I seem to have nothing to write abt...zilch...nought...
And I miss writing...it's become an essential part of my routine...so I shall just ramble on about inconsequential happenings. Those of you who like their sanity well-preserved..I suggest you stop reading this blog...
The other side...
I was watching this ad for Maggi Sambhar-flavoured (yuck!) noodles..and I notice a weird (apparently South Indian) accent..and a raag in the song..then there was this dance on Star One's Nach Baliye where they were doing a South Indian dance and hence the dancers were coloured black!
2 misconceptions that the Rest of India has about South Indians...that we are inherently dark-complexioned..and that we have a strange twang in our English...both of which are not completely accurate...I mean, yeah some of us are dark-skinned...but then I know a few North Indians too who are dark complexioned..and about the accent..heck..I think each state in India has an accent peculiar to it..
This North-South divide manifested itself quite vividly during my college life too! "Illad" was the term to describe us South-Indians...it was also treated as a synonym for being stupid and unenterprising apart from having a neanderthal connotation! Of course, we thought of the North Indians as "uneducated villagers"(unpad gavaars!)...but I have met a considerable number of exceptions to this rule as well...
So I guess you don't actually have a stereotypical Indian...or for that matter a stereotypical India..
One of my colleagues in Israel, when invited to India told me that she would "just die" if she saw a snake!!! Another expected to see elephants on the road....a third acted surprised when I spoke in the Queen's English!!! This is the India that people imagine..and yet, I have never seen a snake on the road :-)
Shall stop rambling here....and make myself useful...
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
What on earth is this country coming to???
This post is going to be in direct contrast to my other post abt "Why we aren't proud to be Indian?".
First on my hit-list : Ram Jethmalani.
One of India's most respected senior advocates. He has recently taken up the case of Manu Sharma, who is the (alleged) prime suspect in the Jessica Lal murder case. I am not condemning that. He is a criminal lawyer and is just doing his job. As an individual, Manu Sharma is entitled to the best legal representation he can get and is justified in asking for justice even though he is in fact guilty. And just because you,me and majority of Indians think Manu Sharma is guilty is of no consequence because we do not represent the judicial system of this country.
What I am condemning is the tactics used by the defense team. You cannot go about slandering a person's reputation especially one who is no more there to defend herself or her morality. Being a Page 3 person does not translate to being a person with loose morals. What exactly is the defense team's argument? That Jessica Lall is a "bad" person and hence deserved to get shot? That Manu Sharma did a service to society by ridding it of an "evil influence"?
I am questioning the morals of Ram Jethmalani. Does being a criminal lawyer entail that you sacrifice every shred of conscientious behaviour, every modicum of morality and every last drop of humanity at the altar of justice? Does being a criminal lawyer allow you to slander a dead girl's reputation? Does it allow you to justify that a man has the right to kill a girl who has (apparently) insulted his masculinity?
What is justice then? Does it even have meaning? If all it takes to walk away scot-free from cold-blooded murder is being able to afford the legal fees of Ram Jethmalani. He was yelling on national television indulging in what can flatteringly be described as buffoonery. He accused the media of "tampering" with the course of justice. When the truth is that, if not for the widespread media coverage of the case, Manu Sharma would be just another statistic in the growing list of influential people walking away from all sorts of heinous crimes.
Next on my hit list - the murderers of Manjunath.
I was not aware of this till they recently celebrated Manjunath's first death anniversary.
My aforementioned post was all about fighting corruption by refusing to join the vicious circle. Now I realise that the advice could well get you murdered.
Work ethic is all doing the job you have been asked to do to the best possible extent without any external factor (bribes) influencing your working ability. All Manjunath was doing was following his work ethic. There was a another case prior to this involving an IIT graduate called Satyender Dube who was murdered in connection to corruption involved with the national highway project.
The upside is that none of us are going to start encouraging corruption because of these incidents. In fact, it will just make us more determined to fight back. The downside is that we still have miles to go. If hitherto-unheard-of Lakhimpur is so diseased with corruption that it resulted in the murder of an honest official, just think of how many thousands of unheard Lakhimpur's are reeling under the same scrouge? Where do we start from then? How do we go about ridding this country of corruption?
First on my hit-list : Ram Jethmalani.
