Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions, Opinions & much more

Trying to Write

2011-10-20T16:08:00.000+01:00

It is so frustrating to have a 'writers block'. I am trying hard to put so many of my thoughts across but in vain. I should probably follow the trick of carrying a book and a pen wherever I am. I seem to have a rush of writing something at the most unusual time and place and when I actually sit at it the mind goes blank.

I am trying to pen down my thoughts about London. The city I have been living in for close to 4 years now. The city in which I really don’t have family or friends, it’s just him and me. This city which is considered to be one of the oldest, one of the great cities of the world; This city which has accepted me the way I am and has taught me a whole new lesson in life.

I am trying to write a journal about the places here and put my thoughts together to give my take on it. Trying hard to put thoughts, moments, pictures together.. You will see more when I get to it.... Hopefully soon...

'This' Day of 'That' Week

2011-06-13T10:44:00.000+01:00

I wonder whether this is a concept of the western world...To have mother's days & fathers' days and valentine's days and so on....The opinionated mind of mine has of course accepted this a very long time ago. In fact I have also planned a card, a gift or even a meal on such 'created' occasions for the loved ones

On one of the routine commutes on the public Transport, having grabbed the daily local, flipping through the various day to day stories, i had noticed a few interesting days like these......had never heard of them before this and it makes me wonder who came up with such ideas or perhaps call it a campaign.

With the start of summer, ‘at least, as they say it here’....there was this national 'Ice Cream week'......didn't see any change in the way things worked, however there was a ‘HMS Flake 99’....ice cream boat on the river Thames - reminded me of the snack boat on the Ooty lake.

Then there was the UK Spa Fortnight ... I see it as a fantastic way to advertise the world of beauty therapy, feel pampered, look after yourself business!

Some others on a more recognisable note, This month also marks the official birthday of queen Elizabeth II and the official – 90th birthday of her husband Prince Phillip On the other scale of things the Summer Solstice or the longest day of the year.

Though one side of me wonders how the day of this and the week of that is devised and how it makes people fall for 'many a times' a created hype, the other side of me thinks it gives some people something to do, it gives the creative ad agencies some money and employment to those involved in the creation of the concept, the various other companies, their business and for someone like me a thought process.....

British Summer

2010-07-12T21:07:00.001+01:00

Well.. I would want to call it London summer than British summer....but I tend to like titles which are standard phrases....call it a mind-block to creativity!

This is my third summer in the UK, but I suppose this has been the true 'British Summer' experience I have had. I would like to pen down a few thoughts about the same, some things that we have done to enjoy the sun which is such a rarity and some general things that people here tend to do.

The clocks were set forward by an hour on the 28th March this year, however the 'Summer' took it's own sweet time and arrived late June - early July (where we stand now). The days are long - its daylight almost until 10:00pm which gives us ample time to do stuff, the night just doesn't seem to start and it also ends quickly...however, the party is on all day.

For starters, the first thing we notice is the change in clothing, people get less formal, less of 'all black' clothing, sun glasses - all sizes and shapes, colours - in clothing, women tend to sport the 'Gladiator sandals' which mainly is open footwear in a roman style (which you get to see in movies showing that era), lots of linen clothing, camis, shorts, skirts.... varied ranges, sales everywhere!

It's the time for sports, Wimbledon comes with its old glory, it's time for enjoying it at the venue if you are lucky enough to have tickets, the less lucky ones end up either queuing for ground tickets/re-sales ( I spotted people carrying flyers of 'tips on queuing for Wimbledon' or just settle for Murray mount to watch the game on a big screen. It's the time to enjoy fizzy and Strawberries and Cream. One can typically see the women dressed in pastel shade dresses with straw hats, men in their finest linen suits - it's all about class.

It's also the time for the Royal Ascot- the horse race, the British Grand Prix, many get into playing Golf too. This time it came with the added bonus of the World Cup Football - though London and the country was disappointed with the early exit of their team, the atmosphere was brialliant.

It's those times when there are concerts everywhere, in parks, in the squares in the city, screening of films in places like somerset house, theatre - it's back to the shakespeare's world at the Open air theatre and the Globe Theatre.

It's ideal to make a trip to the beach towns - We took a trip to Brighton, being closest to London, It's got a pebble beach - perhaps the first one that I saw! The pier has games which take you back to your school days, the cafes, pubs and bars are full of life. The 'Lanes' of Brighton are just so mesmerizing.

We also have spent time playing tennis - Thanks to the free courts - we dont need to play to pick the ball more than hitting it! We also had been cycling around Richmond Park - imagine spotting 100+ deer at a time while you are biking in the park. It was very peaceful.

Food is different now - it's all about healthy food - salads with various dressings, summer berries, smoothies and juices. There's a lot on the other end too - Ice creams - literally everywhere! Pimms cocktail - looks so pretty with all the fruits and tastes great too! And when you have had enough of this there's Sangria anyways.

It's the time for Barbeques- wait for that weekend which is hot!!! , house parties, water fights at the parties and lots of fun!

Overall, this is a time when people get out in the open, plan stuff, do stuff and generally it's a happy mood, a 'feel-good' day everyday!

Cheat's Cookery - Pita Bread with Sides

2010-07-12T13:18:00.008+01:00

I do enjoy different cuisines and though many of them seem bland when compared to the masalas which make a big part of the spicy Indian food, I enjoy trying and tasting food from different places. However, when I give it a go in my workshop, it does have an Indianized feel to it.

Moroccon/Mediterranean food is something which caught onto me, mainly for the reason of trying something different and secondly that it is definitely healthy. I tried the same at home and the result is what you see here - try it when you can on a day when you are not in mood to eat too much or when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen

Ingredients:
Pita Bread/ Flat bread
Oil
Hummus - Plain would do, I used Caramelised Onion Hummus
Peppers - red and green
Onions
Sweet Corn
Green Chillies
Ginger
Crushed Red Chillies
Parsley - dried too can do
Butter/ Margerine
Extra Virgin olive oil
Coriander - Of course - nothing is complete without this!

Steps to prepare:

Step 1 - Side dish
- slice onions and peppers length wise
- Steam/ microwave the sweet corn
- Chop green chillies and ginger
- In a pan, add some oil, add the ginger and green chillies, then add onions and brown it.
- Add the peppers and sweet corn and saute it for a while until cooked
- Sprinkle some crushed red chillies and saute it for a couple of minutes
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander

Step 2- Hummus
- Add the Hummus on a plate
- Add a splash of olive oil on it
- Sprinkle some Parsley and Crushed Red chillies

Step 3 - Pita bread
- Smear butter/margerine on the pita bread and toast it on a flat pan until warm/cooked

Serve the side dish along side the hummus and the hot pita bread.

My Virtual Playground

2010-06-11T10:49:00.001+01:00

We have all been in the world of computers for a little over a decade and with that we entered the whole world of Online Games, computer games of all kinds. Though I have never been a great sportsperson, I always seemed to enjoy the outdoor sport more, I was into cycling, badminton and skating mainly, but enjoyed trying my hands at Tennis and even Cricket! I also played the very Indian games of Lagori and Kunte bille….

I was never really into Computer games... but looking back at it, I have quite a few things to recollect and pen down.

It all mainly started when my dad got us our first computer - I remember that we were ecstatic that it had a hard drive of 4.2GB!!!!!- these days you get a memory stick with more capacity!

Well... I started playing minesweeper, solitaire and the other card game (you know.. something like free....Oh! I don't remember the name!)....mainly played these games to get control of the mouse...as I found it quite hard to navigate from one end of the screen to the other!

Later, I remember playing Dave...the first one which I saw with 10 levels and remember that it was quite a feat to finish the game....later it was playing it over and over to better the timing.

Stepping it up a bit was playing Road Rash and NFS, the bike and car game with my brother... and well! I never won any...but it was fun to play together...The game mainly looked good ...it was all about speed, the UI of the game was pretty...

I am sure there were many more like this, but I never got my hands on it...guess one of them was Tomb Raider….

There were also little flash games that we played…..the most popular being the bricks and eggs in a basket....

