Digvijay and Ridhima's blog

Campgrounds near Bay Area & reasons to go

Camping sites near the Bay Area

Are you thinking of going camping in the Bay Area? You will be surprised to know that there are several hundred campsites in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are many private campgrounds as well. You can pitch your own tents or stay in tent cabins. You can also take RVs (Recreational Vehicle). Almost all the campsites have a picnic area, picnic tables, fire rings, restrooms,group picnic area, etc. Few sites have wi-fi and cellphone network. During the day you can go hiking, fishing, or just relax in your tents. Some camp grounds have sites on dry stretches of land while others are in the middle of redwoods. I personally prefer campgrounds with lots of trees. The camp site remains cool and shaded.

Some campground recommendations are:

1. Big Basin Redwood State Park (Saratoga)
2. Henry Coe Park(Morgan Hill)
3. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (Monterey)
4. Portola Redwoods State Parks (La Honda)
5. Castle Rock State Park (Los Gatos)
6. Angel Island State Park (San Francisco)
7. Mount Tamalpais State Park (Mill Valley)
8. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz)
9. Mount Diablo State Park (Clayton)

Tags: Big Basin, campgrounds bay area, camping, camping in bay area, Star Gazing

Posted in Interesting, Travel | No Comments »

Peepli Live : a ‘Thinking Movie’

Peepli Live is a 1 hour 44 minute sensitive portrayal of the life of an ordinary Indian farmer. It is also a satire on the Indian media and Indian governance.

The movie unfolds to tell the story of two farmers who are unable to pay a bank loan and are forced to have their land auctioned. Somewhere along the line, they get the idea of committing suicide to get compensation for the family and save the land. That’s it. The story of the announced suicide spreads like wildfire and the small village of Peepli becomes a media circus and a hub spot for politicians facing election.

There are 3 issues touched in this movie:

1. Poverty & the life of an Indian farmer
2. Media & the life of media reporters trying to get that novel ‘story’
3. Politicians & the art of pointing fingers and never shouldering responsibility.

Farming & Poverty

Farmers grow crops that feed the rest of the world. However agriculture is dependent on the vagaries of monsoon in India and every year millions of farmers gamble on another unpredictable season. They take loans and if they have a good crop they get by for another year. If there is no yield they end up with a huge debt and face the inevitable : getting food for their families.

Tags: Aamir Khan, Hindi Movie, Movie Reviews, Movies, Peepli Live, Peepli Live review

Posted in Movies | 4 Comments »

Useful links for H4 Visa applicants

Are you planning to apply for the H4 visa ? There is a lot of legwork required. Many folks have bits of information about the visa application process but are clueless on where to start. Identifying the basic steps in the visa application process can make the process far more easier than it looks. I am listing a few links that will definitely give you a better perspective on the application process.

I am applying for the H4 Visa. I do not know where to apply.

The U.S. Embassy in India is located at New Delhi. There are four other Consulates: Kolkatta, Chennai, Hyderabad & Mumbai. You cannot go to any one of these. There is a simple rule that applies in this context. You must choose the Consulate that covers your state of residence. Also you should have lived at this place for the past 6 months. Go to the link to identify which Consulate you should visit: https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/USIndia/consulardistrictslocation.html

I want to pay the application fee for H4 visa.What is the fee and where should I pay it?

Currently the fee is Rs. 7200. You have to pay the fee in cash or by DD/HDFC Bank cheque favoring “HDFC Bank a/c VFS”.

Tags: H4 visa, h4 visa application, H4 visa fee, h4 visa interview, H4 Visa Related

Posted in H4 Visa Related | No Comments »

Funeral Planning

How to arrange a funeral ?

Goosebumps. Yes I have goosebumps writing this post. It’s like dejavu and I am re-living the family emergency we faced recently. Yet, I have to write this post to help people who are in a similar situation and do not know where to start. There is very less written on funeral planning and the funeral industry due to obvious reasons. Few people have the nerve to write about this experience or post online.

This post will be useful for you if you are :

• A fairly recent immigrant to the United States,
• Of Indian (South Asia) descent,
• Have lost an infant or know someone who is in this situation (most of the process for adults is also same), and,
• Have no clue on how to plan a funeral in the U.S.

Do you know someone who are parents or family to a deceased infant? Are you the parent of an infant baby who passed away? Have you recently moved to the U.S. and are clueless about how to deal with funeral arrangements ?

Tags: funeral as per hindu rites, funeral casket, funeral home in bay area, funeral planning, funeral services for Indians, Indian funeral in U.S. funeral for an infant

Posted in How To, Opinions | 3 Comments »

Online Personal Branding 2

The Internet is the real deal today. If you are not on the net, there is no way you can get the fullest potential for your business. Look at the number of business profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Orkut, MySpace & other social & professional networking portals. Then look at the number of online stores, online shoppers, and online brands. This phenomenal rise in the use of internet means different things to different people.

For the recruiter

A couple of years back, a recruiter had a limited database of potential job seekers. Now he is surprised to see the range of options available to him on websites like LinkedIn and Yahoo Hot Jobs. While companies create jobs, the recruiters are able to do a great job. More jobs, more business, better economies, get the picture..

For the regular internet user

Tags: FaceBook and online branding, internet, online advertising, online branding, online personal branding, small business marketing, twitter, Victoria's Secret and branding

Posted in Incidents, Opinions, Technology, Web 2.0 | No Comments »