One of India's most respected senior advocates. He has recently taken up the case of Manu Sharma, who is the (alleged) prime suspect in the Jessica Lal murder case. I am not condemning that. He is a criminal lawyer and is just doing his job. As an individual, Manu Sharma is entitled to the best legal representation he can get and is justified in asking for justice even though he is in fact guilty. And just because you,me and majority of Indians think Manu Sharma is guilty is of no consequence because we do not represent the judicial system of this country.
What I am condemning is the tactics used by the defense team. You cannot go about slandering a person's reputation especially one who is no more there to defend herself or her morality. Being a Page 3 person does not translate to being a person with loose morals. What exactly is the defense team's argument? That Jessica Lall is a "bad" person and hence deserved to get shot? That Manu Sharma did a service to society by ridding it of an "evil influence"?
I am questioning the morals of Ram Jethmalani. Does being a criminal lawyer entail that you sacrifice every shred of conscientious behaviour, every modicum of morality and every last drop of humanity at the altar of justice? Does being a criminal lawyer allow you to slander a dead girl's reputation? Does it allow you to justify that a man has the right to kill a girl who has (apparently) insulted his masculinity?
What is justice then? Does it even have meaning? If all it takes to walk away scot-free from cold-blooded murder is being able to afford the legal fees of Ram Jethmalani. He was yelling on national television indulging in what can flatteringly be described as buffoonery. He accused the media of "tampering" with the course of justice. When the truth is that, if not for the widespread media coverage of the case, Manu Sharma would be just another statistic in the growing list of influential people walking away from all sorts of heinous crimes.
Next on my hit list - the murderers of Manjunath.
I was not aware of this till they recently celebrated Manjunath's first death anniversary.
My aforementioned post was all about fighting corruption by refusing to join the vicious circle. Now I realise that the advice could well get you murdered.
Work ethic is all doing the job you have been asked to do to the best possible extent without any external factor (bribes) influencing your working ability. All Manjunath was doing was following his work ethic. There was a another case prior to this involving an IIT graduate called Satyender Dube who was murdered in connection to corruption involved with the national highway project.
The upside is that none of us are going to start encouraging corruption because of these incidents. In fact, it will just make us more determined to fight back. The downside is that we still have miles to go. If hitherto-unheard-of Lakhimpur is so diseased with corruption that it resulted in the murder of an honest official, just think of how many thousands of unheard Lakhimpur's are reeling under the same scrouge? Where do we start from then? How do we go about ridding this country of corruption?
Monday, November 13, 2006
Namma Ooru Bengalooru
Maybe its just me or is the city really taking a turn for the better??
I see lanes on the roads...with separate ones for autorickshaws and buses. And they are being followed to some extent...a lot more than you would actually expect from public transport drivers in our country. I see lots of special BTS buses too...for ladies only..for pass holders only...Public transport has improved considerably over the year...
3 weeks here..have been to Koramangala, Majestic...traditional traffic hotspots...no traffic jam. Even on the radio, the incidence of "jam busters" seems to have drastically gone down...the roads seem to be in a better condition...or maybe I just haven't been on the "right" roads yet.
We have new tourist attractions like "City Swaps"..the hop-on hop-off tourist bus that is very popular in Europe is now here..
Even bureaucracy seems to have improved..I don’t see people waiting for bribes before they sign your papers...Of course, no one is ever in office at 10am sharp..but neither are we software engineers..so that is a trait common to the working class of India I guess..public or private...
Hmmm...I must say...we are taking a turn for the better...Can't say the same though about the rich brats of our generation..
One son of high profile fashion consultant involves himself in a brawl with policemen..Another..our "mannina marimaga" ( for the non-Kannadigas..this means great-grandson of the soil..in keeping with DeveGowda's "mannina maga" rant..)..Nikhil Gowda starts throwing stones at a hotel in the wee hours of the morning..and the Chief Minister has the sheer gall to accuse Bangalore's cosmopolitan lifestyle for his son's misdemeanour...a lot of us stay out late at night..but I don't think anyone of us have ever been inclined to throw stones or be a public nuisance! So, Mr. Chief Minister..my advice to you..a little discipline never hurt anyone..take away his big fancy cars for a while...revoke privileges..and he will turn out just fine..the rest of us did!