....All this while at every stage, I remember that I had enjoyed playing these and had at that point got addicted to it.

There were a few years in between when I totally lost touch with the virtual world of sport until work happened and the concept of forwarded emails began…..with it came some intelligent excel games, some brain teasers, some quizzes and the one I enjoyed was the logo quiz - had to pick the names of companies based on their logo.

The other game which was big in office was the bursting the bubbles one.. there was a time when all the computer screens had the colourful bubbles on....

We then had "Sudoku' columns in the newspaper and that became an addiction too…. started off with easy and then reached a day when I didn’t want to do it unless and until it's Hard! I remember playing this in our office meetings too!!!

…...I did go past all this....and then the completely different world of Facebook happened and with it came some really interesting games... the ones I was hooked onto were Farmville and Cafe World...there was a time when I started telling everyone that I have grown grapes and my watermelon plants died and that I managed to buy a farm house too!

.....Well...like all the other games, this one too died down....It just was too much work to maintain a Farm and a Cafe!!!!!

Laziness...made me do Sudoku online...well! It even tells you if you have made a mistake and highlights the row in which there is an error - Not sure whether I like it!

Well....I might have missed out a few in between, but the trend through these years is that when the game in new, I got hooked to it, enjoyed it, got addicted to it and passed it on to my friends....

…..However on the flip side, I still enjoy playing badminton or tennis or any outdoor sport and don't remember a day when I said I was bored of it...I enjoyed it, was never addicted to it, but when there is a chance to play, I have my sports shoe on!!!
…...Guess it's a complete circle....I started with my set of outdoor sports and I am back there again!

Cheat's Cookery - Pizza

2010-06-07T19:59:00.004+01:00

While I was chatting with my friend this afternoon, we happened to talk about Pizzas. This pal loved Pizza Hut
Pizzas...the Pan Crust….big fat cheesy pizzas as I was terming it...Well! Who doesn't like pizzas????

There was a day when I attempted my Cheat's pizza @ home and I thought today as it was nostalgic talking about Pizzas and the times spent together with my buddy @ Pizza hut made the right day to pen this up..

Well, I have been thinking of writing a food blog about all my trials (and errors ;-) at cooking, however, I don't seem to have the patience to do it!

Well... today it happened!...
My idea of cooking....keep it simple.... nothing over an hour....tasty, spicy, colourful and easy....
I don't make all the base ingredients at home...so I have labelled it my Cheat cookery!

Ingredients:
Wheat Tortillas/Chapathis.. left overs would do :)
Tomato chutney/salsa (prepared)/ tomato sauce+ chilli sauce
Mozzarella Cheese - Grated
Kidney Beans - soft & boiled - 1 cup
Coriander - I love it! Loads of it... well... Indian cooking is not complete without this..
Butter - for spreading.

Steps:
- Apply butter on the tortilla/chapathi
- Spread the salsa evenly on the chapathi
- sprinkle the Rajma on it.
- Add the grated mozzarella

Turn on the Oven (Gas Mark 5/6, Electric 200/250deg), Place the created Pizza on the middle shelf and wait for the cheese to melt.

Garnish with Coriander and serve hot!!!

Hurray!...I managed to write this up!!!! Phew! I wonder how the cook books do this!!!! I know it's not quite a pizza...well..it's mine...so I can call it that :) and look I even have a pic of this...

A City on Water

2010-05-26T15:18:00.005+01:00

I wonder what comes to your mind when you read the above title! I am going to talk about our holiday to the beautiful world on water 'Venice'. Before I start!!!! I remember reading in Social Studies back in school that Cochin is called 'Venice of the East'....really??? I don't think so...it's nothing like it...I cannot imagine another place like this one! It's so very unique....

As always I was all excited about our Easter weekend trip to Venezia, Italy. We booked the flights, the hotel accommodation and by doing the research of finding a good deal, I felt I already know the sights and scenes of the city. Such is the world of Internet....

However, going there is definitely worth every penny...
I cannot quite put it up in words to illustrate what the experience was, so some snippets of what I remember the most and loved the most and recommend are seen below....

Travel by the Vaporetto's (Public Water transport), they are economical and the best way to go around the lagoon... We had a day pass and also got single tickets to do the rides. This makes you mingle with the locals and in the general day to day activities....

Definetly ride Line 1 of the Vaporetto - which takes you all along the Grand Canal (which is Yes!! Grand in it's own way).

Sip on Sweet Sparkling Wine at one of the many cafes by the Rialto Bridge

Visit the colorful island of Burano - famous for the lace work, the houses are so picture perfect on a sunny day.

Just Walk the many 'Calle's Venice has to offer.....this is most cherished.... as you walk by the alley ways, you end up getting to a square with houses, canals, bridges, universities, ristorante's, coffee shops, gondola stands..... - I do consider the sentence "Get Lost in Venice" an order, not a suggestion. ( I stole this sentence ;-)

Have the Gelato's from the many gelatarias around....it's really hard to choose from the many flavours they have to offer....

Never miss Pizza when in Italy...I guess they have managed to keep a few secrets of making the perfect Pizza to themselves...

If you have an extra day, take the train to the nearby city of Verona...the land of romeo & juliet and the famous amphitheatre...if you are there in the right season, you might also see the many vineyards during the journey....trust me... after a few days in the world of water...you would not mind civilization in the form of Roads, Railways and solid earth!

Well... Overall.. it was a very very different experience...its so beautiful that only an artist or a poet or a writer or may be a photographer can describe the place and definitely not me....I will upload a few pics... well..hopefully the pics do some justice to the place than the write up!

Google Logos

2010-03-02T14:58:00.003Z

From the past few days (At least a week), Google has the logo of the Winter Olympics at Vancouver - it's a different one everyday but all based on a dull grayish green theme. Today it's back to the colourful one - the standard Google Logo.

Don't know why it bothered me! but I hated to see the dull logos everyday I logged in and today when I opened Google I thought - Thank God! The dull ones are done.

Strange how these little things actually make a difference to me!

For memories sake - Dull Logos!

Tipperary to Thipparalli

2009-11-17T16:20:00.007Z

I keep remember things in my ‘Life so far’ and that I guess is my biggest inspiration to blog….this time around… … Yes! Yet again I am stuck on the previous subject – Music …. With a dash of humour to it.

The blog was designed this way, I was remembering my granddad talking to me about this person by name T.P. Kailasam, a very well known playright in Kannada, known for his wit and humour……seemed like my granddad loved reading about him, or talking about him as he had mentioned his name to me numerous times at different instances. He was (I guess) called the George Bernard Shaw of Kannada Theatre/Literature, also was tagged to the saying ‘Kannadakobbane Kailasam! Hasyakobbane Beechi’ and what I recollect from my granddad were the short whacky statements from T P Kailasam…..his witty replies when asked about anything – I feel sad that I don’t remember it well enough to pen it down..

Yesterday while shopping at Tesco.. …I happened to see a huge advert of Magners Cider – which read Made in Tipperary – this ignited my thought process about TPK…..and made me think this weird remembrance has to be penned down.

My mind immediately was humming the tunes of ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary, It’s a long way to go’ …which later turned to ‘Namma Thipparalli balu dooraa, nadeyak balu doora’…..though TPK adapted this song from a Irishman’s song from yester years….it’s has it’s own brilliance…..It’s one of a kind in the humour aspect, I find it toungue twisting at times ( still can’t manage all the lyrics)… but is a joy to listen….It’s a story said in the song which you can relate to very easily….a common man’s story, narrated beautifully and in a utterly unusual way. Listen to this piece which gives you a flavour of both the English and the Kannada versions of the song.....for those you are still struggling with the lyrics...ENJOY!

The Little Ben

2009-11-09T15:13:00.005Z

The main places that come to one’s mind when they hear/read about London are Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge…well…..don’t we all know it as the London Bridge, The houses of parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben amongst a lot of other significant ones.

There are however numerous other sights, locations, places and Monuments…..not so famous, not so significant, and not so known to all…. The nice book called 1000 things to do in London gives a lot of ideas on such small avenues in this magnificent city….

