Got lucky! Got Life!

"Some thing's weired about this car! It's wobbling! There is no road grip at all! Did you feel it?" I asked Kandya.



We were on our way to Andalusia to ski on a cold Saturday morning. Snowstar Ski Resort is around 100 miles from our place, and we switched drivers when Kandy started complaining of burning eyes. I had not driven even a couple of miles when I started noticing that the car was going like snake on I74 Interstate.

Until I asked that question, my friends thought I was just goofing around on the road, to wake them up. Kandya started saying that he also had trouble controlling the car beyond 70 mph, and before he could complete his sentence, our car went totally out of control. From the right lane, it swayed to the right lane, and before I could do anything, the car was sliding perpendicular to the road. For fraction of seconds, we were able to see the traffic heading towards us.

That's when the whole life started flashing in front of my life. Nah, that did not happen! Probably because I was destined to live! In those last moments before the crash, my brain was busy processing millions of instructions. To apply or to not apply brakes, the direction in which I should be steering, safest place on road and how to avoid those two huge 16 wheelers behind us.

The car ended up in the ditch between the interstate, probably the safest place to be when you meet with an accident. Nobody got hurt, not even a scratch. There was a stunned silence for few seconds in the car, and then we were all back to our normal self, like nothing happened. Called 911, drove the car out of the ditch, sheriff arrived in few minutes, asked us to drive safe and it was all over.




Looking back, I realize anything could have happened at such high speed. Incidents like these are just reminders to value life. Not just ours, but also of people around us. Life, which we take for granted sometimes.

I, for one, know how incredibly lucky I got. We certainly got a lease of life. And I think I know why.

Skiing & Life

They are so much alike! Everytime you fall, you learn a lesson, pick yourself up and you move on. The only difference is that in skiing, you have a hearty laugh every single time you fall! Wish we could do that in real life too...

Check out Kandya & Ponds honing their skiing skills :)

Vacation Update #1

First of all, wish you all a very happy new year. You have 360 odd days more to keep your resolution. All the best!

We took Allegiant Air to Vegas for our vacation, and gosh, they have the most witty air hostesses on board.

Scene #1:
"Good morning, passengers. We are now inviting passengers requiring special assistance or those passengers with children of eight years or younger to begin boarding at this time. And Ladis, your housbnad acting like a eight-year-old will not qualify!"

Scene #2:
We make a bumpy landing on Las Vegas tarmac. After the plane stabilized, she announces, "Passengers, we want to assure you that everything is under control, and we have landed safely in Las Vegas. Our apologies for the hard landing. It wasn't the Captain's fault. It wasn't the plane's fault. It was the asphalt!"



Will post more soon :)

You can do it. We can help!

...said U-Haul! I wasn't too sure. I have always been intimidated by those massive trucks. My hands literally start shaking each and every time I overtake a 16-wheeler on interstate. I just needed a 14' pickup truck to move stuff and although I have never driven anything more than a car in my whole life, I thought I will give it a shot. More so because there was no choice!

Went to the local U-Haul and picked up a truck. True to its name, the truck was massive, with alien-looking huge side view mirrors and absolutely no view of the rear. The mirrors were so huge, I had trouble in the beginning deciding whats actually in front and whats actually on the mirror. For few minutes I had difficulty staying in the lane for the steering was extremely sensitive. I was going so slow, even a pedestrian would have overtaken me.

But once I got used to the drive, it was fun. It did not take much time to load stuff onto the truck. Since it had snowed couple of days ago, the truck did get stuck at the loading point but managed to pull it out without hassle. While loading took 45 mins, we unloaded everything in 15 mins flat. Manisha kept telling me that I could do this for a living!

Certainly, you can also drive a truck :)

Driving in snow!

You really have to drive on sleet to appreciate Calvin :)

Source: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/12/02/

Snow And Shadows

First snowstorm of the year pretty much paralyzed Peoria,IL. Here is a glimpse of what happened...

There will be light!

There will be light!
Originally uploaded by Thoughtographer.

There will be light,
Long after you are gone!
And your fond memories will stay in my heart,
Long after you are gone!