Another interesting debate in the TOI edit yesterday..should SMSese be allowed in English papers? Good Lord no! Imagine quoting Shakespeare in SMSese!
"2 b or not 2 b is da qt"
Seems ridiculous doesn't it? The only chance we have of learning English the way it is meant to be written and spoken is in school. College, work..the quality of our English is downhill from there on..so if even that last hope is destroyed, future generations may not even know what English really is! or grammar..
Friday, October 27, 2006
Back Home
"Home is where the heart is" - When I was leaving Paris, I felt like I was leaving "home". Now that I am back in Bangalore, I feel like I am "home"..this is where I grew up...this is where my family is...I have spent 12 years in Bangalore...and yet..3 months in Paris..and I call it home...Jerusalem is like another home....If I were asked..which of these 3 homes I like the best..Well...
Bangalore...I love India..and all things Indian..no make that most things Indian..I don't like strange odours wafting through my nostrils...I tend to be a tad high and mighty abt certain places..KR Market being a worthy example of a place where my nose is somewhere in the heavens...I hate dirt and filth..Have started considering dodging animal dung an inevitable part of my pedestrian life...its there everywhere!!! I dont mind the traffic....I love the fact that the sun rises and sets at the same time every day of the year...I love the fact that there IS sunlight falling on me....I love the fact that shops are open till 10...and that things I like are not ridiculously out of my reach...and that there are more people than fingers and toes who together pamper me and indulge my every wish...I am a veritable princess in Bangalore...
Jerusalem...my first home away from home...the first thing that comes to my mind..the instant feeling of calm that settles in when I step into Jerusalem...In Israel also, from the time I step into Ben Gurion Airport till I leave...everything is taken care of for me.
There is a welcoming air about Jerusalem..the people there make you feel welcome. I am not an outcast there. I am one among them. My colleagues at the office are super too...they include me in their weekly Shabbath rituals...they instantly made me a part of their lives and an extension of their family...which is why I know for sure I would never get homesick in Israel...I am home in a sense..with Hilda's family or Lionel's...
Paris...the immediate association with this city is independence!! Nothing is served to me on a platter, right from the taxi at the airport. I have to fend for myself here...no Hilda to mother me here. I can safely say..Paris is where I outgrew my caterpillar stage...I have learnt to be more responsible and mature. I have learnt to be more detached and to observe things with a detached view. Its also a city where at long last, I have learnt to be a litttle selfish..to put myself before others. I did not feel too homesick in Paris too because I was actually revelling in my new found independence!!! I had to make sure there were groceries in the kitchen...I had to do my own laundry..was responsible for keeping my studio clean...I totally loved it!!! That I can eat only that which I like..so no cabbage or radish or idli for 3 months....bliss I tell you...
So there it is..Paris.. I am the lady of the manor..and get to decide everything...
Jerusalem...Peace and contentment...amazing people..its like staying over at a very dear relative's place
Bangalore...."home"...:-)
Bangalore...I love India..and all things Indian..no make that most things Indian..I don't like strange odours wafting through my nostrils...I tend to be a tad high and mighty abt certain places..KR Market being a worthy example of a place where my nose is somewhere in the heavens...I hate dirt and filth..Have started considering dodging animal dung an inevitable part of my pedestrian life...its there everywhere!!! I dont mind the traffic....I love the fact that the sun rises and sets at the same time every day of the year...I love the fact that there IS sunlight falling on me....I love the fact that shops are open till 10...and that things I like are not ridiculously out of my reach...and that there are more people than fingers and toes who together pamper me and indulge my every wish...I am a veritable princess in Bangalore...
Jerusalem...my first home away from home...the first thing that comes to my mind..the instant feeling of calm that settles in when I step into Jerusalem...In Israel also, from the time I step into Ben Gurion Airport till I leave...everything is taken care of for me.
There is a welcoming air about Jerusalem..the people there make you feel welcome. I am not an outcast there. I am one among them. My colleagues at the office are super too...they include me in their weekly Shabbath rituals...they instantly made me a part of their lives and an extension of their family...which is why I know for sure I would never get homesick in Israel...I am home in a sense..with Hilda's family or Lionel's...
