A school mate of mine sent this.
She and I share the same birthday, we both are 7000 miles away.
We share a lot of views and opinions; we both love traveling and seeing new places!
Do u think is something to do by the virtue of being born on the same day??
Let’s keep that for next time … until then read on….
Celebration means......
A winter evening.
Four friends.
Heavy rain fall
And Four cups of tea.
Celebration means......
Hundred bucks of petrol.
A rusty old bike.
And an open road.
Celebration means......
3 old friends.
3 separate cities.
3 coffee mugs.
1 internet messenger.
Celebration means......
You and mom.
A summer night.
A bottle of oil.
A head massage.
Gossiping about absent family members
For me celebration would mean…..
You and your grandpa.
The 4.00 AM morning walk.
Panting your way up a hill.
Watching the sunrise.
Children chanting school prayer at a distance.
Celebration means…...
Inviting a friend over on his birthday.
A Mars mini bar for his birthday cake.
Listening to Lionel Richie.
Reminiscing the good times.
Making future plans.
What is your celebration????
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Do you know the difference between Independence Day and Republic Day?
(Our then Prime Minister, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, signing the Indian Constitution)
To get our civics straight, India gained independence on August 15, 1947, it was not until January 26, 1950 that the constitution of India came into effect, endowing upon the citizens the sovereign powers! Our constitution is the one of the longest written constitution in the world!
BTW what do you understand by republic? Previously India had Monarchy, after Independence Monarchy was replaced by Repuplics, so in short, republicans are anti monarchy! In a republic we all have the right to choose our leader; contrary to the hereditary heirs in monarchy. Are you a true Indian republican??
After u have had enough food for thought, here is another factoid: Did you know Kenyans celebrate 'Jamhuri Day', (Jamhuri meaning ‘republic’ in Swahili) on the 12th of December while Guyana (in Latin America) eagerly indulges into lots of merry singing, lively dancing and calypso competitions on the 23rd of February, the Mashramani day? On 29th October, 1923, the constitution of Turkey was amended, a formal dissolution of the Ottomans.
To mark the Republic day in Kuwait, our home away from home, the Hot Stepper Association of Kuwait had set up a fun evening in the literal sense, Naveen Prabhakar (Pehchan Kaun fame) the Laughter challenge champion (A very successful star one show) was invited only for one reason: to get us bursting with laughter of all sorts. He was extremely talented, after a long time I really found my face muscles stretching their limits!! If you can trust me, you could find everyone rolling off their seats on his native comedy!
I think Humour is one factor that binds us all, each country having its distinct rib tickles. For example, in our humour we ought to get cracking on Laloo Prasad Yadav and off course our own sweet Santa Singh ‘sardarji’.
It was a great feeling to be shouting my lungs out ‘Vande Matram’! It filled the air with a sense of devotion for my motherland and how proud I felt to be an Indian. I returned home with a sense of belonging.
But does this end here?
Have you ever tasted Wasabi?
Wanting to try Japanese cuisine for the first time at Wasabi; the restaurant from the Palms (originally) that opened a branch in Mahboula on the sea costal road, we were in for a refreshment of our tastebuds!
"Wasabia japonica(originally written 和佐比) is a semi-aquatic member of the cabbage family. Known as Japanese horseradish, its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavor. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard than chili pepper, producing vapors that burn the nasal passages rather than the tongue." (www.Wikipedia.com) (I hope the description has not created a 'rather' scare to wasabi!)
Wasabi is prepared by grating the fresh rhizome against a rough surface, sometimes by using a sharkskin grater that gives grated Wasabi a smooth, soft and aromatic finish!!! For those who have had a taste of shark meat, may not think likewise!! ( I know I am not suppossed to scare you again!)
Japanese food include staples of miso, rice as well as many seafood dishes like the popular sashimi and sushi. To enjoy wasabi, is to spread a little on the fish and then dip the fish side of the sushi into soy sauce so that the sauce does not touch the Wasabi, but many may prefer to mix the Wasabi paste with soy sauce, added with bits of ginger, called "Wasabi-joyu," and use this as a dipping sauce for the raw fish, or mix the Wasabi directly into a bowl of noodles.
