August 2010 :A romantic rendezvous- Andheri-Vasai

Love-leisure-landscapes=Vasai.......It takes 45 mins by the andheri local to get to Vasai . As we proceeded towards North Mumbai ,getting closer to Vasai, the scene changes completely, the concrete Buildings replace Green Pastures which grew greener as we neared vasai station....Vasai a beautiful town in itself...Having been under Portuguese rule for a long period, Vasai has significant Portuguese cultural influence. I couldn't believe there was something so beautiful near mumbai...I stayed there for 2 and a half days and completely enjoyed every minute ,every second of my stay ...Coz it was not just a regular trip ..It was special ...Special coz of reasons that cant be explained:)
I visited my cousin sandie and her kids...vasai has some really Beautiful Old churches ,forts and ports.It has the most beautiful beach ever ...the virgin RannGoan Beach.....Its quiet ,calm ,isolated and unexplored which makes it even more beautiful...Perfect for a romantic walk with a loved one:) .The last day of my stay We went to this place called tungareshwar a few kilometers from vasai highway...It about 3 hrs from vasai on bike..If your the kinds who loves Biking ,adventure and hiking .Tungareshwar is the place for you.You feel the adrenaline rush if you riding pillion coz the ride is rough but thrilling...it was my first ever experience and I enjoyed it to the fullest...It was 3 days of pure fun and romance with nature and Vasai:P

South India:Pondicherry-Sadhana Forest-Thiruvanamalay

This Unplanned trip to Pondi did turn out to be the best,inexpensive and most fulfilling trip ever.Nampally station :15th june 4.30 pm Train to chennai leaves .A ticket to chennai would cost you around 300 (one way fare)I reached chennai central at around 6 in the morning.Completely clueless of where i had to go .I set out on the mission to find the local bus stop to get to the chennai mofussil bus terminus from where i would get a bus to pondicherry.Since i was travelling on a budget the only thing i could afford was taking the bus to pondi.You can also take a taxi but that would cost u 4 times more than the bus fare.(the bus ticket to pondi is like 55 rs).Some how I got to the CMBT bus station.When you in chennai its really difficult to communicate with the locales becuase even if they know the language you speak they refuse to speak anything but tamil.By some means i found the bus that would take me to pondi.Its a 5 hour ride by bus from chennai to pondi bus stop and there is really nothing you can do to pass your time..Since it was early in the morning and the weather being really pleasant I decided I'd look out the window to pass my time ...I could see the long stretch of the coco beach .It was a heavenly view..I hadn't seen anything So So beautiful.Unlike the Goa beaches the coco beach is less crowded .Anyway after a 5 hour long bus ride I reach pondi bus stop.Waited there for a friend for half an hour and took a taxi to Sadhana Forest.The taxi would cost you around Rs.180 .
Day 1 at Sadhana Forest:The day starts as early as 5.30 in the morning.We wake up to someone playing the guitar and singing a song to you.Then we assemble outside the main hut where we form a circle and meditate and sing a few songs and then we work for 3 hours..My work for the first day was compound cleaning..We had to find things which were not in their appropriate places and put them in the rite place .Pick the rubbish and put it in the rubbish room and wash 3 ragzines which were used for wormi compost.After that we break for Breakfast and then we have the second task for the day .We work for 2 hours the second time and then break for lunch.My second task was to clean the children's room





This is how the room looked after we cleaned it .

After our 2nd task we have lunch together .We maintain a moment of momentary silence after the lunch has been served to us.



This is the main hut where we all have our break-fast lunch and dinner


Since wednesday's at Sadhana is Night out ,everyone goes out to the towns to have dinner and we went to this tibetian restaurant called Lhasa.This place served the best mow mows I ever had and Thentuk(Its a soup with boiled vegetables) which is also a tibetian dish.The Nights are usually very dark since there is no electricity .They use solar panels to conserve energy and so there is power only in the main hut.
Day 2 was a little laidback..WE Had to make the forest path and this is how it looked



We left for thiruvanamalay on friday.It was a long long drive from the forest around 5- 6 hours.The village is really beautiful surrounded with hills and it is believed that Lord shiva resided in one of the Hills and so it is called the Shiva mountain.Most people believe that the mountain has intense energies and worship it.We stayed at thiru at a friend's place.There was company ,Jack daniel's and rain......you couldn't have asked for anything better .:)We slept on the roof while it was still drizzling a little but we didn't bother.We had a good night's sleep on the roof:P
The next day wasn't very eventfull we just lazed around the whole day and went for a walk and then chai in the evening.And then came sunday ,the day I was leaving .We woke up early that morning to go to the Shiva linga Temple in tiru.


This is the elephant they worship in the temple.If you give the elephant a one rupee coin it is said that the elephants give u blessings by placing its trunk over your head.

tupran!!!!!!!

I had quite a busy week,so let's just start right away.....Sunday evening .... Was to go for prince of persia with a few of my college mates....Bad omens right from the beginning ,even before we left our house.Nitin met with an accident which is why we were almost 20 mins late for the movie at Cineplex:( (I so wanted to watch the movie)We were just wondering whatwe could do when ann came up with this idea.As crazy as she is, there is no one else who could come with the craziest of ideas (when she had an exam just the day after) ...She said lets go to tupran..well I had never ever heard of that place..I was a little reluctant coz it was already late but then I thought what the hell...let's go to tupran(I had no clue how far it was).After driving for quite some time we reached tupran...After we reached there i realised that it was a dhabha ...We were on national highway 7!
The place looks beautiful in the nite ..it reminded me of chandni chowk ...
We did crazy stuff that day.....can't believe myself...but it was a fun ride......we got home really late only to find ann'z mama ready to blast us:) but it was worth all of it

the first monsoon showers!