Paris...the immediate association with this city is independence!! Nothing is served to me on a platter, right from the taxi at the airport. I have to fend for myself here...no Hilda to mother me here. I can safely say..Paris is where I outgrew my caterpillar stage...I have learnt to be more responsible and mature. I have learnt to be more detached and to observe things with a detached view. Its also a city where at long last, I have learnt to be a litttle selfish..to put myself before others. I did not feel too homesick in Paris too because I was actually revelling in my new found independence!!! I had to make sure there were groceries in the kitchen...I had to do my own laundry..was responsible for keeping my studio clean...I totally loved it!!! That I can eat only that which I like..so no cabbage or radish or idli for 3 months....bliss I tell you...
So there it is..Paris.. I am the lady of the manor..and get to decide everything...
Jerusalem...Peace and contentment...amazing people..its like staying over at a very dear relative's place
Bangalore...."home"...:-)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Pics of Grenoble
Strange Thoughts
Definition of life..
And I am not talking abt the breathing in and out..heart beating kinda definition..I am talking about social standing..what determines whether you're considering worth having a life types..
In school it was..the girls who did well in academics,the school leaders...being a BDO member was a big deal in Baldwins (given the wild child that I was..I was a leader only once!), being in the sports team, being in the cultural team..these were fundamental to deciding how popular you are in school..and how well you will be remembered after you leave..
In Pre-University..the IIT applicants were the elite class..and the ICSE students..coz it was like a cake walk for us..in the end..it was your CET rank and which college/branch you got into in..
Once in Engineering...the first 2 years..you were cool if you had a boyfriend..I mean even today, when I catch up with old friends..the single/relationship status is always talked abt..did you have a boyfriend? for how long? wow! thats long...what happened? Oh I'm sorry..The latter 2 years of college was all about placements or higher studies...GRE, CAT, GMAT, GATE or the Infoscions and so on..
Blessed as I have been..I have been part of all the cliched stereotypes since school..hence..have been considered popular by my peers...
And now suddenly...there is no stereotype..nothing to be..no "cool set" to be part of...strange..but nice!
Waiting to go home!
Abt time I got a lil homesick I guess...was just thinking abt all the things I would do first when I get home..and lots of people suddenly rushing into my head..Cant wait to give my mom a nice, tight hug....Trouble Adi again..think I have missed him the most this time...me ringing the bell..him asking who? me saying naan(tamil!) and him asking Butter aa?? it would bug me then..now I would gladly have him answer the door at Mercure ApartHotel in the exact same way...
Bug suchi..chat away with my darling grandma..use the kinetic again...drive the car..watch TV in English...read the Newspaper..aaaaaaah!
Miss the workplace too...drinking Ganesh's chococcino...troubling JP...me and hazel teasing Sandy..playing catch with Ramki..Sujan and his madness...subbu..anu and our hugging ritual..joel...Georgie Porgie..Evenings at the office...Naamdaari's and their amazing blueberry cheesecake..Mast Kalandar's Chatoree chat...Magnolia's Taro Nest..Sahib Sindh Sultan's Reshmi Paneer tikka...roadside Pani Puri..Mishti's Mishti Dahi...
Miss my friends..and all of them complaining abt not getting to see me enough...shall do something abt that this time...Il try atleast..
Its weird..but every little thing each of you said or did..is like vividly etched in my memory...Sigh! Back to work now..
Dont know if I should put this up on my blog..maybe for just a day..
The Last Time
You never know when the last time is going to be the last time....
My last time on Champs Elysses, I wanted to get a pic taken under the Ve Arrondissement, Avenue Des Champs Elysses board...wanted to eat Chocolate Caramel Truffle Sundae at Haagen Daas, take one last look at Sephora...Instead my last time I just headed inside Sephora, bought a bit and left...
It's not just about places...you never say the things you want to say coz you always think you are gonna meet again...but sometimes, you just dont...and well, you regret not saying it when you could...
Even when it comes to saying goodbye to someone...you picture the last goodbye so vividly (at least I do!)..and you just say a simple bye before..suddenly that simple bye is your final adieu...
So, maybe I treat everytime like the last time...but then again..thats stupid!!! I cant keep eating Choc Caramel Truffle everytime I am on Champs Elysses...I would not fit through most doors if I did that!!!
Sigh! C'est la vie....That is life...What happens happens...guess the only solution would be not to pin too much on that last time and just live for the moment!