This way I came across the not so big, the not so grand … Little Ben… unlike it’s big brother, this one’s left in the junction of 3 main roads right opposite the busy Victoria station. It can be easily missed by anyone and you can see the many office goers run past it to get to work or home.

For those who get a chance to be here and have the time after having done all the main things…..can just pop out of Victoria Station and take a peek…

Banna nanna olavina banna.....(Looted)...for a few dollars more....

2009-10-27T15:25:00.007Z

I am very disappointed on a particular thing and yet excited at another both of which are related.

As I had penned down long long ago in my blog dedicated to music……street music is a thing of joy for me! I usually go for long walks in London – the streets of which telling tales of its own (more fun if I have company….. but many a times I do it on my own). You can hear it at many places…..in the tube stations, in alley ways, on the bridges… I was walking down Oxford street yesterday evening, hopping in and out of the many retail shops there. While I was in one of them, I heard this band playing various instruments, went out to watch them play…..they had a few instruments I could recognize which were variations of the flute, mouth organ amongst many which I have just seen but don’t know names of….

I went back into the shop and suddenly I heard their next tune…an instrumental of one of my favourite songs in Kannada banna nanna olavina banna from Bandhana…I went back to see if suddenly it was some Indians playing the music .... but no! It was the same band… it was so melodious, amazing music… I don’t have words – felt like the best thing I had listened to in ages….as you have guessed ….I thoroughly enjoyed it! Then it hit me hard…..I was wondering…. well!!!! Our known Kannada song is actually flicked from somewhere!! And I was sooooo frustrated. I found out that it’s a direct pick from the soundtrack of the movie ‘For a few Dollars more’ – the Spanish Intro .

It is in fact one of the superb compositions of the genius in Ennio Morricone… who has given us other soundtracks like ‘The good, bad, ugly’ , ‘A fistful of dollars’, ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ amongst hundreds of masterpieces….

I feel so disappointed by all these copied music…somehow feels ‘do we lack that originality???’, or is it kind of a tribute that these composers pay to perhaps their Idols?? Is it what they call ‘being inspired'???

I was also excited by the fact that they have the ‘creativity (!!)’ in fitting the music to the scenes of our movies.....I was wound up thinking how a background score from a typical western, cowboy movie fitted in so well as a romantic song in a dream sequence of another movie….

The (Not so) Mad world of Ads

2009-10-22T17:02:00.002+01:00

Strange as it may seem....I have been remembering something today... the advertisements on Indian radio and television. Sometimes, more than the actual programmes, I used to enjoy the adverts more and many a times was caught humming or singing them by family and friends...

On school days, part of the usual rush with the morning chores was the All India Radio giving us company and a tune to start the day. I don't remember the shows aired, or the news narrated, but do remember the advertisements in between.

We used to watch the serials every evening on TV…. some really nice ones were Udaan,Oshin, Mungeri Lal kay haseen sapnay, Ham panchi ek dhal ke and a few others...No matter what we watched or listened to, whether it was long hours of cricket matches, or the only movie that used to come on Sunday evenings or the 9'o clock News or anything...I very distinctly remember the advertisements aired in between....

A few that I remember very well are Chal meri Luna, Vicco turmeric ….nahi cosmetic, buland bharat ki bhuland tasveer… ..hamara Bajaj (remains one of my favourite tunes), hajmola sir (so funny!), Liril ads-Never wanted to use this soap though....remember my brother and me naming it ajji's soap(grandma's soap), Dabar amla kesh thail, How can I miss out the taste of India..Amul, swaad bare shakti bare…. parle G, washing powder Nirma, kurrum kurrum.. Lijjat papad, Cadburys... love the song, Fevicol ka jod, Natraj pencil- don't remember using anything other than the pencil with red and black vertical lines.

I have always thought that ads are such creative works...they need to get the point across in just about 30 seconds...I think that's amazing! Of late….of course, many of us might avoid watching movies on TV as a 3 hour movie would end up being 4-4.5hours with all the ads...Some ads of the 2000's that I liked were the Airtel ad (with A R Rahman's tune), the Hutch Ad, well…. the ad's with the cricketers.. Rahul Dravid's Pepsi, Aamir khan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan in Coke & Pepsi ads....the main difference I find in the ads now a days to the ads before were that the older ads concentrated a lot on family, society and India as a whole...we do have them today... but the feelings don't seem very strong..

If you are someone who enjoyed something similar to what I have written…. just you tube Indian Ads and it will take you back to those days... atleast for a few moments...

The Music of Rain..

2009-09-16T17:04:00.004+01:00

I tend to get caught with a topic while blogging (i.e. when I do blog!!!) ... when I write about coffee I am drowned in it, when I write about travels, I am lost in it and now that I just wrote about Rain.... looks like I am going to get drenched in it.

On a lighter note this time, with an attempt not to write the part 2 of the previous tale....is about this song...which I consider as one of the best songs written and picturized describing 'Rain'...It goes Rhim Jhim gire saawan .. sulag sulag jaaye mann...bhige aaj is mausam mein, lagi kaisi ye agan....

.......Many years ago, I heard this song from my room while my mother was playing this on her favourite stereo in her room... I loved it instantly. It was the Kishor Kumar version of the song (which I thought was the only one), I remember playing it over and over again to learn the lyrics.....it was a simple song.... no heavy lyrics, not the greatest tune yet had an ease about it, seems like he has sung it so effortlessly....it definitely has a feel good factor...It used to take me back to a rainy day and my own imagination of having a good time.

However, I saw the video of the song much much later and well! It was a female voice, that of Lata Mangeshkar, but the video bowled me over.....I loved it all over again.
Today, I love both versions of the song and the videos, however the one which is picturized in the streets of Mumbai with the Rain is the closest to my heart and remains as one of my most favourite videos... it makes me feel happy and doesn't fail making me smile.

The Tale of a Rainy day

2009-09-14T15:39:00.000+01:00

Ask anyone whether they ‘Like rain’ and more than 90% of the answers would be ‘Yes, I like rain, I enjoy rain, I love rain’- I am surely one who falls into this category – sipping hot coffee with friends, eating hot spicy food and chatting along while you hear and smell the rain outside is something I would always rejoice! However there are a second set of people who could add on the fact that Oh! It’s so messy after it’s rained; I don’t quite enjoy getting drenched in rain when I have to get to some place or if I am in a hurry. There are also a third set of people who says ‘It doesn’t affect me, I am not quite bothered whether it rains or not’ and so on.

Rain can mean different things to a lot of other people too. For the office goer’s it would mean a nuisance if it rains just at the time they need to leave home or leave for home from work, for the school kid, it’s a joy who can play in the puddles, get the clothes and shoes wet, perhaps very heavy rains can also bring them an unexpected holiday; For the street vendors, it’s a blow on their business, as it might force them to close down the shop for the rainy day. For those who have organized an outdoor activity, event, a function it’s a cause of tension – what if the shelter is not good enough, what if people drop out of the plan of attending, what would happen to all the food, where can we make alternate arrangements, for the sports freak especially a cricket fanatic, it would be a missed game, a missed day of fun, on the other hand for the person whose home is the very street, he would be swept off from his home.

For most of us accustomed to city life, it doesn’t quite matter whether it rains on not as much as the farmer or that individual who is dependent on it for his day to day life. For them, rain would be a blessing; they would pray for it and would be overjoyed and relieved that it did rain. Of course, we city dwellers might get to realize it only when it’s too hot, or there are too many power cuts, the cost of vegetables are way too high and when little issues creep in. It would be out in the news and can also become a topic of discussions – especially when you are with a group of people who you are not acquainted with.

It’s interesting to see the turn of events when the skies cry…. You can see the dogs on the street just running at a slow pace trying to get shelter, but also at the same time not quite bothered about getting wet, the cows who remain so unmoved from their positions, birds flying from tree to tree….On the other hand, you can see the vendors hurriedly covering their cart full of things, women running to get the washed clothes hung outside (which had almost dried up until this happened), old men/ladies retiring with a cup of hot coffee/tea by the window sill, kids trying to sneak away and play in the rain, a group of friends talking about having hot fried food and coffee at their favourite restaurant or café and monkeys hanging from a Mango tree and trying in their so many human like ways to cover themselves…these could be amongst many other things you might have noticed.

