Survived 5.6 Earthquake a few hours back

We survived a 5.6 earth quake a few hours ago. It started at 8:05 PM and stayed for 20 seconds. The center of the earthquake was North San Jose and even in Fremont we felt it so strongly. I was playing with Ahyan and Shusmita was in kitchen when saw the whole housing started shaking violently. We gathered together in the middle of the living room until it was over and went out of the house to join many other people in the street after a while to avoid any follow up earth quake.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_re_us/california_earthquake

This is our second earth quake within a year. The earlier one was not as violent as today's one although in richter scale that was 4.8 or so. Our neighbor Kathy/Preston and Tofael Bhai were shocked to have this experience. Preston was like - Welcome to California, the place of earth quake.

Update: 5 Minutes earlier 31st October Wednesday 3:52 PM, we had another earthquake which I believe is the aftershock of yesterday's one. It was milder than yesterday's and we were in fact waiting for this as within 24 hours it is supposed to have as the follow up of the previous one. I am still in office and checked if my family is okay back in Fremont. Shusmita ran down to street with my son Ahyan and told she felt it quite milder than last night's.

Ahyan's First Birthday

Ahyan's first birthday went 12th of this month. Due to Eid-ul-Azha at 13th of this month, we celebrated the party at the following weekend at 20th October. Around 65 guests came in Chandni Restaurant in Newark. We booked the hall's one portion from noon to 4 PM. All the invitations were mostly maintained by evite. The birthday theme was Finding Nemo and all the baloons, table cloths, goody bag and the wonderful tiramisu cake wre decorated with this theme. Ahyan got som many beautiful gifts and love from all. We missed my friends and relatives back home in Bangladesh. This is the irony of living abroad that even happiest moments are touched with sadness.

Here are some of the pictures from the party that Nitol uploaded in his picasa web album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nitol.shabbir/AhyanSBirthday