And I am not talking abt the breathing in and out..heart beating kinda definition..I am talking about social standing..what determines whether you're considering worth having a life types..
In school it was..the girls who did well in academics,the school leaders...being a BDO member was a big deal in Baldwins (given the wild child that I was..I was a leader only once!), being in the sports team, being in the cultural team..these were fundamental to deciding how popular you are in school..and how well you will be remembered after you leave..
In Pre-University..the IIT applicants were the elite class..and the ICSE students..coz it was like a cake walk for us..in the end..it was your CET rank and which college/branch you got into in..
Once in Engineering...the first 2 years..you were cool if you had a boyfriend..I mean even today, when I catch up with old friends..the single/relationship status is always talked abt..did you have a boyfriend? for how long? wow! thats long...what happened? Oh I'm sorry..The latter 2 years of college was all about placements or higher studies...GRE, CAT, GMAT, GATE or the Infoscions and so on..
Blessed as I have been..I have been part of all the cliched stereotypes since school..hence..have been considered popular by my peers...
And now suddenly...there is no stereotype..nothing to be..no "cool set" to be part of...strange..but nice!
Waiting to go home!
Abt time I got a lil homesick I guess...was just thinking abt all the things I would do first when I get home..and lots of people suddenly rushing into my head..Cant wait to give my mom a nice, tight hug....Trouble Adi again..think I have missed him the most this time...me ringing the bell..him asking who? me saying naan(tamil!) and him asking Butter aa?? it would bug me then..now I would gladly have him answer the door at Mercure ApartHotel in the exact same way...
Bug suchi..chat away with my darling grandma..use the kinetic again...drive the car..watch TV in English...read the Newspaper..aaaaaaah!
Miss the workplace too...drinking Ganesh's chococcino...troubling JP...me and hazel teasing Sandy..playing catch with Ramki..Sujan and his madness...subbu..anu and our hugging ritual..joel...Georgie Porgie..Evenings at the office...Naamdaari's and their amazing blueberry cheesecake..Mast Kalandar's Chatoree chat...Magnolia's Taro Nest..Sahib Sindh Sultan's Reshmi Paneer tikka...roadside Pani Puri..Mishti's Mishti Dahi...
Miss my friends..and all of them complaining abt not getting to see me enough...shall do something abt that this time...Il try atleast..
Its weird..but every little thing each of you said or did..is like vividly etched in my memory...Sigh! Back to work now..
Dont know if I should put this up on my blog..maybe for just a day..
The Last Time
You never know when the last time is going to be the last time....
My last time on Champs Elysses, I wanted to get a pic taken under the Ve Arrondissement, Avenue Des Champs Elysses board...wanted to eat Chocolate Caramel Truffle Sundae at Haagen Daas, take one last look at Sephora...Instead my last time I just headed inside Sephora, bought a bit and left...
It's not just about places...you never say the things you want to say coz you always think you are gonna meet again...but sometimes, you just dont...and well, you regret not saying it when you could...
Even when it comes to saying goodbye to someone...you picture the last goodbye so vividly (at least I do!)..and you just say a simple bye before..suddenly that simple bye is your final adieu...
So, maybe I treat everytime like the last time...but then again..thats stupid!!! I cant keep eating Choc Caramel Truffle everytime I am on Champs Elysses...I would not fit through most doors if I did that!!!
Sigh! C'est la vie....That is life...What happens happens...guess the only solution would be not to pin too much on that last time and just live for the moment!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Pics of Annecy
Lake AnnecyI just liked the blue between teh clouds..hence took this pic..
A path leading ( or so we thought!) to a beautiful chapel!
A typical canal in Annecy..with flowers adorning it..
Monday, October 09, 2006
Paradise and Back!!
Travelled alone for the first time this weekend...mighty kicked abt it!! Can't believe its actually taken me this long to do something like this...guess eating alone and watching a movie alone should follow soon enough as well...First time I am heading outside Paris after Italy (if you discount Versailles which is half an hour away!)...God! It seems like forever!!