The height of japanese innovation: The Wasabi Ice Cream, recent but increasingly popular!!
Its just not the taste that tingles but wasabi is a antedote for food poisoning, which is a useful property when served with fresh raw fish. Research in Japan suggests that wasabi may also have anti-carcinogenic properties. It can certainly clear your sinuses!!
Back in the 10th century wasabi's medicinal properties were first documented in a Japanese medical encyclopaedia of alternative medicine. Japanese believe that Wasabi not only is antibacterial and antipyretic, but if consumed in small quantities daily, it can increase the our longitivity.
So next time you visit any Japanese restaurant (Popular in Kuwait : Wasabi & Sakura), ask for an extra share of your Wasabi!! And once you finish enjoying your meal, dont forget to say "Oishikatta desu " (I enjoyed the meal. It was good!)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Are you the busiest of all mankind on earth?
Most of us have the creative bit in us: we can be writers, artists, calligraphers, musicians, dramatists having that one idea that can rock the world, yet time passes and we live that dream in oblivion, do you know why? We just don’t seem to have time!!! How lame? (I was a part of that brigade not long time ago!!)
The solution: if u want to do it, just do it, if you want to write, just write, u want to make it big in dancing, just do it! Yesterday, I saw a show called ‘ballroom boot camp’, one of the contestant was constantly told that she has both left feet and guess what.. She after 4 weeks of tough tango, won the contest (she had 3 very strong competitors)
I can actually hear few growling: A day has 24 hours and with an over exhaustive life style, there is very little liberty to actually get some quality time for pursuing our interests! Something like, ‘I have to clean the house, do the laundry, feed the children’ etc etc, but don’t you think that you life is worth more than that?
So if you interested so as to how you can take out time, and do what u really cherish, go on and rest can drop the blog! Time management:
If you are working professional, not much choice is left at work. List down activities that you do at home. Something like chatting up with friends, or watching TV or even checking your personal mails from home (incase u do access internet from work) can be curtailed as per your liking. (I hope few critics are not thinking that it is cutting them from their social life!)
One good idea to take away from the mundane work schedule is to use your free time or break (if you are a light eater and carry your food to your desk) for your hobby. This can only be useful for people whose hobby contains writing, art or crafts..Dancers and musicians (and like minded) do not disturb others in the office!
Also one can utilize their commutation time to work to think creatively about their next article, dance step or art form. That’s a great start!!
Golden hour:
Take up that one hour (assuming that you have just started) from your day that you feel is the most creative. Some like to create art or melody in the wee hours of the day. Some like to dance after a hectic day at work and some like to write at bed time (No I am not talking bed time stories!!)
Sleep 6 – 7 hours, rather than 8 hours, because if you are utilizing that 1 hour in your hobby / interest, it will bring you more contentment compared slumber (lazy sleepers can avoid this comment and continue their journey to slumber land)
Family for feedback:
Let your spouse / family feel they are a part of your interest, ask them about their feedback and how you can make things better with their participation. They will feel valued and in some cases thrilled!! Phew! Now finally after completing your ground work, you should know how you can utilize that time in your interest!
Ensure you know why you are doing it, just don’t take up the activity because your boss recommended it and so suddenly it became your passion!! Or your popular neighbor does that!
Be self disciplined, list down your activities in a planner; try to continue the interest with consistency, at least 3-4 times in a week. The steadier you get; the better. No excuses! U are not answerable to anyone and to keep self obedience is the hardest.
Once u have secured the golden period, make sure u are totally unwound during that time, so that the piece of work comes out perfect for the day, its like you are the creator of a masterpiece!
Get better at it each day, its all in your hand, you are your own motivator or demotivater (I don’t think this is a word in the English vocabulary!) so don’t get distracted, just aim at breaking your own records!!
What else can I say, you know best, (read: AM I LOUD N CLEAR?)
P.S. If you really happen to do what you want… do bother to add a comment!!