Ah what a relief ! ..........totally enjoyed today's first monsoon showers with the chai, long long drive and garam garam pakora's:)
Nice weather after a really long time.The rains cast a spell of relief from the scorching heat and tormenting lectures.

delhi 2010

Historical monuments,clubbing and rock concerts..my trip to delhi couldn't have gotten better...Just when you think its getting boring it gets even better...The capital definitely has tons to offer ..whether your on a vacation or working...there is a lot you can see ,learn and experience...For people who are intrigued by mughal architecture ...delhi is definitely a paradise..and for those who love partying even better it has some of the best and most happening pubs.....My 5 day trip to delhi was the best getaway that i could ask for....chandni chowk,khan market,kebabs,street food ,shopping,Watched sylosis ,an australian rock band perform live at NSIT fest..Met loads of new people and ya how can i forget my first ever metro ride....Also the rickshaw rides jus loved em...can't remember when i last saw a rickshaw in hyderabad....Felt like alice in wonderland the first 2 days but very soon i got used to the metro and the hindi of the delites ....... Can't believe i travelled states all by my self....National Capital Region of Delhi is the name given to the metropolis areas around New Delhi - the capital of India.... NCR comprises of gurgaon in haryana,noida,ghaziabad and faridabad which are not a part of delhi but are the neighbouring states. The best thing about delhi is its a planned city with very spacious roads and really tall buildings and why not being the capital it has to be planned....I wish I could stay there long but constraints I had to come back...but all in all it was a fun filled , memorable trip

Uncertainity Thrills

Ever wondered how it would be if we knew just how we would all be in the future..like how well i would be doing at work or if my semester exam would be postponed :) would I be alive or not or who i would be married to...doesn't sound interesting at all..The anxiety you have when your studying for an exam and are not sure if you are gonna write it the next day ..that anxiety is a thrill....Just imagine You knew what would happen to you tommorrow and you would be prepared for it there would be no excitement in life...it shuns you of the experience of experiencing life the way it has to be done.. The thrill of uncertainity in a relationship is when your not sure if its gonna work and you still put that extra effort inspite of the uncertainity....or the thrill of getting on to a bus and not knowing where it goes..every thing in life is uncertain so why worry ..enjoy every bit of it when your in it...its a wonderful experience ... pain and bliss are all a part of life..we cannot control it but we are responsible for our mind to be at peace...Peace of mind is the best gift one can give oneself..

OBSERVATIONS

Of children :
MY obsession with kids and kitties will never die......they are the most adorable creatures on this planet earth...stubborn but naive ,unnerving yet cute...They have this amazing ability to bring a smile on your face even when ur really low...

Of people talking:
People can talk utter nonsense sometimes..try listening to a random conversation...there is no conversation without a third person involved...sometimes i wonder even if I do the same but now that this seems stupid to me i am trying not to

OF people at morning walks:
They look like the only aim they have is to loose weight with no smile on their face...Me and niki have a real nice time making fun of them sipping a cup of tea..i know its silly.. like I said there is no conversation without a third person involved...but i am trying my best to avoid

Tank bund in the evening:
Spectacular view from the bus in the evening around 6ish when the sun goes down behind the statue of budda and the still waters reflecting the goldenish orange colour of the dusky sky

More on life!!!!!

I've always wondered about life and why it is how it is........we do not have control over our lives but we do have the liberty to choose.....the decisions we make today about anything be it about our career or choosing your family over someone or making the right kind of friends go a long way in determining the kind of future we will have....I have learnt alot from my everyday experiences be it the little things we do everyday...we learn everyday.We are not defined by the easy times but defined by the hard times.In life there are no problems its just the way we look at it .If I think I have a problem then i will have a problem ...there is always a solution to every problem and most people spend most of their time thinking and worrying about the problems rather than finding a solution to it...life is full of surprises and unpredictable.Sometimes the surprises are good and sometimes not so good..but should that effect you.Every person is an individual with unique qualities and each and every person I've come across in life has thought me something valuable .I may not use it but its there and I am who I am coz of all the people in my life

Pretty girls and make up rooms

The restrooms and make up rooms convert into gossip chambers ..very lil did i know about this when i passed out from school..but college changed everything ..Lunch time is usually when most girls do what they are best at ...bitching.They get together to have meaningless talk to hate someone.Some call it healthy bitching .Healthy because they say it gives scope for them to connect and improve relationships with people who dislike the same person.I wonder if that is something to be proud of.I am not against this coz I most of the times am a part of it by which I dont mean that I bitch but yes I listen which I think in a way encourages others to bitch.I somehow never have the guts to oppose.Yea sometimes I play diplomat and I guess it is important to be one these days.While men are vehement about the latest gadgets or a cricket match women love gossip which is why they say men are from mars and women from venus.Not all women gossip but most of them do consciously or unconsciously.Gossip is a form of entertainment for us women and there is nothing wrong about it.

That's how it is

Not always do things go our way and not always does everyone we come across like us..and its ok Everybody doesn't have to like me.In our journey called life we come accross many people some end up as friends,some you don't like,some you bear just because you have no choice ,some touch your hearts,some you admire and some become really special and important and some teach you the most important lessons in life.
One thing I have learnt is to always keep your good friends close .Its very important to have good friends who you can vouch on any day.People will hurt you but its ok you don't have to get dissappointed and dejected.Life is to short to be taken seriously we should enjoy every moment.We should learn to be happy with what we have and appreciate the little things that happen to us every day that's one thing people fail to do.Most of life's important lessons are learnt the hard way so we should never be afraid of taking risks.Do everything that makes you happy.Travel ,read ,sing ,dance,fall in love life is about all these little pleasures.So make the most of it