Anyways moi went to Grenoble this weekend...its a little town nestled in the French alps...beautiful...also went to Annecy...I have a friend staying in Grenoble...left from here Friday evening by TGV...reached there around 10.30..Swaroop was at the station...His place is a 10 min walk from the Gare..had a yummy dinner..White wine..dal+chappati and an amazing cake for dessert...i was stuffed! Then tried to sleep..Grenoble is incredibly quiet!! Its absolutely still at that hour of the night..deathly silence..Positively spooky..
Got up really early the next morning to head to Annecy. It's 105km north of Grenoble and 40 km from the Swiss Border..It’s got a beautiful lake, Annecy from which it gets its name.
Ugur Firdoce bur Roo-e Zumeen ust. Humeen ust o Humeen ust o Humeen ust
( If there be a Paradise upon Earth. It is this, it is this, it is this.!).
I am sure if Firdaus ever got to Annecy he would share my sentiments!This is a beautiful place..you have pretty bridges dotting the place that are filled with flowers...a beautiful chapel..and the lake..It’s straight out of a postcard...With many hues of blue...surrounded by mountains on one side and the town makes up the other three...it’s really huge! You have geese and swans and quite a few yachts dotting the water line..
We walked around most of the lake..had yummy lunch by this place near a pretty bridge...ah..the day was perfection itself! The weather was just brilliant..clear blue skies..I think the beauty of the place made us forget how tired we actually were...But by the end of the day..I was beat..Completely exhausted..we finally got on the train back to Grenoble..where Swaroop regaled me with a brief history of Kannada Cinema for an hour!! I was in splits! have resolved to get back home and watch these movies! Returned home..ate dinner and tachi....
Woke up quite late on Sunday..brilliant weather in Grenoble too...Grenoble is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains…its also got 2 rivers..Le Drac and Le Iser...beautiful place…envy Swaroop! He gets to stay there for 18 months!!! Walked around town..saw a couple of cathedrals...walked in to a flea market..had yummy Choc Chip cookie..walked into a deserted Place Victor Hugo..which is their city centre..where all things happen! Had a super lunch that preceded by Chatreuse..which is the local liquor..a green liquid..that burns its way down your throat and emanates some vapours..unique!! Then a brilliant Penne Pasta follwed by..Tiramisu with Rum soaked raisins..divine!!!
Then we headed to Bastille…this fort..one of the main centres if the French Revoltion as well..its in the Chatreuse range of mountains if I am not mistaken! We go up in these bubble shaped cable cars to the top..and enjoy a view of the city..and the mountain ranges..Grenoble has the longest straight road in Europe..Boulevard Jean Jaures..and you get to see almost its entire length of 8km from there..also got to see Mont Blanc with its snow capped peaks!! Beautiful..I mean..to just sit there and marvel at the beauty of nature…at the sheer perfection..of both natural form and human! ;-)..
Walked down the hill and got back home…another beautiful day came to an end…sat on the TGV to Paris..and slept!!! Got up half dazed and headed home with Sachin…Anjali had made super yummy food..ate that and just gave in to the all the exhaustion..
Woke up this morning feeling like a ball of wool has replaced my brain..still do..so this post is probably one of my worst written!! Excuse moi! Shall put up pics of Grenoble and Annecy tomo..
Anyways moi went to Grenoble this weekend...its a little town nestled in the French alps...beautiful...also went to Annecy...I have a friend staying in Grenoble...left from here Friday evening by TGV...reached there around 10.30..Swaroop was at the station...His place is a 10 min walk from the Gare..had a yummy dinner..White wine..dal+chappati and an amazing cake for dessert...i was stuffed! Then tried to sleep..Grenoble is incredibly quiet!! Its absolutely still at that hour of the night..deathly silence..Positively spooky..
Got up really early the next morning to head to Annecy. It's 105km north of Grenoble and 40 km from the Swiss Border..It’s got a beautiful lake, Annecy from which it gets its name.
Ugur Firdoce bur Roo-e Zumeen ust. Humeen ust o Humeen ust o Humeen ust
( If there be a Paradise upon Earth. It is this, it is this, it is this.!).
I am sure if Firdaus ever got to Annecy he would share my sentiments!This is a beautiful place..you have pretty bridges dotting the place that are filled with flowers...a beautiful chapel..and the lake..It’s straight out of a postcard...With many hues of blue...surrounded by mountains on one side and the town makes up the other three...it’s really huge! You have geese and swans and quite a few yachts dotting the water line..