The solution: if u want to do it, just do it, if you want to write, just write, u want to make it big in dancing, just do it! Yesterday, I saw a show called ‘ballroom boot camp’, one of the contestant was constantly told that she has both left feet and guess what.. She after 4 weeks of tough tango, won the contest (she had 3 very strong competitors)
I can actually hear few growling: A day has 24 hours and with an over exhaustive life style, there is very little liberty to actually get some quality time for pursuing our interests! Something like, ‘I have to clean the house, do the laundry, feed the children’ etc etc, but don’t you think that you life is worth more than that?
So if you interested so as to how you can take out time, and do what u really cherish, go on and rest can drop the blog! Time management:
If you are working professional, not much choice is left at work. List down activities that you do at home. Something like chatting up with friends, or watching TV or even checking your personal mails from home (incase u do access internet from work) can be curtailed as per your liking. (I hope few critics are not thinking that it is cutting them from their social life!)
One good idea to take away from the mundane work schedule is to use your free time or break (if you are a light eater and carry your food to your desk) for your hobby. This can only be useful for people whose hobby contains writing, art or crafts..Dancers and musicians (and like minded) do not disturb others in the office!
Also one can utilize their commutation time to work to think creatively about their next article, dance step or art form. That’s a great start!!
Golden hour:
Take up that one hour (assuming that you have just started) from your day that you feel is the most creative. Some like to create art or melody in the wee hours of the day. Some like to dance after a hectic day at work and some like to write at bed time (No I am not talking bed time stories!!)
Sleep 6 – 7 hours, rather than 8 hours, because if you are utilizing that 1 hour in your hobby / interest, it will bring you more contentment compared slumber (lazy sleepers can avoid this comment and continue their journey to slumber land)
Family for feedback:
Let your spouse / family feel they are a part of your interest, ask them about their feedback and how you can make things better with their participation. They will feel valued and in some cases thrilled!! Phew! Now finally after completing your ground work, you should know how you can utilize that time in your interest!
Ensure you know why you are doing it, just don’t take up the activity because your boss recommended it and so suddenly it became your passion!! Or your popular neighbor does that!
Be self disciplined, list down your activities in a planner; try to continue the interest with consistency, at least 3-4 times in a week. The steadier you get; the better. No excuses! U are not answerable to anyone and to keep self obedience is the hardest.
Once u have secured the golden period, make sure u are totally unwound during that time, so that the piece of work comes out perfect for the day, its like you are the creator of a masterpiece!
Get better at it each day, its all in your hand, you are your own motivator or demotivater (I don’t think this is a word in the English vocabulary!) so don’t get distracted, just aim at breaking your own records!!
What else can I say, you know best, (read: AM I LOUD N CLEAR?)
P.S. If you really happen to do what you want… do bother to add a comment!!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Joyfully, Jordan!
My quests to understand the middle eastern world took me to Jordan, a country that prides in its culture and picturesque beauty, and to my amazement I found in it, the true identity of ME..
We often take to these countries as ones behind the veil, backward and with hostile environs, now get to the real side, they are very well educated, learned and practice their religion as per choice! They have individual views on what they want to acheive for themselves and thier country and for them life is all about working hard and partying harder!!
My intial expectations from this country were not many, I knew it was a crucial and strategic country on the silk route of the world and bred many civilizations in the past 2000 years and more, it had valuable hidden treasures which many never explored..but the moment I landed and our hotel van zipped through the streets, I could smell it, a quaint enthusiasm..
We were parked at this budget hotel, the owner of which was not a very well to do man, his main aim was not to earn a lot of money from his foreign backpackers but to let them have a taste of authentic Jordan, this hotel (Ironically called sydney hotel) and was right on the corner of he road to Hisham restaurant, a very famous, most delectable food joint in whole of Amman.
Our attempt was to see this country in another 3 days, Jordan is a small country that rubs borders with Syria and shares land and sea with Isreal. Dead Sea was a must have, a landlocked sea with 5-6 times more salt content than the normal sea water, it offers the world's best natural spas and skin treatments. For me it was the treatment of the mind, it was so unique an experience, one only has to be here, to feel the esctacy.