The smell of rain is a much loved thing to most people who enjoy rain, the smell of mud, the smell of the garden – the washed leaves of trees, plants and flowers – all of them looking clean and green, the smell of hot corn on the cob, the smell of hot spicy food by the street where people who wanna have a quick grab, the people coming out once it has stopped and having a chat together, the noise of the street businesses resuming, some people working on cleaning up the havoc caused by it, everyone getting back to their activities…….The after effects need not be always good….if one doesn’t pay attention while walking along the street, they might end up with a shower of mud and rain water, the slippery roads can be quite horrible, the flies in the evening is the most and the only annoying aspect of rain that I remember. It can also be in the news or the next day’s morning paper if things have gone pretty bad…..Nonetheless, the whole cycle ends and routine begins again until the spell of rain starts the sequence of events on yet another day… a morning of shower, an afternoon of quiet rain, an evening of heavy rain, or a downpour at night…..

Life's Little Moments

2009-07-10T10:48:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine had put this up on his profile on gtalk, simply loved it!!! It's so very true, I was nodding my head and had a broad smile for ever word that was written...

" I want to go back to the times: When "DRINKING" meant 'Apple Juice'... When father was the only "HERO"... When "Love" was Mom's Hug... When the only thing that could Hurt were 'Skinned Knees'... When the only thing "Broken" were 'Toys/ Cricket Bats'... When Goodbye only meant till Tomorrow !!! "

Such a simple thought....only if 'life' could have been as simple as this!!?!

On the other hand, it's also true that Life is as simple or complex as you make it to be, its in our hands, its in the perspective.
Times change, some times are hard, some happy, some fun, some tense....but overall life goes on....be in happy days or sad, once it's passed by, just becomes a thought that flashes by and most times it puts a smile on your face or just makes you feel stronger.

Remembering Miss Lingoleela

2009-02-10T13:58:00.000Z

For those of you who might not know Miss.Lingoleela.....was the character played by the Radio Jockey Priya Ganapathy on Radio City 91.1FM in Bangalore...It was the good old college days and we used to be hooked to the different shows on this FM, this was a snippet 'The daily kannada ward by Miss.lingoleela' where she teaches the audience the kannada slang, as she put it, her task was to educate the peepols about the lochales language. She was SSLC passed but currently unemplaaayed. A new word was taught every day…. though this was for the outsiders to get a taste of the slanguage, it amused a lot of us kannadigas and was a perfect coffee time chit chat.

Words like bombaat, sakkathu, jinkchak,ghoostlu, kireek, bejaan and many more became a part of our day-to-day conversation....some known, some new. A sentence was also framed in the show which showed the usage of the word...Perfect!!! You even know the context in which it could be used!!! There were mixed responses in the audience.....some totally loved her, some disliked the misuse of the language...but the show went on.. I don't have an idea of how many such daily words were taught….. but it went on for months or may be a year!

Someone has put up a list of a few words and the meanings on this page….. Take a look and laugh out!

The Girl Can't Help It!

2009-02-09T15:17:00.001Z

My usual routine on Saturday mornings is a walk along the Church street market to get fresh vegetables, and essentials for the week ahead. It has always been nice to stroll along open markets with people trying to sell fancy footwear, discounted clothes, varieties of cheese, chocolates, oils, pungent perfumes, colourfully laid out vegetables & fruits, grand though economical carpets, day-to-day stuff like cleaning liquids to shower gels to bin liners to tissues. One can also pick plants & flowers from these street shops or any other decorative items for the living room. There is a complete buzz about this place as you can see vendors calling out for
passers-by to pick the big deals they have to offer...for those whose taste buds go active on the smell of food can have a bite at the burritos & kebab stall.

The street would routinely turn into a pedestrian zone and one can see the vendors coming in vans, carts to build their make-shift shop for the day. Then, they would meticulously lay out their goods for display and start their day. The steps are reversed at pack-up time..... Imagine doing this everyday - I would not be successful even for a week. Kudos!!! to these guys who do it day in and day out.

Another important characteristic of this place are the antique shops here selling furniture, mirrors, clocks, vases, jewellery, clothes, rugs, carpets, decorative items and so on... The Alfie's Antique market is a world of its own. One of the shops which really caught my eyes was the store called 'The Girl Can't Help it' - wow! What a name and it stood for what it had….. there were hats, dresses, footwear, glasses, jewellery all from ages long ago....I couldn't relate to any of the clothes there but well... it took me back in time…...it definitely gives you the idea of the
styles that existed and a piece of the glamour world back then....

All this put together..... Starting from shopping for essentials, for day-to-day living, to the fancy side of things like antiques...it shows direct proportionality about the girl, the lady, the woman who really can't help it!!! - can't help but shop!!!!

Winter Wonderland

2009-02-06T14:33:00.000Z

Winter was here...the month of December is for many reasons the best month during the winter, it's festive with Christmas around the corner, the New Year's would soon follow, lots of holidays, celebrations everywhere, gifts, decorations, partying, less work and all things nice. On the other hand January is the most dreaded month - all celebrations over, no more holidays, festivals for a long long time....Just as we wait for January to get over, the weather reports say that the Winter progresses into February and we just start the countdown of 6-7 weeks of winter remaining....

On the night of Feb 2nd and the early hours of Feb 3rd it was a complete Whiteout. UK experienced the heaviest snowfall in 18years; it was my first major one…. There was 15cms of Snow settled -clean and white.... all around us. It gave us all a playground of a different kind, everyone forgot of the ongoing economic crisis, about work, about all tensions.... and played like kids...
Having listened to the song from the past few months - it was indeed 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland'....
Take a peek at some of the shots I could capture….

National Gallery @ Trafalgar Square

The garden in our Courtyard

Streets of London

The Big Ben as seen from Trafalgar Square

Icing Sugar on the Houses of Parliament & Big Ben

Turkish Delight

2009-02-04T14:32:00.001Z

We planned for a holiday and I was asked where I would have liked to go….The first thing that came to my mind was - let's go home to India. But, well, that was not possible and was not the idea of having a holiday at that point. So, here were the options to check on, Firstly, it had to be a place which was warmer than it is in London, it had to be a place not as far as India, preferably a place which we both have not seen, a place which each of us at some point thought of as a place to go to, not a place which would create a hole in the pocket....there were other factors too - are we going to get leave from work, will it fall in our budget, do the dates fit in well and so on.... after all this thought process, we finally concluded on the place and it sounded like there couldn't have been a better option considering all the above.... it had to be Istanbul.
Many asked us - why Istanbul ( of all the places) ... but we went on....

One of the oldest cities on earth, it has a huge history.... was called Byzantium, Constantinople and now Istanbul. The city is set to have built on 7 hills with the Marmara Sea on one side, the golden Horn on the other and the Bosphorours River to the north - the city is magnificently situated around the union of these three main water bodies. The land and water complement each other - and this makes the city one of a kind.

We stayed on the European side - near Eminomu- this was the old city....The Blue mosque and the Aya Sophia stood admiring each other’s glory, the view from the Galata tower was breathtaking , the typical Bird eye view of the city....the cruise ride on the bosphorous was amazing... the Bosphorous bridge shouts out as the conduit between Asia and Europe....The hustle bustle of the cafes on the Galata bridge is unforgettable, the Grand Bazaar is unique and proves that it is indeed world's biggest indoor market, the colorful spices of the Egyptian/Spice Market holds you back and the blue choppy waters makes you visit again!

Few illustrations here…...

Aya Sofia

Blue Mosque as seen from Aya Sofia

Spice Market - Turkish Delight, Spices, Teas

Inside the Grand Bazaar

Panoramic View from Galata Tower

From the Galata Tower - see the Asian side of Turkey

The Old City as seen from the new

A Pretzel Cart- you can see them everywhere

A view of the Galata Tower & The new City

A lazy afternoon at Regent's Park

2008-09-27T10:50:00.002+01:00

One of the positive things about living in Central London is it's proximity to some of the very well known attractions of the world. The place steeps in History and one can notice the architecture, the design of ages long ago.

