Merry Christmas 2008!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

My kids woke my wife and I up in a special way.  Sabrina played the flute and Hannah sang "Jingle Bells!"  It was very creative and special.  We loved it very much.  Sabrina and Hannah were excited to check out the presents from Santa, and Mommy and Daddy had something small and practical for each other.   We are all blessed and feel quite Thankful for everything.

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Ho Ho Ho!!

Ginger Bread House

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My wife recently bought a ginger bread house kit for her "kids" and I had a lot of fun putting it together with Hannah and Sabrina.
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We didn't realize that we had to let it sit for a few hours before we could start decorating. The icing which is used as glue needed time to harden in order to hold the walls and roof together. So we waited........!
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I was the icing contractor and the kids were the architects and designers. Hannah want to eat it but we told her to wait.
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I love working on projects with my kids. I enjoy playing, teaching, learning, and spending time with them. My kids are awesome!
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Gas at $1.69 / Gallon

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Filled gas yesterday at $1.69 / gallon. I was very happy to see it below $2 and I'm sure it'll drop even further soon.
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Colored Concrete

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This time of the year, the SD Ireland cement company is known for decking out their cement trucks with X'mas lights and displaying them around town. It's really neat to see them driven around while the cement mixers are turning with the X'mas lights on. I have no idea they do that!
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I caught this truck a few days ago as I was heading home from work.
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Fire Alarm at Tech Park

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I was working in the server room at Tech Park when the loud screeching alarm went off. At first, I thought someone had re-armed the security system not knowing I was in there but that was not the case. I walked out into the hallway and saw everyone grabbing their coats and walking out. I then realized it was the fire alarm in the building.
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I dashed back into the server room, locked the machine I was working on and armed the security system before heading out with the masses.
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It's very cold today and not a good day to be standing outside in below freezing temperatures.
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The Shrinking CPAP!

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CPAP devices have decreased in size and increased in efficiency since I got mine about 5 years ago. My CPAP machine is getting old, tired, and doesn't function quite well.
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I saw the Sleep Study specialist this morning to get a prescription for a new one. Now, I hope my insurance will approve and cover most of the cost! I should find out later this morning.
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My new machine will be the model as seen in this image.
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77 777 Miles!

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My Honda jet marked 77,777 miles at 4:35PM on November 26, 2008. I love capturing the odometer readings of my car but I often miss the interesting ones unless I remind myself to check! I caught this one though.
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Nursing Home Gig

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I'm did a photo gig at a nursing home today. I was hired by the facility to do some portaits of the residents and staff.
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It went pretty well. A little slow at times waiting for the subjects in between sessions, but it's a nursing home, so it was expected! Also, the first session was a no-show! Oh well, I'm paid regardless, so it doesn't matter.
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It was a good interesting gig. My final session was a portrait shoot of a family with 5 generations. That was pretty cool.

p.s. This setup picture was taken with my cell phone.

Couple of Inches!

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Received a couple of inches of snow a few days ago. Traffic was a mess heading into work. Several roads were closed and backed up due to accidents. Took me 1.5 hours to get to work instead of the usual 20 minutes. People just don't know how to drive anymore! What do you expect when they get their driver's licenses from a Corn Flakes box!
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Damn, winter is here!

Sabrina's Birthday with Friends

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Sabrina celebrated her birthday with some of her friends last weekend. She had 3 of them for a sleep over on Friday, and Mom & Dad toughed it out. Other than one of them cranking the heat to 80`F, stuffing used facial tissue under the bed, and staying up till 1:30AM, they were good overall.
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Happy Happy Birthday, Sabrina!

77 000 Miles!

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My beloved Honda has traveled with me for over 77,000 miles. She hit the magic 77 a few days ago. She's been good, reliable, warm, and safe to me.
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Need to get her to the shop soon for some new shoes (brakes) and flange gasket. Can't complain when she gets me close to 40 miles per gallon. I love my Honda!

I Voted!!

 

 

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I voted for the first time today as a US citizen!  It's even better that I voted for CHANGE and in a historic election in the USA.  

By the way, I also wrote in my name for Justice of The Peace and voted for myself!  I'm awesome!  

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I'm Harjit Dhaliwal and I approve this message!

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**  These pictures were taken with my cellphone.

First Snowfall of 2008

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Our first snowfall for 2008! We received at least a couple of inches (in my neck of the woods) on Wednesday, October 29, 2008.
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Drove to work in the morning and found that Burlington had none!

Chef Norrashid From Malaysia

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I had the pleasure of meeting a visiting chef from Malaysia at UVM's Davis Center. Chef Norrashid bin Noli was only here for one day but I had the opportunity to try his chicken rendang dish with gado-gado and satay sauce. It was awesome and brought back memories of Malaysia. Thank you to Chef Paul Bihan who paid for my lunch.
I've got Norrashid's personal contact info and will contact him when I visit Kuala Lumpur in January 2009.

A Great Welcome!

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My co-workers threw a surprise party for me on Friday, October 17, 2008 to celebrate my becoming a US citizen. We had tons of pizza, cake, and I received a signed book on American History Almanac. I was totally shocked and speechless on their kind gesture, and warm welcome!
Thank you so much everyone! Special Thank you goes to Lisa for putting this together.
God bless you! God bless the USA!