Petra, another hidden marvel of the world, is a city of the nebateans, dead rose city as they call it, it lay submerged in the sands for many centuries until it was excavated in 1900s. This was build in the 2nd century by the Nebateans, who surveived in the desert, due to their skillful water management systems! It is a whole city of rose coloured rock, cut into funtabulous palacial facades. We found a whole team of excavators from Robert brown university USA working here from past 16 years, they have literally seen this city grown in front of them, as if rising from the sand!
Wadi Rum reminds one of the Lawrence of Arabia, you have to watch the movie after you have visited the Wadi rum, only then you will live it like real. Wadi rum is a dry moutainous desert, that had one of the highest and longest natural arches in the world. Its amaassness makes one wonder : how would the inhabitants survive here during the previous centuries, now locals beduoins (the local tribe) run desert camps and safaris here, before that was the way of life!!
Jordan is more than just a country, its a living example of the 'seen it all and done it all' culture, it housed 4 civilazations over the past 3000 years and has many hidden tales to tell.
Jordanians are very friendly and hospitable, unlike the GCC counries, however to the contrary I have always found the middle eastern and the GCC culture very open and welcoming!
It all makes me wonder, when we all are good human biengs.. how come few were left behind to create all the voilence?
We often take to these countries as ones behind the veil, backward and with hostile environs, now get to the real side, they are very well educated, learned and practice their religion as per choice! They have individual views on what they want to acheive for themselves and thier country and for them life is all about working hard and partying harder!!
My intial expectations from this country were not many, I knew it was a crucial and strategic country on the silk route of the world and bred many civilizations in the past 2000 years and more, it had valuable hidden treasures which many never explored..but the moment I landed and our hotel van zipped through the streets, I could smell it, a quaint enthusiasm..
We were parked at this budget hotel, the owner of which was not a very well to do man, his main aim was not to earn a lot of money from his foreign backpackers but to let them have a taste of authentic Jordan, this hotel (Ironically called sydney hotel) and was right on the corner of he road to Hisham restaurant, a very famous, most delectable food joint in whole of Amman.
Our attempt was to see this country in another 3 days, Jordan is a small country that rubs borders with Syria and shares land and sea with Isreal. Dead Sea was a must have, a landlocked sea with 5-6 times more salt content than the normal sea water, it offers the world's best natural spas and skin treatments. For me it was the treatment of the mind, it was so unique an experience, one only has to be here, to feel the esctacy.
Petra, another hidden marvel of the world, is a city of the nebateans, dead rose city as they call it, it lay submerged in the sands for many centuries until it was excavated in 1900s. This was build in the 2nd century by the Nebateans, who surveived in the desert, due to their skillful water management systems! It is a whole city of rose coloured rock, cut into funtabulous palacial facades. We found a whole team of excavators from Robert brown university USA working here from past 16 years, they have literally seen this city grown in front of them, as if rising from the sand!
Wadi Rum reminds one of the Lawrence of Arabia, you have to watch the movie after you have visited the Wadi rum, only then you will live it like real. Wadi rum is a dry moutainous desert, that had one of the highest and longest natural arches in the world. Its amaassness makes one wonder : how would the inhabitants survive here during the previous centuries, now locals beduoins (the local tribe) run desert camps and safaris here, before that was the way of life!!
Jordan is more than just a country, its a living example of the 'seen it all and done it all' culture, it housed 4 civilazations over the past 3000 years and has many hidden tales to tell.
Jordanians are very friendly and hospitable, unlike the GCC counries, however to the contrary I have always found the middle eastern and the GCC culture very open and welcoming!
It all makes me wonder, when we all are good human biengs.. how come few were left behind to create all the voilence?
Monday, January 15, 2007
Why blog?
Its not easy to write a post on the blog each day, there is a lot of thought that has to go in what you want to share.. and the best time to do that.. well i guess when nature calls..
Starting a blog made me think, why do writers need a blog in today's sceanario, and there can be several reasons:
What do we understand of a blog? we think it as a journal of our thoughts, opinions, views etc. like a web diary..but actually speaking, its the best and the fastest way to get an audience who are diverse and geographically spread.
