The Gorgeous Gilded Cage- Pri

Women are considered to contribute significantly towards the growth of a country’s economy. Not all educated women work in India; some have conservative family restrictions while some are not ambitious at all. For professionally unambitious women, the H4 visa is just the perfect thing! It is a luxurious un-interfered honor that they would undoubtedly love.

What if you are ambitious? Well, then you might have to re-consider about entering the most powerful country, with this chocolate-wrapped-entrapping visa. It is better to wait and enter with a valid working visa rather than getting into the regal-trap, because once you enter, you are sure to literally stop your career growth! These days, women are aware of these tricky issues and they receive great support from their spouses as well. I have seen quite a few empathetic young husbands who take efforts not to waste their spouses’ potentials and talents.

H4 visa is rightly called “The Curse Visa”, “The Depression Visa” and “The Golden Cage Visa”, for both its charming and deluding royal-restrictions. Thousands of Indians come to the USA on the very famous H1B visa; precisely 85,000 highly skilled workers are permitted to enter every year. Their spouses and family-members enter on H4-Visas. These highly eligible US-working-white-collar-professionals often choose to wed the cream of the Indian educated women who are insanely-skilled. I have a few friends who are Engineers, Lawyers and Teachers with more than 10 years of experience from India who are not able to continue their career here. H4 Visa-holders cannot work in USA or generate any income. They are only allowed to study or do some volunteering work (But everyone cannot afford to spend ten thousands of dollars in college degrees!). It is so disheartening to see all of these women just do the household chores and chauffeuring. Thank God at least they are allowed to get their licenses!

There are many other visas like J2, L2, family based, diversity lottery and more… their dependents are allowed to work here with a valid work-permit. The H4 visa holders cannot even get a Social Security Number here, leave alone the work-permit! In short, the H4 visa-holders basically do not have an identity or they are non-existent, making them totally dependent on somebody else like a helpless-kid! They rely on the spouse’s income for all the basic, personal and medical needs. It’s like their hands and legs are tied and they are forced to live like a disabled-person in the so-called golden cage! The basic human right(Freedom) is snatched leaving them emotionally shaken. But, seriously, who needs a “Golden cage”? If allowed to work, we might even get a diamond cage which might radiate for miles spreading opportunities for hundreds. If not, we might be the most satisfied people even with little “Straw-cages”, just because it is our own hard-earned reward! At least there would be the sense-of-worth and pride that you are contributing something to the family and you don’t have to expect every penny from your spouse, every time.

The recent law passed by President Barack Obama in November 2014 has relaxed a little on the rules; now the H4 visa holders who have their Green Card process on, can apply for the work-permit. Yet again, this does not solve the problem for all the H4 visa holders as the Green card process itself might take 10 to 15 years! This means that you might lose your prime-career years in the process of getting your EAD. How enticing!

There are several myths and misconceptions about the NRI, mostly US-residents:

Every day is a Celebration- life is happening!

Not really! In fact, life becomes so monotonous that you crave for some sort of change or thrill. They become active on social media to keep themselves sane, as they rarely talk to real people! The chilly weather makes it even more challenging to socialize regularly. H4-housewives just do the same cooking and cleaning like robots. Only if they decide to pursue their hobbies, they are diverted for good.

NRI mint dollars.

This one cracks me up… Yes, they earn in dollars. But why do people forget that they spend in dollars too? Just because the value of a dollar is more in rupees, their savings seem to be a lot from there! Eventually, all those savings would go to the airlines considering the fact that a two-way ticket (for a family of four) would cost lakhs! On the contrary, if H4-dependents were to work then the whole scenario might change due to the raise in the household income.

They vacation all the time.

Living an un-certain alien life, in a foreign country and not knowing about the future twists and turns in the visa/ work status, we tend to go for vacations trying to cover the major attractions in the initial 6 years (While the H1B is valid). H4 dependents actually enjoy posting pictures of their trips on social media in an attempt to show how happening their lives are.