Apart from the many buildings, the palaces, the riverside, cathedrals, the city boasts of having almost 30% (not sure of the exact percentage) of green spaces.
One of the Royal Parks - the Regent's Park is just about a 10minute walk from home and on a sunny afternoon one weekend, I decided to stroll along with my camera and capture a few shots of the boating lake, the greenery around, the relaxed lifestyle of the people here - see them on.

Coffee Shop

2008-05-19T17:20:00.000+01:00

I am trying hard not to write another post about coffee....well, I just go weak when I see coffee...now, the inspiration behind blogging this one after such a long time is a small coffee shop that I am now at.
Life, work has been taking me to places that I never dreamed of, had never heard of, had never known its existence...strange are the ways of life. Never had I thought that I would be sitting here in a small coffee shop in the small town of Newport in South Wales overlooking the town market, some hills, a church, the train station hearing occasional chugging of trains...yes.. all this in one view. Isn't that wonderful?
Well....one side of it is the place, the other is the coffee..what else would you like in a chill weather than a hot cup of coffee on a comfortable couch and free wi-fi!!! God! I couldn't have asked for more to start writing this blog.
Well....there are some nice things in life....but one cant get everything....somehow my thoughts now go towards the people I am really fond of,my close near and dear ones...I am really missing you all....Nothing seems complete without the company of your close ones...isn't it??
Well....you cannot see two faces of the coin at one go! So....need to just see the brighter side of things...
Well.. good ol' fellow bloggers....if you happen to read this, you must be thinking...'what a pathetic attempt' as a come back...well.. i know I know.. I need to get back to some serious blogging....will not be too long this time :)

The Nilgiris Mountain Railway

2006-09-22T12:23:00.000+01:00

It's been long since I have written a blog, infact written anything at all. To get rid of the feeling of being annoyed with myself about not updating, here's my attempt to get back to something I loved doing- Blogging!!!!

Last November, I had been to Ooty. It was a desperate effort to make a journey to some place near/far and get away from the basic routine. Ooty is a hot favourite for most Bangaloreans as it is the nearest hill station to the city. So, without thinking twice, I proceeded with my plan. The only thing, I looked forward was to do something different this time around, at Ooty.

Keeping this in mind, I headed to take one of the most coveted journeys in the Indian terrain.....to take a train journey from Ooty to Coonoor...to travel by the "Nilgiris Mountain Railway". The ‘Nilgiris toy train’ connects Ooty to mettupalayam, a town at the foot of the Nilgiris.

It's an awesome experience. I got to enjoy some breathtaking sceneries, it's a ride in the clouds with fresh air surrounding you.

The train paces only at about 10kms an hour, passing through tunnels, bridges, tea plantations, the nilgiris trees, small towns....it's a scene which you wouldn't forget for years to come.

I would say, it's worth going on this tour-a very different experience, very refreshing feeling. Next time, I would like to take the complete tour. Check out more -

Lingual botherations...

2006-06-06T09:17:00.000+01:00

Strange are the ways these days.....I am talking specifically about people around me, people whom I have come across and interact and may be myself!!!

We have been noticing the boom in IT industry all over India; mainly focusing on the very obvious scene in Bangalore.

Firstly, with the growing IT industries, huge opportunities, people from all places around move into the Software Capital. It is very nice to see all forms of societies, cultures meeting up at one place and living harmoniously. The facilities for living have improved, there are talks about infrastructure taking better curves, there is a whole new outlook to life in such a vast environment.

But, on the other hand the loser here is the Language. It's losing it's significance in the name of cosmopolitan and sophistication. It's lost its usage in the hands of it's own people.

How often we see two Kannadiga's talking in the most popular foreign language here. It would be quite sometime before they realize that they have a common language between them. A more sorry state is that even upon knowing that the person is a kannadiga people converse in another language....is it styles, a status quo?

I can relate to this with myself. A good friend of mine and me at work never spoke to each other in Kannada, though we knew that each other know the language well. It's such a sad situation.

We made it a point to work on it.... and now, we converse in Kannada....it feels much better..... we have become more friendlier than before.

Nevertheless, it's better to be cognizant of the fact and work upon it by nature.

Dire Straits

2006-03-23T05:30:00.000Z

Who stays by you through the Dire Straits of your life? ..........Family, Friends, Acquaintances....no one at all or just yourself?

A phase in the walks of life where in everything seems void, an emptiness prevails around oneself, A time when nothing seems to be going right, a channel when darkness remains your only companion.

This period or phase of life is probably the toughest for any individual. The feeling is misery, terrible thoughts rule you, loneliness envelopes you, you call out for someone and no one hears you. One would not want to stay in "here" for long, this would be one place you would not want to visit again.....also, would not want anybody else to visit. It feels like you are a target for unpleasant things and it keeps hitting you one by one.

It needs to be learnt that these 'Dire Straits' in one's life is just a passing grey cloud....would not stay with you forever. Each strait would just be crossed by you the same way it as it came across to you making you stronger, teaching you something new and unknowingly preparing you for another.....Dire Strait.

….it reminds me of the song "When the going gets tough.....the tough gets going"....

Sorry for the disappointment: This is no post on the Music group Dire Straits who are... as a matter of fact favorites of millions :)

Palatial Experience

2006-03-09T09:40:00.000Z

Mysore has been a place that I have visited many times, but would still love to get there. Several things about the place annoy me so much, but still there's something special about the place .....it's grandeur, it's simple outlook, it's broad roads, the Palace, the Brindavan gardens, St.Philomena's church, Chamundi Hills, the Temple.....also those places surrounding Mysore are a tourist's delight!

This November, mom and I went to Mysore and Ooty. It was basically not the season or as they term it.. it was off-season for a travel. Very few tourists, cold weather, rains every now and then all became a part of the small tour we took. Though we had seen most of the places, we saw it all over again with a new perspective.

I was in awe with the Mysore Palace... the interiors,the painted corridors, the main halls, the gardens, every detail of it is so wonderful.........take a look......

Solitude

2006-03-09T05:25:00.000Z

What is all this about being alone???? Or is it about being Lonely??? Aren’t they two similar things, but with a sea of difference between them.

Of late, it's been a nice feeling getting to spend time…. alone........so many things to think of, so many things to do...that at the end of it all there is a shortage of time and I'd want more of it. There is some kind of a satisfaction when one spends time thinking of the little things, those times spent doing the things you would love to do, just enjoying the way you are.

There is happiness being alone....but is it there being lonely???? The synonyms of all these words would be the same.....but isn't being alone a choice that you make and a time you enjoy being that way.... on the other hand isn't being lonely a phase of life which you did not choose but are just going through whether you like it or not.

Well….. Where I am heading to writing all this!!!....an abrupt ending this time.... but will promise to be back soon.

The Joy of Finding Things!!!!!!!

2006-02-17T11:06:00.004Z

A few days back I was on leave for a couple of days. I thought it's high time I do some good to my cupboard drawer...poor thing wasn't cleaned in years.... this section of my cupboard was like a treasure (as I call it!!!)...had many things..... but didn't know what it actually contained.

As I started doing the cleaning, the only thing I had in mind was to dispose off all the unnecessary things, all the junk I have been collecting for ages!!! But what actually happened was quite different....I found so many things which are such a sweet remembrance of school days, college days, times spent with friends, cousins. It took me down the memory lane and I saw myself going back and re-living each incident.... every small detail of it!!!!

Isn't it lovely to find things like this??? Small things.... it brings back the smile on your face. As I went digging through my little treasure......I found a whole bundle of surprises...be it the autograph book where all our school teachers have left a note for us as we leave school and step into a new world, be it that autograph book which contains the signatures of our favourite Cricket fans/movie stars, the movie tickets-which happened to be the first movie I watched with friends way back when at school, or the pencil sketch which I had got done at some exhibition, a caricature of myself!, the old chocolate wrappers, some money in the old wallet that was used long back, all the ink pens, the phone book, the birthday greeting cards, well…........the list would go on.... each one of this brought with it a pleasant memory and recalling them brings so much joy!!!!