The New Citizen!

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As of 10;00AM today (October 16, 2008), I am now a US citizen.
I have been living in the USA for about 15 years and decided that it was about time that I got my citizenship. The whole process took about 15 months from the time I applied in July 2007. I took my test on Tuesday (Oct. 14, 2008) and my oath this morning in a private ceremony.
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By the end of the day, I have registered to vote and have applied for my passport.
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It has been an overall great day today!

Toilet Tank

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My toilet tank now sounds like a turbo jet or an F-16 taking off when it's flushed! This damn piece inside is busted but the toilet is still functional, so I have time to get it fixed. Meanwhile, I get to play "Air Traffic Controller"!

The Country Pantry

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My family and I had dinner at the Country Pantry, located in Fairfax VT on Saturday. This is a popular local restaurant that serves homestyle meals. I had the Fried Chicken Dinner but I didn't enjoy it very much like I used to. I found that the quality of the food has taken a dive just like the recent financial market!

Art on The Beach

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My daughter, Hannah getting creative with her art on the Misquamicut Beach. It was a beautiful day, excellent weather, and great fun!

Misquamicut Beach II

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The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the Misquamicut Beach, Rhode Island.

Misquamicut Beach - Rhode Island

Misquamicut Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island on August 31, 2008. This is the largest beach in Rhode Island, approximately 7 miles long. It has beautiful soft sand and nice waves.
My kids had a great time.

Happy Birthday, Darling!

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Celebrated my wife's birthday at Chili's on 8/21/08. She hates her picture taken, but I managed to snag one anyways.
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Happy Birthday, Jen!

The Dentist

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The dentist extracting one of Sabrina's tooth.

Tooth Extractions

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Sabrina anticipating 2 tooth extractions at the dentist's office. She was quite nervous but the process went very well.
Good job, Sabrina!

Grandchildren

Grandpa celebrated his 65th birthday on May 3, 2008 with family and friends. 

Seen here are his younger grandchildren, Hannah (orange), Sabrina (pink), Myriam (white), and Hugues (black). 

First Art Show

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I had the opportunity to display my photography work during the First Friday Art Walk for the month of May 2008. The event was held on May 2, 2008 at Nectar's /Metronome in downtown Burlington. I had greeting cards and matted prints on display and was successful in selling some. It was a great learning experience and I had fun.
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Anyone looking for a great photography for any event, weddings, graduations, parties, etc, give me a shout. Check out my site at www.hoorge.com .

Universal Sign For Gasoline

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The sign has been changed to accommodate the rising gas prices.
Gas is at USD$4.00 per gallon today (Monday June 9, 2008).

Welcome Alyssa

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This is my niece, Alyssa.

She was born today (March 18, 2008) at 2:16PM EST and she weighed 7 lbs 11 oz.

My younger sister, Vinie, delivered Alyssa at the Guelph General Hospital in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

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We are all very happy and excited to have a new family member. I celebrated my niece's birth with some champagne today. I am a very proud and happy uncle. My wife, kids, and I can't wait to visit Toronto soon to see Alyssa and family.

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Congratulations, Vinie and Dale! Enjoy the new bundle of joy.

Welcome to the family, little Peanut! Love you lots.

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-Uncle Harjit

Vista "Bells & Whistles" Workshop

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This were the participants in my "Windows Vista - Bells & Whistle" workshop at this year's UVM Mastering The Maze event. I had over 40 participants and my workshop went very well.

UVM Maze

Mastering The Maze

Little Pratt

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My co-worker, Lisa's first born child, Isabelle.
She is about 3 weeks old at this point.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

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My Mom turned 75 years old today (March 5, 2008)!
She is still going strong, happy, and in good health.
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Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Jenga!

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Sabrina and Grandma (Maaji) enjoying some quality time together by playing Jenga. It's been great to have Grandma at our house.

At The Orthodontics

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Hannah had her first Orthodontic appointment on 2/18/2008. One of the first things they do is photograph the teeth. Apparently, she needs a mouth widener as there isn't enough space for her new teeth to grow into. Well, the cost of this treatment is approximately $1700.00! Ouch!

After School

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I got home just in time to see my kids get off the school bus after school. We changed their bus route for a couple of weeks while my Mom was in town visiting us from Canada.

Have A Nice Day Daddy!

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I found this note from Sabrina hidden in my laptop. She knew I would see it first thing in the morning when I got to work, which I did. It put smiles on my face and I had a pleasant day.
What more could a Dad ask for? I am blessed with great loving kids.

February 2008 Snowfall

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Just wanted to show how much snow we have received after the snowstorm on 2/6/08 & 2/7/08. We got about 18 inches of fresh snow!

Hannah's Pesky Tooth

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Hannah lost another tooth on January 23, 2008. This tooth was quite persistant and it lingered in Hannah's gums for a couple of weeks. We are all very happy that this chapter is closed until the next one starts again!!

Snowblower Man!

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Here I am busy snowblowing on January 2, 2008. We had a lot of snow.

Sabrina grabbed my camera and took these shots. Not bad for a kid with a DSLR camera. I enjoy teaching her and she enjoys learning from me. So, it's a win-win situation.