Thought - Unexpected

These days parking lots feel small and crowded. People are always following others in the hope they will get a spot to park. Go to a park with the thought of spending some time out and you end up circling the parking lot trying to find a place to park, this leads to frustration and a few times we kill the idea and head back home or to a coffee shop 

Last Saturday , I was in the same situation, circling in the parking lot of Mitchelle Park trying to find a spot. We were late for the workshop and the thought of missing the beginning moments added stress to the situation. Finally, I saw a spot with a board "Ada's Cafe" . Thought it could be for the customers of Ada's cafe and so with confidence parked my car and went in for an iced tea. standing in line, I could not leave the thought that I parked in a specified spot, it kept coming back to me.

Finally, my turn came and I headed to the counter to order my ice tea. Feeling nervous , I  told the employee who was taking my order that I parked in their spot. He looked at me , spoke to his manager and then came back to me saying "Mam that spot is for our food truck and it can come in anytime now ". I stood shocked still not understanding what to do ( the only thought that crossed my mind was now where am I going to park, I need to be here for the next 2 hours and not worry about my car). 

The employee looked at my face, smiled and in a calm voice said " I will give you my spot , please follow - me "

I was shocked again, never heard such a thing. The statement made me think, sometimes we come across people who we my never see again, still they leave an impact in our lives'.

I was reading about the concept of UGC-User Generated Content  a tool that is popular in today's marketing world. I feel my post meets the guidelines of UGC, Ada's Cafe a place for good food and beverage and friendly approach  

Please share your thoughts and incidents that reflect your experience similar to this post 

Social Media and Education awareness : Hidden Gem ………Nature at its fullest in the valley

Social Media and Education awareness : Hidden Gem ………Nature at its fullest in the valley: Hiking and trekking has been a part of my outdoor adventure for a while now. Seeing new places and exploring the serenity has always ...

Hidden Gem ………Nature at its fullest in the valley

Hiking and trekking has been a part of my outdoor adventure for a while now. Seeing new places and exploring the serenity has always been an excitement and a driver for the visits. To organize a trek or a hike we travel distances in order to find a place more closely to nature. The overall experience is great, but it involves the 4Ps (planning, packing, preparing and programing), sometimes with our hectic schedule we lose the interest by the time we got to programing. The thought of finding something close to home with a short drive starts kicking. Even if we find something close it may not meet all the expectations we have has in mind and sometimes the place does not feel realistic either (looks more man-made for a hike). I have travelled to Himalays to enjoy the ultimate nature’s beauty, the fresh air and the natural greenlands.. These trips have been as long as eight or ten days!

I have always been looking for places closer to Silicon Valley to give my kids the experience of hiking/trekking. One such place which I call the hidden gem we found recently in Morgan Hill is the Uvas Canyon County Park. A beauty in its own, an experience that will motivate you to go back or look for more similar places.  Just like a travel packing it is a package of experience, hiking paths, bridges and multiple waterfalls (one as high as 20 feet). People may think how it is different from some of the famous places, the biggest difference I found is it is approximately an hour drive from Silicon Valley into the hills and a wonderful place to encourage and introduce the beginners into the world of hiking and trekking.

http://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/Pages/UvasCanyon.asp

Waterfall hitting the rocks 

 

Big trees welcoming to the park

Luscious trees, beautiful waterfalls,   the sweet and musical sound of water, the little wooden bridges, the big rocks, little tunnels, blue sky, birds chirping and the pleasant wind that touches your face when you walk. It was magical, words won’t do justice to the experience.

Our journey started after breakfast and we reached the foothill of the trek by 10:00a.m. . It was bright and the sun was shining beautifully in the sky. All along the drive we saw green grass, big trees gave a country feel right from the beginning. Reaching the hilltop, we, crossing the quite Swedish village, it gave a feel of actually visiting a rural village in Sweden. The look and feel was very natural and the houses also looked like pretty little cottages, with beautiful cloth curtains on the windows, wind chimes at the entrance. I have not visited Sweden, but it gave a quick peak into Swedish village and its structure. We reached the parking area bought the day pass through an automated machine and parked.

Our journey started with a look around the waterfalls which covered 1.5 miles in total. We stopped at every waterfall to take pictures, feel the water and sometimes just to sit on the big rocks just to feel the fresh air and enjoy the water falling onto the rocks and making sound almost felt musical. Crossing all the smaller waterfalls ( Granuja Falls, Little Falls, Basin Falls, Upper Falls) we came to one of the biggest waterfall- The Black Rock Falls, hidden inside a branch trail! It is a simple waterfall, yet unlike the others it gave complete satisfaction of taking the extra effort in going up the trail to witness it. The water was cold and sweet. Having witnessed and experience of waterfalls, we had our hearts content for the hike and traced our steps back to the parking lot.  

Along with our friend’s family we had a wonderful time, kids were excited with the exploration and the experience (all were first timers) and got back into our cars to head home. On the way we saw a creek which was the missing piece in our journey

Beautiful morning 

Waterfall under the bridge 

Creek on the way back

……

I have been an explorer my whole life, but experiencing something close to the big city was a whole different thing….. All the adventurers who have been planning on hiking, trekking or planning on nature exploration should take a peek at this place to have a full journey of experience… We don’t need to go too far to relax, just pick a map and start your trail today…….

A trail is not complete without admiring the nature’s beauty and also without friends. Thanks to my friend Rimpa for showing this trail

One step at a time, see the nature’s beauty and enjoy it to your heart’s content.

…. For “ never let your Mind tell your heart not to wonder”…..  Exploration happens when we venture

Have you visited Uvas canyon yet? If yes, please share your thoughts

   

MY Social Media , What privacy

In  today's world we spend more time on social media than actual friends. We post about everything on facebook or tweet about it. Whether be a movie, review, book, app , restaurant , food  or even the  service or parking!
Be happy or sad, frustrated or enthusiastic, everything is out there in the cloud...
The more likes or comments we get the more excited we are. Gone are  days of picking a phone and calling a friend or family . The thought of just texturing and posting our status to let our friends know gives a complete different thrill..
To compete with the current social media , more are emerging , and more will keep emerging as technology advances.
Social gatherings have gone virtual  , we need to find an occasion to meet be it Super Bowl or July 4th . Ironically, even these gatherings are getting small.
Privacy has no importance in the social network world, today's prank can cost tomorrow's future..
The thrill of posting and updating our status constantly overrides the privacy factor all the time
It is not all bad about social networking... We can now read the reviews posted before we decide on a movie or a restaurant or a brand too!
This is putting the retailers and food chains on their food in looking more deeper into service, quality , quantity and the experience . CRM is more challenging with the freedom of posting on social media. The expected   service and support from these vendors has improved dramatically, which is helping the customers a better return on their money . In other words "Service what to say ---- Money well spent"
On one hand , the benefits of posting individual's  thoughts add value and importance to future preference and requirements , on the other we are tied down to what others believe and think. What do we know about their lifestyle and experience
If the concept of social media is to connect with people then why is the distance more in actual meeting ?
Our life being ruled by social media has led us into a world of worldwide friends, yet very alone and dependent on social network......
How safe are we with social networks and our privacy?