We walked around most of the lake..had yummy lunch by this place near a pretty bridge...ah..the day was perfection itself! The weather was just brilliant..clear blue skies..I think the beauty of the place made us forget how tired we actually were...But by the end of the day..I was beat..Completely exhausted..we finally got on the train back to Grenoble..where Swaroop regaled me with a brief history of Kannada Cinema for an hour!! I was in splits! have resolved to get back home and watch these movies! Returned home..ate dinner and tachi....
Woke up quite late on Sunday..brilliant weather in Grenoble too...Grenoble is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains…its also got 2 rivers..Le Drac and Le Iser...beautiful place…envy Swaroop! He gets to stay there for 18 months!!! Walked around town..saw a couple of cathedrals...walked in to a flea market..had yummy Choc Chip cookie..walked into a deserted Place Victor Hugo..which is their city centre..where all things happen! Had a super lunch that preceded by Chatreuse..which is the local liquor..a green liquid..that burns its way down your throat and emanates some vapours..unique!! Then a brilliant Penne Pasta follwed by..Tiramisu with Rum soaked raisins..divine!!!
Then we headed to Bastille…this fort..one of the main centres if the French Revoltion as well..its in the Chatreuse range of mountains if I am not mistaken! We go up in these bubble shaped cable cars to the top..and enjoy a view of the city..and the mountain ranges..Grenoble has the longest straight road in Europe..Boulevard Jean Jaures..and you get to see almost its entire length of 8km from there..also got to see Mont Blanc with its snow capped peaks!! Beautiful..I mean..to just sit there and marvel at the beauty of nature…at the sheer perfection..of both natural form and human! ;-)..
Walked down the hill and got back home…another beautiful day came to an end…sat on the TGV to Paris..and slept!!! Got up half dazed and headed home with Sachin…Anjali had made super yummy food..ate that and just gave in to the all the exhaustion..
Woke up this morning feeling like a ball of wool has replaced my brain..still do..so this post is probably one of my worst written!! Excuse moi! Shall put up pics of Grenoble and Annecy tomo..
Monday, October 02, 2006
AB's Baby!!
Abhishek Bachan is in town!! He is in Paris shooting for a movie along with Lara Dutta..saw him on Friday at the Trocadero gardens..but could get only a distant glimpse...no autograph as well..but what little I saw I liked..a very balanced individual..and incredibly polite..a lady asked him for an autograph on his way somewhere..and he apologized very politely while declining..really liked that about him..no star tantrums or anything..yeniways...ate a nice meal at Quicks and returned home...
Rockin' weekend...Sachin's friend and his family arrived from Stuttgart..Very nice people..dropped them off at their apartment which has English Channels btw ( what luck!!)..returned home via Havre Caumartin..found some pretty not-so-expensive clothes to buy around here..shall be going back there today..returned home and crashed!! not used to getting up at 6 am anymore..it takes a deathly toll on me..anyways..met up Gurya and his family at St. Michel..showed them the beauty of Invalides...and then when we reached the Eiffel..it stated pouring!! and we were stuck getting wet..a very sweet Indian selling umbrellas gave me respite from the pelting rain by holding an umbrella for me..people can be really sweet!!
Returned home to change...and then ate diner at Gandhi's near our place..very very tasty food...went to watch a movie after that..My Super-ex girlfriend...eeeeeeeeeeeks!!!awful movie..what a let down after The Devil wears Prada..returned home and slept!!
This Sunday is first Sunday of the month..hence entry to all museums around Paris is free...started fairly early..visited Museé D'Orsay..this is an old railway station converted into a museum..beautiful..and I personally feel sculptures are more expressive than paintings..and this museum is filled with them! Saw quite a few of Napolean Bonaparte..lots of Greek mythology..saw Mercury..Apollo..a statue echoing the unrequited love of Sapho the Greek poetess..realy nice...
And then..my first glimpse of Impressionist art..My initiation into the world of Monet..Cezanne..Van Gogh..Renoir...I always thought art collection was for people who did not have anything else left to buy..but I have changed my mind now!! This stuff is really good..maybe not necessarily so exorbitantly prized..but good stuff..worth collecting..worth displaying..worth admiring...collected a few postcards..Monet's famous Water Lilies..Cezannes Apples and Oranges..some I really liked of Van Gogh and Renoir..not necessarily their most famous..
