Dhadkan

 A short weekly community segment which I wish to broadcast on our local cable.

  

  

  

Do-it yourself checklist

I use this list as a reminder before I taken on any do-it-yourself project

• TV shows make it look too easy - It is a show. 
• My wife once got motivated to build chairs after watching at a home and garden show. She went to Home depot got the boards cut, and got the cushions within 2 hours and  it took me over 2 weeks and approx $200 to find the legs.
• If the project takes more than a day and you know about it already - then plan a month and break it down   in phases. 
• If you are parent with young kids like me, it is hard to get an hour out of a week , getting more than a day to work on project is a dream.
• Measure twice and cut once
• I cannot emphasis this any more.  I learned this hard way while adding the storm door  and once I cut the steel side bar too short, there is no way to fix it. My storm door does not close very well.
• Stay away from cheap materials or  tools
• End of the day , it is your time you are investing in these projects. Buy good tools and good material. You will be happy that you did this. We did seal paint in our basement and bought a non-standard brand which was on sale, without looking into the specs too much.  The sealer kept on coming off for years until we finished the basement.
• Be patient - It is easier than it looks but just takes more time
• It took me over 3 seasons to complete my shed. I started in the  fall to prepare the land, and built pretty much entire shed over one summer and finally did the doors, painting and siding next year
• Unless you are a licensed electrician /plumber stay away from heavy work
• Adding a circuit to your panel
• Adding a new bathroom
• Extending a gas line 

Giving Thanks

Holidays can be a very stressful time for struggling families around the world. This video is an attempt  to reach out to the fortunate ones and take a look at some of the cruel realities of the world around us.

Sometimes all it takes is to take the first step.

Why We Blog !!

My son asked me one day.  Dad , why don't you start your own blog ?
What kind of blog ?   What purpose will it serve ? There are already so many blogs out there.

He paused for a bit and said.
Dad, you always talk about lot of things you know and observe, and this way you can share with others

Who is going to read it ?
I will,  my son said..

Hmm, for that I don't need to write a blog.  I can share those with  you whenever I like
But Dad..  blog is different..  I will tell my friends to read it too and you can tell your friends.

What I am going to write about which is not already out there ?
Alright Dad.. Forget I asked.. my son walked away..

The conversation got me thinking..  So, why should I blog ?
  - If I had a higher purpose to promote, may be I could have used blog to promote it.
  - I don't recollect I have done anything unique to blog about
  - Who is going to read it anyways ?

With the information overload today,  this will be yet another blog which I will  impose on my friends to deal with. It is already a challenge to keep up with e-mails, e-groups, IMs, facebook, youtube, linkedin and interests group

Dad, but blog is different .. (The inner voice kept on coming back to me..)

    -  I can express and explore about  my interests at my natural pace, instead of an e-mail, fb postings, tweets which have their own value for instant gratification.  
    - Connect to like minded folks and hopefully be able to make a deeper connection
    - Have some fun
    - Learn more about myself by sharing
    - In a way  this blog is to fill my needs,  hopefully other people will find this interesting too.


Happy Blogging..