and talked to him and shared wishes and said him bye with heavy heart.

After the dinner, we did some last minute weighing of luggages and found it to have some 2kgs more. So I decided to remove some foodies from my luggage. :( Then did a quick brushing and bathing and change over and did all the prayers again and thanking ceremony to god, appa, thatha & patti. I got blessings from my mom and we started move luggages to my anna's car who came to our home for me that night to send me off. When I was about to leave home, I was about to get sentimental and shed tears, but seeing my moms happiness and dont want to spoil that, I just went to bathroom and rubbed away my tears and went down happily. We all headed to the airport. During the drive, I had a feeling that my brother would come to airport and surprise me.. I love surprises.. :) But I had very less hopes as I dont want to get disappoint when I leave India..

To our surprise, before we reached the airport, I had people to welcome me there. :) And I was so happy and excited on seeing my brother and his friends in the airport by 12 AM on that day. I jumped out of the car with all the excitement and you will be able to count my teeth.. I was that happy.. :)

All is well that ends well!! We all were in the Madras International (Meenambakkam) airport.. Very excited.. My dream travel started with a sweet surprise :)

Reminiscence

It was a bright.. busy morning.. I and my brother were waiting for school bus which will be before our house usually by 8.30 was late that day. And both of us were standing with full load at the back and a lunch bag in hand, with no interest to go to school.. :(

We were missing our cousins who came from Curacao and were with us for the past two months. They just left a day before and we were feeling the emptiness that crept over us after they left. I was just thinking about how we all bid bye with tears in our eyes.. Thinking that my eyes were ready to water.. Suddenly a loud horn.. Pam.. Pamm.. Pam.. Pamm.. Bus had come and we got in to the bus.. I just saw the sit out in front of my home where my cousins used to wait till our bus reaches the end of the street and sat quiet in the last seat..

Soon next stop came and my friend brinda.. cute girl with dimple in her cheeks climbed up with a big smile and hurried up to my seat to sit with me.. I felt little relaxed and she started the conversation with homework.. I was totally disinterested and was passive.. Then I interrupted her to say that my cousins has left.. almost all my friends know that my cousins have come from America.. When I said her, our conversation started with her asking about them & ended up wit her questioning me, "If I would go to America one day?".

I.. Myself had this question to me many days.. But I never ended up with answers.. I have always forgotten my thoughts and continued with work whenever I thought about my connection with flight and america.. But that day, all the emptiness and sadness were forgotten immediately, I dwelled deep in to thoughts..

Bus reached school ahead of prayer time and as we got down my brother and his friend mohan were waving their hands.. I was seeing them, but dint react back.. I was trying to find answer to million $$$ question, I always had.. I put the bag in my place and stood up in line and went to prayer.. all the time I was thinking if I will have a fortune to go in flight to America.. There was regular prayer song, news reading, flag hoisting, national anthem and finally a disperse signal.. But I was undisturbed by anything..

I dunno who got light in the prayer, but I felt a strong light getting in me and pushing me forward.. I turned and saw.. But it was my friend who was pushing me to walk from prayer ground, as the line before me has moved quite a distance.. Then only I realized that I was in my own world and started walking fast.. As our line reached staircase, I rushed to brinda and said that, "One day I will definitely go in flight to America". She stopped and smiled at me and we started walking to the class :)

Today I was just lost in reminiscence after completing the shopping for my travel to Philadelphia next week :)