They have too many friends and they are too busy to remember India.

There are friends, mostly Indians who are either neighbors or colleagues. How many ever parties happen, they truly miss the family gatherings and functions, to the core. This is the main reason for the regional groups and associations that exist here. When going to these places, the H4 dependents dress-up traditionally and take pictures; a moment of escape from the daunting thoughts!   

They will never return home.

This truly depends on individual decisions, some choose to settle here or some plan on returning sooner/ later. They are often circulating in the whirl-wind of responsibilities, aspirations, priorities and the ever-present uncertainty! The H1B workers cannot return instantly, after earning the trust of employers and building their work-empire here! They would certainly want to see what happens to their Green Card, as getting a GC would mean a higher salary and work stability/ security. Though the H4 visa-holders wish to come home for their career-betterment, they are not able to do so because this would mean a break in the relationship. Why would a couple live separately just because a country’s visa-policy is all messed-up?

All that is needed is a change in the Visa-restrictions and policies. Anyone should not be denied the freedom to speak or work. Hailing from a democratic country, it is illogical to live confined in a foreign country. It is not about money at all; it is simply about self-development, esteem and inner-peace that you earn through financial independence. I cannot imagine the amount of precious talents going waste in USA! “Brain-drain” is one thing, but this is an extreme agonizing act of slaughtering-brain. So unfair and inhuman!

Hope things would change in future…If the right to work is exercised, there will be only more development and growth of the country in-turn!

  

Amazing Facts that Tickle! - Aish

Facts are the truth that does prevail in our world, some are creations while others are created. Numerous Incredible facts which are felt childish, are but real facts! Here, let's take a look at the magnificent facts that tickle us with fascination and allurement.

AMAZING FACTS!

▪ The word 'Queue' in the English language remains the same when the last four letters are removed.

▪ In the mouth food is either cooled or warmed to a suitable temperature.

▪ Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping a person awake in the morning.

▪ All the Platinum ever mined, would fit into an average sized living room.

▪ The liquid inside young coconut can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.

▪ Vinegar can eliminate odors from a room. Pearls melt in Vinegar.

▪ When you eat too much, your hearing becomes less sharp.

▪ In Iran shaking your head from side to side means 'Yes'.

▪ It is a criminal offense to drive around in a dirty car in Russia.

▪ Nepal is the only country in the world who’s flag isn’t a square or a rectangle.

▪ It's against the law to have a pet dog in Iceland.

▪ Americans on the average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.

▪ The heart of an astronaut actually gets smaller when in outer space.

▪ The one physical act that is recognized everywhere is the shrug of shoulder to mean ' I don't know'.

▪ New Zealand was the first country to allow women to vote.

▪ Like finger prints, everyone's tongue print is different.

▪ During a lifetime, an average human being grows 590 miles of hair.

▪ It's possible to start a fire rapidly rubbing together two cool Ranch Doritos.

▪ No matter how cold it gets, a gasoline will not freeze.

▪ Models often smear Vaseline on their teeth, so that their lips don't stick while smiling.

▪ Married men in France use more cosmetics than their wives.

▪ Wearing yellow makes you look bigger on camera; green smaller.

▪ If you raise your legs slowly and lay on your back you will not sink in to the quicksand.

▪ Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

▪ On an average men spend about 3500 hours of their life saving.

▪ The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet. An average office worker spends 50 minutes a day looking for lost files.

▪ After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink.

▪ A house can generate more pollution than an average sized car does.

▪ Before Leaving home, one third of pet owners turn on radio or TV for their pets' entertainment.

▪ Watching a soap opera for an hour can consume more energy than watching a three hour cricket match.

▪ Your brain is more active sleeping than it is watching TV.

▪ You can usually tell how good the picture of a TV will be by how black the screen is, when the TV is off . the blacker the better.

▪ Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.

▪ Wine spoils when exposed to light, so it is sold in tinted bottles.