..... One who would have come so far reading this might wonder why have I put it all up here?!!??

.............It's just the excitement in me that just couldn't stop me from penning it down......all the fun I had as I discovered each piece from my den...

Time - a Healer

2006-02-03T12:16:00.000Z

This is something I have been hearing for a long time now. "Time
would heal", "Time is the healer", "Leave it to time".

Does Time heal? ....... I believe it does. Time plays its role in
so many aspects. Be it some injury, time definitely heals it. Some
incident that a person wants to forget ... time makes one forget it.
Things not going your way..... Leave it to time, this is just a
passing phase, a bad patch...... everything will be alright.

At 'times' it makes me wonder, is this phrase used because it
actually works?! Or is it the most appropriate thing to say at those
instances when nothing else can be said and silence is killing.

As this thought came by... I remembered a friend of mine
saying something so contradictory about Time being a healer. "Yes,
Time does heal.... but then it's too late, it's a Operation Success,
Patient Dead situation"........does this hold good? This might be
true at times as it is frustration when someone waits for time to
take over and act upon and one has to just wait.

There are something’s that are not in one's hands....and we
have to just leave it to time..... After all, it does change things!

I remember this song ..... Time Changer of seasons.....by Boney M

Kick Start to a New Year!!!!!!

2006-01-13T13:15:00.000Z

Yes... this title was inspired by my previous post... lemme explain this ->
"What a kick start to my New Year!!!"

It's a very common question asked to someone who's broken their leg! -> Who did your try to kick??? Isn't it? I was one who always used to wonder how something as strong and hard as a bone can break.....now I know!

It just takes 2-3 seconds and lots of bad luck. The other "not-so-important" facts include flat slippers, pot holes/uneven ground and assumption that nothing can go wrong when you are just walking along!!!!

Just 4 days into the New Year and this invitation came in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fracture in my leg.....now, it's just a month long wait to get rid of the awful thing

Coming back soon.....

Caffeine Kick!!!!!

2006-01-13T07:44:00.000Z

Coffee has been something which I have loved as a drink. My
day doesn't start without a cup of coffee. Whether it is morning or
noon, or evening as you sit together with a friend at a coffee
joint, the caffeine kick works at all times.

I cannot spend a day without having coffee:)....well, I do
admire the people who can go on without having coffee at all....
something about it is not good.... too bitter, too strong, the
smell, something about it is not liked by them.....
.....but, I am sure.... everything about it is liked by me!

These snaps were taken by me when I had been to Chickmagalur (
the Land of Coffee) with my friends -> its Coffee all the way.

Sluggish!!!!!!!

2005-11-16T10:04:00.000Z

It's been a long time since I have posted something, what bothers me is the reason why I haven’t posted anything - Lethargy. From the past few days there's been a bad feeling, I have become so lazy...I am scared why this lack of interest in everything.

I have been thinking about blogging, but haven’t, I see sometimes that I am lazy to even leave a comment for a nice post that I read. I read a lot of books, but i have seen myself being lazy to start one after the completion of another. I want to help mom at work @ home, but I put it ahead and by the time i think about it, the work is already done. Whether it's mailing a friend, meeting up a friend, reading something, cleaning, writing up a post....everything......I feel so laid back.

As always, it's easier to put it on something... I feel lazy because of the weather, because it's a holiday.... I don't want to rush up things, even when it comes to starting something, it would be -tomorrow would be a better day. These can be quite dangerous thoughts.... need to energize and give a kick start.........I really wanna be active again! (Feel’s like with great difficulty I am putting up this post today!)

Happy Diwali

2005-10-28T09:59:00.000+01:00

Wishing All a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali.

Our Trip to....

2005-10-10T11:48:00.000+01:00

It finally happened...it was two years since we have completed our engineering, few of us from class met and decided that we can plan to go out on a tour some place, wherein we get to have fun together, see some good locations, may be trek around and spend quality time with each other.
We decided to go to Chickmagalur and Kemmungundi.We were 7 of us.

It was a lovely place.... post monsoon is the best time to get there.

Everything looked green and clean and fresh. We had a great time...

We took a bus to Chikmagalur on Friday night, reached the destination at 4:30 the next morning. Our dear friend had everything arranged for us with the help of our dad. We checked into a hotel, freshened up and started towards Mulayanagiri which is Karnataka's highest peak. We had a Qualis for our journey for the next two days around the place. The road which took us there was awesome. The vehicle took us to a good distance atop the hill after which we had a small trek.

On the way back, we stopped at all the breath taking view points and every brook that came our way. We stopped by a waterfall - we just named it Honamma falls as there was a small temple by that name there :-)

We then went to Manikyadhara and Bababudangiri -well known for the durga-temple.

We were tired with no lunch by this time... there was no place where we could get anything to eat.... we had to reach Kemmungundi to have any kind of food.

we reached there at noon. Had a good meal.... anything we had on plate tasted great. We checked into the Horticultural bunglow (again, we got this with the help of our friend). Then took some rest and started to a spot called Z-point (called this as thereis a Z written on a hill). Some of my friends went up the hill whereas the rest of us stayed back. It was starting to get cold and we retired at our room and played dumb-charades for quite sometime. It was pouring like crazy outside. Two of my friends packed dinner for all of us. We were tired as such slept early.

The next day was a trek day for us. We went to Hebbe falls. The trek down the hills to reach the waterfall was something to remember. It was about 6-7kms... Started off on a mud road and then paths made by people been there before, and then through the coffee plantations, passing through small streams…. it was lovely. We were there at the waterfall and to get back to kemmungundi we hired a jeep.

That evening we went to a temple at Hiremagalur....it was a serene place. That night, had dinner and started back to Bangalore.

The Everyday Journey

2005-09-23T04:59:00.000+01:00

I had wanted to write about this from a long time…..but,somehow haven't had the time and patience :).

A minimum of 2 hours everyday go for traveling from home to office and back.... considering the fact that office is soooo far from everything!!!

Initially I was getting really irritated by the fact that so much time is wasted daily. Something had to be done about the same. Talks happened regarding Car-pooling, but this doesn't work out daily as the timings each person works is different. So, I had to stick to the same thing... take the morning shuttle to office at 7:45 and use the same service in the evening either @ 6:15 or 7:30.
It's been long since this daily journey has become a part of me. There was a time when I used to grumble each day, but I slowly came out of it... there is something good and bad about everything.... isn't it???

To start with….in the morning, to take my shuttle, I take a small walk from home; the good to it is the small walk I get to do in the fresh morning air…..whereas at times when I am late even this 5 minute walk feels like a mile.

I get into the cab and see familiar faces….. A small greeting with each other ( mostly seated at the same seat you see them everyday!), I settle at a seat ( at most times, it's the same one I have been sitting ever since I have been taking this cab).

Whether I concentrate or not, I hum to the music of Radio City…. listen to everything that's told there....sometimes informative :)

It's surprising to see the amount of reading I can do…. if I am carrying a book...else, it would be the news paper... a real good time to read it…. (Well….the best time is while you are sipping a hot cup of coffee).

Then it would be the rush hour traffic.... without my knowledge I would have been thinking as to what's going to happen to the city, what could be done, is there a solution?? ... As we move on the Outer Ring Road (The ORR), you get to see huge companies.... Intel, Accenture etc… also, a good amount of greenery….and if one's lucky to be near the airport when the plane is flying low, it's a sight to watch…. overall the ORR drive is nice…. at times I doze off because of the cool breeze outside!

Well…. then comes Marathahalli…. The Godforsaken bridge which connects the rest of the city to the ITPL area... (Well, there are other ways to get there! but.. this is the shortest!). So after crossing this... the biggest hurdle, this I finally reach office..

...Evening another journey happens…. This times a longer one!
Alas.....all this said.. I have to continue doing this day after day..... I am used to it.....it now only irritates me when caught at a traffic jam.... well, that's normal.... Isn’t it???