Blogs are SUPERIOR content management systems, that serve as basis of search engines to attract new visitors. For example, I am a frequent leisure traveller, if i need to understand the finer details while visiting a particular country, i search for blogs that provide such details.
Did u know that blogs are ranked higher on any search engines and even if you do not regularly update the blog, they still are revisited by the search engines?
Finally, blogs help you to create a presence on the internet not only to voice out what you say but maybe to promote yr business or even to generate revenue.
So what are u waiting for, if you want to blog, well u have all the advantages for a go ahead, while i cannot commnet on any adverse effects, only if u get successful, popular and moneyed and u do not know how to handle such fame and moolah, u can get in serious trouble!!
Starting a blog made me think, why do writers need a blog in today's sceanario, and there can be several reasons:
What do we understand of a blog? we think it as a journal of our thoughts, opinions, views etc. like a web diary..but actually speaking, its the best and the fastest way to get an audience who are diverse and geographically spread.
Blogs are SUPERIOR content management systems, that serve as basis of search engines to attract new visitors. For example, I am a frequent leisure traveller, if i need to understand the finer details while visiting a particular country, i search for blogs that provide such details.
Did u know that blogs are ranked higher on any search engines and even if you do not regularly update the blog, they still are revisited by the search engines?
Finally, blogs help you to create a presence on the internet not only to voice out what you say but maybe to promote yr business or even to generate revenue.
So what are u waiting for, if you want to blog, well u have all the advantages for a go ahead, while i cannot commnet on any adverse effects, only if u get successful, popular and moneyed and u do not know how to handle such fame and moolah, u can get in serious trouble!!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Regal Rajasthan:
I always thought that if u believe in something it happens for you! But gradually as life moved on, it was not only the belief but the 'effort' that has to go in the belief to get it working!
I eventually got around having a 'holiday' to India. Rajasthan is the royal state that is well known throughout the country for its valiant warrior kings and queens. 5 AM morning sun showed upon our airplane and along came the announcement that air arabia flight had started its decent onwards Jaipur airport. (the now capital of Rajasthan)
Word of caution: if u have a connecting flight after your Air Arabia flight, i suggest ensure 4-5 hours of transit window!
Jaipur, unexpectedly came across as a much cleaner city compared to other metros of India. It is indeed called the pink city with all its walls and arches painted in queer pink! We were pleased to visit the palacial complexes, however, if u have ever seen a picture of the 'Hawa mahal' (palace of the winds) in the history books or a postcard, on a bus tour it will seem the most insignificant.
At 6.00 PM in the evening, when all the other monuments were brightly lit, this famous palace was lying in darkness, it seemed like one of the 'other' buildings! I think I can term it negligence.
A must visit to enjoy the colourful culture is a village look alike resort called Choki Dhani, it reinstates the colours and traditions of Jaisalmer (a far of district in rajasthan).. the food is served on palates with at least 12 - 15 dishes to savour from, its priced at a nominal of Rs 300 (6 USD) and is worth the long queue that we need to stand in ( As told : only during peak seasons!)
Jodhpur is the seocnd largest city of Rajasthan, yet another unique flavour to freak on.. its the blue city, why: the answer is from root old traditonal caste system, during the 1500s, the upper class called brahmins used to paint their houses BLUE!! this was the steep demarcation from the rest of the caste members. If u realize how deep rooted such man made customs were, one can actually relate to the communal voilence that frequents our Indian towns.
Suggestion : you should try to live in typical rajasthani houses / cottages, one such good guesthouse is mandore guesthouse, if not, its still worth a visit: go for a lunch or dinner (www.mandore.com)
Udaipur, the lake city of Rajasthan, presents a very different picture, lush, green and lovely it makes u imagine the garden of eden.. i dont know how it looked like, but as per my imagination, this place was it. It is full of lakes, foreigners and magnificient mewar history.. all scattered in bits and pieces. One unique thing in this city that caught my eye, was how the residents of this city had a local channel, all excited about the new year and city developments that were to follow, this is very contrary to the current sceanario, where indians always crib about the government is not living upto their expectations.