▪ Honey is a unique energy booster and beauty ingredient and has been used as a medicine for thousands of years.

▪ 90% of women who walk into departmental stores immediately turn to the right.

▪ Most of the people who read the word yawning will yawn. The act of yawning and stretching is called pandiculation.

▪ Men's shirts have the buttons on the right but women's shirts have the buttons on the left.

▪ As bananas ripen, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar, therefore the ripe the banana the sweeter it will taste.

▪ At 40 degrees Fahrenheit a person loses about14.4 calories per hour just breathing.

▪ People who eat popcorn at the movies are more likely to cry than those who don't.

▪ 'Movies' were the people who worked on films.

▪ A walla walla scene is one where extras pretend to be talking in the back ground. When they say 'walls-walla' it looks like they are actually talking.

▪ 'Ough' can be pronounced in eight different ways. The following sentence contains them all. " A rough coated, dough faced ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing thought fully.

▪ Because heat expands the metal, the eiffel tower always leans away from the sun.

▪ The hardest material of our human body is the white enamel of our teeth.

▪ Roman statues were made with detachable heads, so that one head could be removed and replaced with another.

▪ In M&M chocolates the letters stand for Mars & Murrie the developers. M&M's were developed so that soldiers could eat candy without getting their fingers sticky.

▪ The colors yellow, red and orange are used in fast food restaurants because those are the colors that stipulate hunger.

▪ The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

▪ It takes tones of water to make a pound of refined sugar.

▪ The Atlantic Ocean is salter than the Pacific ocean.

▪ The shoreline of the dead sea is the lowest place on earth. If the empire state building were situated on the shore of the dead sea, only the top of its mast would actually be above sea level.

▪ Guinness book of records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries

▪ The first Olympic game had only one event - a foot race.

▪ You can see stars from the bottom of a well even in a day light.

Facts surface Reality
Change initiates Ideality
Ideas develop Virtuality
Truth embraces Authenticity
Life defines Purity!

Animal Facts That Tickle! - Aish

ANIMAL FACTS!! Here are some facts about animals and birds that does sound interesting and buzzing!

▪ Wild animals have a much lower heart rate than domestic animals.

▪ If a rhino has two horns, it's from India;  if it has one horn it's from Africa.

▪ Puppies kick your face because they are looking for scraps of food.

▪ Otters sleep holding hands.

▪ Manatees have vocal chords like humans, but they don't speak because they have no ears to hear the sound.

▪ Crocodiles swallow stones to help them dive deeper.

▪ Polar bear skin is actually black. Their hair is hollow and it acts like fiber optics directing sunlight to warm their skin.

▪ Polar bears are nearly undetectable by infrared cameras, due to their transparent fur.

▪ Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting.

▪ The dinosaurs became extinct before the Rockies or the Alps were formed.

▪ Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of the blue whale.

▪ Due to the natural momentum of the ocean, a saltwater fish cannot swim backwards.

▪ A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

▪ Giraffes are unable to cough. Giraffes sleep only about 20 minutes a day.

▪ A giraffe can walk longer than a camel without water.

▪ A giraffe can clean it's ears with its 21 inch long tongue.

▪ A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off.

▪ Elephant is the only mammal that can't jump.

▪ Female ants and female bees only work. There are no ants in Iceland, Antarctica and Greenland.

▪ A spider's blood is transparent.

▪ Frogs jump; toads walk.

▪ Vultures fly without flapping their wings.

▪ The great white shark can have up to 6 rows of teeth.

▪ Despite a hump a camel's spine is straight.

▪ Gold fish turns white if they aren't exposed to the sun.

▪ A bird requires more food proportion to its size than a baby or cat.

▪ Birds do not sleep in their nests. They may occasionally nap in them, but they actually sleep in other places.

▪ Grasshopper hear with their legs. Waving them in the air they can tell where a sound is coming from.