ShivanaSamudra Trip

2005-09-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

We had been to Shivanasamudra ( Shimsha/ Bluff falls )trip on
the 14th of August. The 3-day weekend did work out well for me...
(for the first time.. as planned) . The Lalbagh Flower show, trip to
Shivanasamudra, met friends, watched a movie.. it was ideal.
But, ever since that holiday, I have been so held up with work
that I don't remember anything else except office. We had a nice time that day, 2 cars - Dad's and cousin's, 7 of us... had a blast. But, can you beleive it, there were about 10,000
people (or may be more) that day.. guess all the last minute planners
went there!
But, it was quite a beauty to see Cauvery flowing with
such glory...some Pics..

Flowers all the way...

2005-08-30T11:02:00.000+01:00

I had been to the Lalbagh Flower Show... and this was a part of the huge palette of colours we saw............

I love Greenary

2005-08-09T14:05:00.000+01:00

Green is a colour which soothes the eye. The sight of greenary.... plants, huge trees, wide fields gives a pleasant feeling. I enjoy myself amidst nature.

3-day Weekend

2005-08-09T07:04:00.000+01:00

A 3-day weekend after a long time. the 13th, 14th, 15th of August
is a fairly long weekend for most of us. Anyone planning for
something nice.. maybe a weekend Getaway, a relaxing time at home,
with friends or finishing up work???

It's been really long since we got a 3-day weekend,the last was
Good Friday sometime in April. I was just planning out something nice
with parents, cousins & friends. It's tuesday today and I am already
talking of the weekend... one can imagine how badly I need it.

The Monday paper had a beautiful picture of the 'Sivanasamudra'
waterfall... (a.k.a...bluff, gaganachukki,bharachukki)...what about a
weekend getaway? this place is just 122kms from Bangalore on the
Mysore-Bangalore highway, the waterfalls look full... thanks to the
good rains. It would be a beauty to see it... though playing in the
waters would be risky.

Apart from that, the flower show opens today at Lalbagh, entry
fee just at Rs.15 per head. Thought this would make a perfect half
day outing if wanting to stay at Bangalore. We Bangaloreans often
forget that we have a nice Botanical garden at the heart of the city
and always tend to talk about whatz there in the rest of the world.

The only con is that any place you go would be very crowded and
you might end up watching more heads than anything else....

On this side, it's hoping for the best and looking forward to
having a nice time!

White Beauty...

2005-08-08T14:19:00.000+01:00

Could capture this when the swan was almost trying to get into the waters. I loved its thick, white feathers.

Glimpses of Paris

2005-07-18T08:07:00.000+01:00

This was my first pit stop at Paris... The "Arc de Triumph / Charles de Gaulle Etoile".. this was built by Napoleon. It was a beautiful monument ( looked more or less like our Gateway of India ),the main thing was that we could go on top of this.. ( climbing the scary spiral staircase ), you can get a beautiful view of the Eiffel, The main street Champs Elysses, also there were about 8 roads intersecting at this point. ...More to come..

The roads meeting up at the "Arc de Triumph"

This snap is taken from the inside of the Louvre...the biggest museum in the world.
The glass pyramid is the reception/entrance.

Eiffel... need not say more... the last one was taken at 2:00 in the night

The Notredame Church.... near the river Seine

The Sacre Cour church.. beautiful place.. atop a hill, could get a good view of the city.

Busy for Nothing!

2005-07-18T05:22:00.000+01:00

It's been long since I posted anything!!!!! Well, my title says it all.....ever since I am back here.. at work there is something or the other that's holding me. I have been sooooo busy, but I dunno why!!!....."Busy for Nothing"

I am so surprised that I am unable to do even half of the things I used to do. Wonder what's wrong!

Anyways.. thank you all for dropping by. I promise that I will be more regular from now on :-)

An Evening in Paris......

2005-06-29T14:57:00.000+01:00

That Saturday morning.. at 4:30 I was at the train station at Mannheim (Germany) to take my train to Frankfurt. My flight to Paris was at 7:40. I was excited and nervous. A friend of mine dropped me to the train station in the morning. I was traveling alone and to Paris….I had to Pinch myself...." what was I doing??? …. alone! When was I so brave?" I met a few others from my office who were going to Rome and were waiting for the same train to reach Frankfurt…. the first expression was 'You are going alone???? are u crazy???'... what do I do .. I had no choice but to travel alone.

The flight was short and I reached Charles De Gaulle.. the airport .. big and confusing. I was roaming around from one place to another in search of an information counter which had someone in it... but in vain...it was half an hour since I had landed and I still had no clue how to go about.. I was going mad...but finally found my way out that i had to reach the Gare du Nord station which is a center place to stay.

Then after finding a hotel and checking in.. i started exploring.....PARIS

Wow! What a place... It takes u into an age not known to you. It's simply is so different.. the place offers you so many things....I was amazed to see the number of people, the kind of people, the buildings there look old but artistic, the roads are straight and can be seen on the map no mater how small a street it is. The modernization has got a different view to the place..but the city still stands strong with the monuments so famous,every street looks alike but has a different life of it's own........

The museum ( Louvre )…. the world's biggest makes me go speechless... Anyone who has read the Da Vinci Code would wanna see this place...there cannot be a second one like this....

The main street Champs Elysess has got a beauty of its own... u name the brand and that store is there.. in a grand way..

The Eiffel.. What do i say about this..it's a beauty.. I feel the Eiffel in day light and the
Eiffel when lit ( and also when lit.. every hour the lights twinkle ) are two different wonders of the world on their own....I spent about 5 hours there…. which was not enough..

It's such a happening place that.... u can see streets full of life. It's called the most Romantic city and indeed it is.... There was not a minute that evening when i sat down at one place...……

The feeling there would be such that…. u feel so special just to realize that you are in Paris.... when you just stand amidst historical monuments.. the gardens, the grandeur.. the very feeling of being there makes u excited, makes u go high and makes u happy....

That was an evening in PARIS I spent…. which I can't forget… which has amazed me more than anything else in my life so far.....

I hope I get a chance to go there again.... and with this thought.. I sign off!!

My first time on an aeroplane

2005-06-16T12:50:00.000+01:00

Finally the day came...when i had to travel to Germany. there was a lot of tension, confusion regarding the Visa...it had got delayed as there was a delay in me receiving the Invitation letter from Germany. The excitement in me had faded away because of the delay....but alas! everything fell into place.

I received my visa just 4hours before my flight. All aunts, uncles, cousins visited me at home. A good friend of mine came to the airport to see me off. This was the first time I would be travelling by air, I hadn't had any domestic flight travels also before this. I was excited....time was going by so quick. I said Bye to mom,dad,bro, my friend and moved on to check in.The officials at the airport were so friendly....they helped me with almost everything.

After the security check i had a long wait for 1 & 1/2 hrs....which actually didnt seem too long. I spoke to a couple of my friends. Then the final call happened...i called home and told a final Bye.

I walked through the corridor .. if that is what it called and boarded the flight.. yuppie i had a window seat.. the flight took off.. i could see the city beneath me.. all lit up.. it looked beautiful...i saw the ulsoor lake and the philips building.. these were the only two places i could recognize.

I was just checking out the books that were kept at my seat, it was about duty free shopping on board the plane... wow! shopping on the clouds :) ....they got us dinner.. me a total veggie....as such took the Indian Vegetarian meal but still cudn't eat anything much. i then slept.
They woke us up just after 5hrs of travel and asked us to wear the seat belt.. that was when i opened the slide on the window.. and wow.. i saw the sun coming up.. what a beautiful sight that was...unforgettable.. then i was looking out.. could see the plane moving between layers of clouds, could see the ocean below, the monitor in the plane showed that it was the caspian sea. later on i saw the snow clad mountains.. dunno which!!! , then i could see the meadows. The best of it all.. mainly when we were nearing Frankfurt...I could see many more aeroplanes flying at different levels and at different directions....

I was really on Cloud 9...as my friend said at the airport before me leaving.. you'll be on cloud 9 soon!!!! This was my experience... words are not enough to describe what i actually saw and felt.....this is just a small snippet.