A must see is the sound and light show that is conducted by the HRH group in the menak chowk of the udaipur city palace premises everyday - 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, its priced at Rs. 125 per person (2.5 USD) and takes you thru the mewar ruling history. Very unusual, while all the districts (then states) held wars and battles for gain of kingdoms, mewar (of which udaipur was the capital) fought only in defense, and they never believed in bloodshed due to war. Unlike compared to other princely states of Rajasthan!
BTW: all the titles for the royals, were different from one another : the raja is called Sawai (follwed by his name) in Jaipur, Maharaja in Jodhpur and Maharana in Udaipur. It kinda nice, cuts out a lot of confusion in the King's Conferences !!
I wonder, India was called the Golden bird for many centuries.. , with states like rajasthan that pride in their warriorism.. then what happened suddenly?
I eventually got around having a 'holiday' to India. Rajasthan is the royal state that is well known throughout the country for its valiant warrior kings and queens. 5 AM morning sun showed upon our airplane and along came the announcement that air arabia flight had started its decent onwards Jaipur airport. (the now capital of Rajasthan)
Word of caution: if u have a connecting flight after your Air Arabia flight, i suggest ensure 4-5 hours of transit window!
Jaipur, unexpectedly came across as a much cleaner city compared to other metros of India. It is indeed called the pink city with all its walls and arches painted in queer pink! We were pleased to visit the palacial complexes, however, if u have ever seen a picture of the 'Hawa mahal' (palace of the winds) in the history books or a postcard, on a bus tour it will seem the most insignificant.
At 6.00 PM in the evening, when all the other monuments were brightly lit, this famous palace was lying in darkness, it seemed like one of the 'other' buildings! I think I can term it negligence.
A must visit to enjoy the colourful culture is a village look alike resort called Choki Dhani, it reinstates the colours and traditions of Jaisalmer (a far of district in rajasthan).. the food is served on palates with at least 12 - 15 dishes to savour from, its priced at a nominal of Rs 300 (6 USD) and is worth the long queue that we need to stand in ( As told : only during peak seasons!)
Jodhpur is the seocnd largest city of Rajasthan, yet another unique flavour to freak on.. its the blue city, why: the answer is from root old traditonal caste system, during the 1500s, the upper class called brahmins used to paint their houses BLUE!! this was the steep demarcation from the rest of the caste members. If u realize how deep rooted such man made customs were, one can actually relate to the communal voilence that frequents our Indian towns.
Suggestion : you should try to live in typical rajasthani houses / cottages, one such good guesthouse is mandore guesthouse, if not, its still worth a visit: go for a lunch or dinner (www.mandore.com)
Udaipur, the lake city of Rajasthan, presents a very different picture, lush, green and lovely it makes u imagine the garden of eden.. i dont know how it looked like, but as per my imagination, this place was it. It is full of lakes, foreigners and magnificient mewar history.. all scattered in bits and pieces. One unique thing in this city that caught my eye, was how the residents of this city had a local channel, all excited about the new year and city developments that were to follow, this is very contrary to the current sceanario, where indians always crib about the government is not living upto their expectations.
A must see is the sound and light show that is conducted by the HRH group in the menak chowk of the udaipur city palace premises everyday - 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, its priced at Rs. 125 per person (2.5 USD) and takes you thru the mewar ruling history. Very unusual, while all the districts (then states) held wars and battles for gain of kingdoms, mewar (of which udaipur was the capital) fought only in defense, and they never believed in bloodshed due to war. Unlike compared to other princely states of Rajasthan!
BTW: all the titles for the royals, were different from one another : the raja is called Sawai (follwed by his name) in Jaipur, Maharaja in Jodhpur and Maharana in Udaipur. It kinda nice, cuts out a lot of confusion in the King's Conferences !!
I wonder, India was called the Golden bird for many centuries.. , with states like rajasthan that pride in their warriorism.. then what happened suddenly?
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