▪ Mosquitos are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

▪ Mosquito repellents block the mosquitos' sensors so they don't know you're there.

▪ Only pigs and dogs can get the actual taste of water.

▪ Dolphins don't automatically breathe, they have to tell themselves to do it.

▪ Dolphins sleep with one eye open.

▪ Dolphins jump out of the water to conserve energy since it is easier to move through air than water.

▪ A donkey's eyes are placed in such a way that he can see all four of his feet at all times.

▪ To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs in to its eyeball.

▪ Some of the fish communicate by making noises by rasping their teeth.

▪ It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.

▪ Cows sweat through their noses. The Average cow spends 13 hours a day lying down.

▪ If a lobster loses an eye, it can grow another one. Lobsters always enter their burrows tail first.

▪ Male monkeys lose their hair on their head in the same way as men do. Almost all monkeys are nearsighted.

▪ Dragonflies have a life span of about one day.

▪ Issac Newton invented the cat flop door.

▪ The cats won't walk on aluminium foil.

▪ A cat spends nearly 30 percent of its life grooming itself. Lily flowers are poisonous to cats.

● Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored - Aldous Huxley

● Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away - Philip K. Dick

In the end, it was all a lie…(Pri)

In the expansive world of love,

All I asked for is a shoulder to rest.

In the eternal hearts of crowd,

All I asked for is a corner to dwell.

In the cruel world of false fame,

All I asked for is a space to flicker.

In the fierce sprint of survival,

All I asked for is a field to flourish.

In the journey of ebb and flow,

All I asked for is a warm companion.

In the pursuit of daring dreams,

All I asked for is a moment to muse.

In the reality of clout,

All I asked for is a pinch of esteem.

In the growing urge to achieve,

All I asked for is a branch to balance.

Amid intensive emotions,

All I asked for is a calm listener.

Among the judgmental cluster,

All I asked for is a true arena. 

There is only one life, so live and let-live! There is no limit or compromise on one’s dreams, because there is no other-life to fulfill them. Only you can decide what you can do and how much you can do. No one else knows you better than yourself, so take pride in your decisions and deeds. The ultimate goal of life is to be happy, after all!

Home Dwelling Beauty Kits! - Aish

Roots from Folks (II)

From a rhyming journey let's blossom beauty dwelling at home. Beauty traverses through centuries and our folks have planted ethnic seeds for eternal appreciation.

We still could feel the freshness and enthusiasm in our grandmom, also we did have expressed our queries for such exquisite beauty.

I truly admire my 80 years old Grandparents dwelling with their uniqueness of staying on their own, using mats to sleep and sit on the ground, still continue their traditional touch on beauty.

Me : Grandma! Tell me the secret that keeps you energetic and fresh-faced?

My daughter (adding up) : Anyone could guess your age to be just 65, looking at your hither and thither slightly uprooted grey hairs and mildly shrunk glowing face Great Granny!

My grandma (smilingly to my daughter) : Have you not questioned your grandmom about these? How is her beauty gleaming still, even at this age?

Just because of following these traditional nuances and natural therapies, we feel the eternal pleasure in many of our homes where in our budding generations could meet up their great ancestors even in this period of life!
We do have noticed few of our earlier generation folks still ignorant of the artificial beauty tinge, though prevailing at our door steps.

Most of us cling to herbals and ayurveda excerising the roots from our folks! Why go to places for experimenting the packed traditional stuff when we dwell with them at home? Let us get the similarities of the present supplements with the traditional products emphasizing their values!

Home dwelling Beauty Kit - Roots from Folks!

Classic Buzz 3 :

Nourishment for Hairs :

We did get the benefits of oil nutriment in Roots from Folks (I) : roots-from-folks-aish.

Here, let's peek into the advantages of utilizing varied products after oil application.