Mixed feelings

2005-06-06T12:50:00.000+01:00

Today has been day full of mixed feelings... I am not keeping too well... running temperature, but still at office. :( The only thing that I feel like doing is to hit the bed, but had to be at office today... just waiting for the 1st bus to leave from office such that I can go home.

But, something exciting happened today. My manager just confirmed my trip abroad for a month. So many things need to be done... heavy head, cold, bad cough... excited yet tired...

..... Just one of those days wherein there are contrasting feelings/emotions.....

My Brother's Birthday

2005-06-03T05:57:00.000+01:00

It’s my brother's Birthday today :). He turns 19! My, my... I don’t believe it, he's still a small boy to me.
Had got a cake for him, and we had the 'cake cutting' party this morning (wanted to have it last night but was so tired that I had slept at 10:00).
He's invited all his friends home for Lunch…. I am gonna miss it all…. :( ….I will be at office...
Well...Here's Wishing you a very happy Birthday lil' bro!
Have a nice time!

Simple & Smiling

2005-06-01T12:57:00.000+01:00

I was listening to a song from 'Sound of music'.. 'Raindrops on roses .. These are a few of my favourite things'.
I was just thinking about this...there are so many small, simple things that can make/keep anyone happy. Only that each person could realize that this is where the
happiness lies. Only when the person knows that there can be things which you see and do everyday can mean a lot to you.
There are so many such things which amuse me, excite me so much that i can easily forget anything that 'would' have been troubling me.
As i was going through Ashish's blog.. there was a snap he had posted of a lady sitting on the sea shore and reading a book.. wow! that would be one of the
best places to read a book.... this thought made me think of all the many things that i like.. and it ended up being a BLOG
.. so many things around might interest you. From the start of the day.. through the day, till the end….every aspect of the day/of your life has a beauty of its own………

The rays of the sun through the windows of your room while you are just trying to get the last minutes of your sleep,

A nice hot cup of coffee/tea in the morning, rejoicing it by sipping it reading the newspaper.

Smell of rain, the freshness around, the sight the plants /tress all washed green

Huggable puppies

A walk in the garden/park nearby, paani puris in the evening especially when it has rained,

Humming/Singing the song which has just a big hit on the charts, as you try your hand at the kitchen.

Surfing the channels on the TV and discover that your favorite movie has been aired.

The list can go on and on…….
.... I feel it all lies in the realization that the most common things can make you smile.
I hope that each person keeps the kid at heart alive to experience and rejoice the simple things in life!

Silence kills!!!

2005-06-01T06:36:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening, i got back from work, It was a long journey back from office.. traffic jams everywhere because of the rains. I got home quite late, just after about 5minutes after reaching home i received a call from 'X'.

'X' and me have been good friends, but somehow the friendship has been going through a lots of ups and downs from the very beginning. The last we spoke was a month back, i had called X and the call was disconnected every time i called after which i stopped trying.

'X' called and spoke about things happening on that end. I just listened.. when asked about me.. said a plain 'Nothing'.. why didnt i speak at all..... probably coz this friendship has been through this phase many times before and this time i really had nothing to say...i have had enough.

But today, i feel weird on how i behaved, i said nothing at all. I was mute.I am one person who has always worked towards making friendships happen, but have a fear what might happen to this. I felt bad that i have been having these 'late realizations' of late....

Just another bad day!!!

2005-05-17T09:06:00.000+01:00

There was a 'day', recently when i felt so low...nothing seemed to go the way it had been planned, i somehow lost interest in everything, felt so down, so lonely.....

It was a lovely saturday morning and i got up early. there were plans of going to Forum with a friend as she had to buy something for her sister and as she's new to bangalore,she could not have gone out alone,then later i had to be meeting up another friend for lunch at Koramangala. In the afternoon, we had aunty and uncle dropping in, in the evening mummy and me would be going to 4th Blk shopping complex as she had some work. Then another friend of mine was to come home and meet me and we go out together...it was
perfect.. i was infact thinking that i will have to pull some time out and complete the novel that i was reading.

I got up early in the morn and went for a walk, got back and got ready.. this friend who had to call me to decide how and what time we leave to Forum
never called up. I called in and got a reply saying that she cancels going to Forum as she plans not to buy anything for the time being.. so half of my morning was gone by waiting for this call that never came. Meanwhile i could read quite a bit of the book....

Later on it was meeting up for lunch with this other friend.. i again called up before leaving home as we had decided to meet by 1:30. The reply I received made me leave my home after half an hour as she was busy she could make it only by 2:00... well.. i completed reading my book by then and somehow was happy i could do so...i left home and reached the place only to see that she was not there. I called in again and all i received was 'sorry, but i cant make it today'. I felt miserable... i came back home.. felt very bad...really have no words to express... told my mother what had happened... she didnt say anything but she could get to know i was very upset.

My aunty and uncle 'finally' came, grandma was very happy, she was looking forward to their coming home since morning... she had prepared some special snacks, sweets just for them... they stayed for a short while and left as they had 'something Much More Important'.

Anyway, mom, grandma took a nap after they left. I started another novel, but was somehow not concentrating as such listening to some good music for a long time.

In the evening went to 4th Block with mom and finished up all the work ... Got back home hurriedly as my friend had called in and told that he would be home at 7:30...but .. nothing new..he didnt turn up at all...

....I find it very hard to understand if there is something wrong in me, or them, or was it just the circumstances,or was it that it was a bad day... I really fail to understand this.

...Some might call this 'EXPECTATIONS', when i was down that day and told a pal about this, i was just told that i expect too much....i definitely do not see it as an expectation...when it comes to friends whom you have known for a long long time..

Today when i think about that 'day', i feel nothing about it, i feel i should not feel bad about this any longer.. I was there for them, i did everything possible from my end.. so why worry..

I feel I am lost in this big world or is it just that the world is drifting away from me?

Akshaya Thritiya

2005-05-13T10:52:00.000+01:00

It was 'Akshaya Thrithiya' a couple of days back .. The 11th of May 2005. Not many can miss it as the papers were up with the news from almost a week before the actual day. One could see all the papers filled with the advertisements given by the Jewellery stores in town, about discounts, about the pre-bookings that an be made for your jewellery purchases, about some benefit schemes.

An interesting thing was that every article on the topic emphasized on "buy gold on this day and your wealth will get doubled (or may be more or even better 'it keeps growing!'"

I had been to the temple that evening with my mother. There was a grand arrangement. I read an article that was put up there which said that this day was celebrated as this was the day 'Kaliyuga' started years back. I was not aware of this! It amazed me by reading the article, but at the same time felt sad that the actual meaning to it is lost.

Now, it is all about acquiring "More"??

Why can’t a day like this have a better social meaning... help the needy by praying
to God that let him give enough for us and for those in real need???

Colours

2005-05-12T11:27:00.000+01:00

Every colour has a meaning and every person has a favourite colour.
The colours have meanings which are specific to them through what is called the colour chart from ancient ages but every colour has also obtained an "accepted meaning" .
Its interesting to notice that what one person feels about a colour is quite different from what another feels about the same! I was thinking a lot about these colours as we had an ethnic day at work and all of us were draped in sarees, lots of talks were happening about the colours of the sarees and thats what makes me write this blog..

For one 'Pink or Magenta' might seem Garish or loud, but another finds it a brilliant colour. grey/off-white might feel dull for some but sober/elegant for others. Red is always termed as the colour of anger/spice/heat, black as dark/something suspicious, green as fresh/nature, blue as pleasant/cool, yellow as the colour of joy.. every colour has its own labelled interpretation....
when this is so, why do people still have different opinions??

I feel the colour you wear depends a lot on the mood of the day, also the environment which you are in and following this is your favourite colour! Many times i see that my cupboard is filled with clothes of the same colour with different shades of it! havn't you felt that.. oh! God! All that i have is blue in colour!
Every person enjoys the colours... the colour of green mountains, the blue skies, the sunset...'lovely colours..isn't it? Colours bring happiness,positivity, confidence and joy.. "Come out in flying colours!!" sums it all up! no matter what the colour is, whether one likes it or not, therz no good or bad to it....