 1. Immerse the Licorice sticks (Mulethi in Hindi ; Athimathuram in Tamil) in water for half an hour. Then blend it to a paste with milk. Apply the paste on the hair for half an hour.
Wash it out with Green gram powder (Hara Moong dal in Hindi ; Payathamavu in Tamil ; Pesalapindi in Telugu) which acts like a conditioner.
Mulethi has medicinal values and promotes hair growth while the vitamin C and antioxidants present in moong dal can also reverse hair loss.

2. Just break a tiny portion of egg and pour out the Albumen or the clear white leaving the yellow yolk to a container. Apply on the oily hair for almost 15 minutes, then wash it with Acacia concinna (Shikakai in Indian Languages).
Egg whites are rich in proteins ; are essential source of vitamins and minerals enhancing nourishment for the scalp and the roots of hair.

3. Blending the Black Sesame seeds to a paste fabricates the essence of henna. Apply this paste and then wash with Shikakai. Natural remedy for grey hairs.

4. Immerse Soap Nuts (Reetha in Hindi ; Boondi Kottai in Tamil ; Kumkudukaya in Telugu) in hot water for half an hour and just wash it with water after 15 minutes of applying it. One of the best natural shampoos with enriching nutrients building a silky hair with freshness and aroma.

Classic Buzz 4 :

Natural Facial Tools

Why not take up facial utilizing simple ingredients readily obtainable at our home cabinet?

• Cleanser : Cream (Malai in Hindi ; Paal Aadai in Tamil ; Meegadu in Telugu) or Thick sour curd.
Apply and wash with water for a fresh cleansed face.

• Hot steam : Expose the face to the steam from the boiled hot water.

• Face Pack : Mix Rice Flour ( Chawal ka Atta in Hindi ; Arisi Maavu in Tamil ; Biyyam Pindi in Telugu) +
Wheat Flour (Gehoon ka Atta in Hindi ; Godhumai Maavu in Tamil ; Godhuma Pindi in Telugu) +   
Gram Flour (Besan in Hindi ; Kadalai Maavu in Tamil ; Senaga Pindi in Telugu) +
Green Gram Flour (Hara Moong dal in Hindi ; Payathamaavu in Tamil ; Pesala Pindi  in Telugu) with Rose water or curd for a pack. Apply for 15 minutes to get a fresh and energetic glow. Two slices of Cucumbers soothe our eyes.

• Bleach : Apply the juice of Tomato or Orange to obtain the gleam.

Classic Buzz 5 :

Few Homespun Titbits :

Turmeric or Wild Turmeric (Jangli Haldi in Hindi ; Kasthuri Manjal in Tamil) controls pimples and rashes.

Generally we augment our facial beauty with minimal makeup for attending functions, weddings or important occasions.
Erasal of make-up before heading to bed is especially true because the skin repairs itself at night while we sleep, so makeup can clog our pores and not allow the skin to breathe. It can cause uneven skin tone, dryness, redness, acne, and even deepening of wrinkles. 
Being a Classical dancer, after each of my performances, I remove my make up with cotton dipped in the mixture of Olive oil and coconut oil. A serene home accessory!

Climatic changes cause a lot of change in our skin and body, to beat the chill out during winter in a natural way let's sneak into Amazing-natural-winter-therapies-Aish
Read on for DIY-essential-skincare-for-beginners-Pri

These Home Dwelling Beauty kits emerged through generations undertaking the grace, glow and exalts the rich traditions of our folks!

Beauty of Life - A Rhymic journey! - Aish

Merry Christmas to all our dear ones!

Pri, That is certainly inspirational! Quotes relate to be part of our growing nature. Poems are a mellifluous source of phenomenal description towards our visualization on numerous things and artefacts.

Life has Beauty within! Beauty is utterly not appearance and looks of an individual but is characteriscally personified.

B-E-A-U-T-Y : Brave Etiquette Articulate Understanding Tolerant Youthful

These features manifest Beauty and when our life is enriched with beauty it exhibits aesthetic and enchanting viability. Our Life orginates as a New born and gradually sprouts with different stages till we touch our old age.

                                             
                                                                      TO

Let us take a glance exalting Beauty in each stage of our life's journey poetically.

Beauty of Life - A Rhymic journey!

A Baby's Profound

To the Melody and Sound.

A Toddler's Perception

To Stroll and Color Observation.

A Child's Imagination

To Learn and Master Communication.

A Youth's Vision

To Dream and achieve Ambition.

An Adult's Clutch

Of Career and Family Touch.

An Elderly's Pleasure

To Relax and Leisure.

"Rhymic words add beauty to Poems.

Poems add beauty to Language.

Language adds beauty to Conveyance.

Conveyance adds beauty to Understanding.

Understanding adds Beauty to Life!"

My Favorite Inspirational Quotes (Part 1)- Pri

Quotes say so much with just a few words, they are full of wisdom and hope. We all love quotes and we all have some quotes that are close to our hearts. Personally, I used to note down quotes in my pocket-book during my childhood days. Most of the quotes still linger in my mind. Each one is a gem and brings a series of nostalgic memories…

I am sharing the first set of inspirational quotes that I love:

1.“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”~Lao Tzu 

Every single step is worth! We reach the destination with the help of the determination achieved from our little steps. 

2.“Dream big and dare to fail.” ~Norman Vaughan

Absolutely! Just like babies successfully walk once they master the art of falling-down. Only when we overcome the fear of failure, we gather our guts to dream big! When you feel/ realize that failure is not bigger than your dream, you strive to win.

3. "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill

Enthusiasm is something that keeps you alive and gives you the energy to try. I love the point here; Success is not just reaching the destination, but, success is to stand up after failure and to move forward. I think, this quote has the same message as "Failure is the stepping stone to success".

4.“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

What a true thought! Actions do speak louder than words. Also, often people do not speak their hearts, but their eyes/ actions say a lot more than they want to say.

5.“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi 

 Most of us probably have heard this quote before. Being the change is better than preaching.

6.“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”  ~Dr. Robert Schuller 

Yes, life brings happiness and sorrow in parts. There is always sunshine after the dark.

Despite this change, people leave their impacts forever.

7.“Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow.” ~Helen Keller

This quote shows the positive approach of seeing light even when it is dark and scary. Channeling yourself towards the goodness makes you more confident and washes away your fears.

8.“The best way out is always through.” ~Robert Frost

Oh, how true! Unless you walk through the difficulty you won’t know the problem and you won’t find a solution. 

9.“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” ~John Muir 

Imagination is indeed infinite, there is no limit to thinking or dreaming. You expand your wisdom, learn, explore through imagination.

10.“Make each day your masterpiece.” ~John Wooden

Do your best and live the moment. This is a lovely message to those who are on a race, who forget to enjoy little things that are in front of their eyes. Instead of trying to reach your goal, try to make everyday a memorable one!

11.“The best dreams happen when you’re awake.” ~Cherie Gilderbloom 

Dreams are truly the forces that drive you to the destination. So dream big and the unthinkable; then you may reach at least half of what you aimed for.

12. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” ~Napoleon Hill 

Exactly! There is no “Right Time”, you’ll never be satisfied, so just go with the flow. 

13.“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain

This quote is so powerful and deep. Yes, often we find ourselves lost in the crowd, keep your individuality shining. Don’t just blindly follow the crowd.

14. “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~Albert Einstein

Thoughts and imaginations are not just infinite but also are flashes of your future. What you dream today is what you will be in future.

15. “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” ~Dalai Lama

Simple truth! If happiness is unseen/lost, then somewhere we lose our grip to fight. Try to see happiness in everyday moments. 

Such great insights! Quotes bring in positive energy and act like torch lights guiding your soul to refresh/ retreat. Every time I come across such beautiful words with great wisdom I realize that I am a dust in this vast universe. Knowledge cannot be bound!