After that..headed to Invalides to see Napolean's Tomb..nice place..its a church that has been divived into 2 parts.one is for the soldiers..and one was for the king..the one for the soldiers was beautiful..easily one of the most beautiful churches I have seen..then went along to the other side to see Napolean's tomb..
Once that was done..went across to Rodin's museum..saw that great masterpiece of his..The Thinker..then a few more...Adam, Eve, the Gates of Hell..and so on..very nice..I like sculptures a whole lot more than I like paintings..Impressionist ones notwithstanding..
Then walked over to Concorde..and here I had my second brush with Abhishek Bachan...they were shooting there!! managed to get an autograph this time..as well as a very close look of the star..he did not seem to be in the best of moods so could not get a glimpse of that killer smile..left after my autograph to check out Place Vendome..and before I forget..AB is good looking...polite..and has a voice that can make anyone go weak in the knees..
Place Vendome..dominated by a huge Column Vendome atop which sits Napolean on his Le Cheval! Surrounding this magnificent column are the Ritz Hotel..Chanel..Dior..Cartier..posh!! did not even look at their displays fearing I might really like something...You cannot love that which you do not know!! so left after a quick look to head to the next museum..Centre George Pompidou..
This is a weirdly built Modern Art Museum that has pipe like structures all outside..very starnge..I am not one for Modern Art..did not appreciate it too much at the Museum in Jerusalem..ditto here..had a quick look and left..
Every Museum in Paris presents its work differently..and they are all unique.;The Louvre was originally the Royal Palace..Musee D'Orsay a railway station..The Rodin Museum is a huge garden..witha lot of little gardens at the centre of which u have a work by Rodin..Centre G. Pompidou is weird..built like many pipes etc..very nice!
Returned home and slept like the dead..woke up at around 19.30..had to go out for dinner with Gurya and family..hunted all about Avenue Des Champs Elyseess for a cake..and no luck!! went for dinner anyways..returned home and crashed!!! have never felt this tired before I think...slept the sleep of the dead!!
Rockin' weekend...Sachin's friend and his family arrived from Stuttgart..Very nice people..dropped them off at their apartment which has English Channels btw ( what luck!!)..returned home via Havre Caumartin..found some pretty not-so-expensive clothes to buy around here..shall be going back there today..returned home and crashed!! not used to getting up at 6 am anymore..it takes a deathly toll on me..anyways..met up Gurya and his family at St. Michel..showed them the beauty of Invalides...and then when we reached the Eiffel..it stated pouring!! and we were stuck getting wet..a very sweet Indian selling umbrellas gave me respite from the pelting rain by holding an umbrella for me..people can be really sweet!!
Returned home to change...and then ate diner at Gandhi's near our place..very very tasty food...went to watch a movie after that..My Super-ex girlfriend...eeeeeeeeeeeks!!!awful movie..what a let down after The Devil wears Prada..returned home and slept!!
This Sunday is first Sunday of the month..hence entry to all museums around Paris is free...started fairly early..visited Museé D'Orsay..this is an old railway station converted into a museum..beautiful..and I personally feel sculptures are more expressive than paintings..and this museum is filled with them! Saw quite a few of Napolean Bonaparte..lots of Greek mythology..saw Mercury..Apollo..a statue echoing the unrequited love of Sapho the Greek poetess..realy nice...
And then..my first glimpse of Impressionist art..My initiation into the world of Monet..Cezanne..Van Gogh..Renoir...I always thought art collection was for people who did not have anything else left to buy..but I have changed my mind now!! This stuff is really good..maybe not necessarily so exorbitantly prized..but good stuff..worth collecting..worth displaying..worth admiring...collected a few postcards..Monet's famous Water Lilies..Cezannes Apples and Oranges..some I really liked of Van Gogh and Renoir..not necessarily their most famous..
After that..headed to Invalides to see Napolean's Tomb..nice place..its a church that has been divived into 2 parts.one is for the soldiers..and one was for the king..the one for the soldiers was beautiful..easily one of the most beautiful churches I have seen..then went along to the other side to see Napolean's tomb..
Once that was done..went across to Rodin's museum..saw that great masterpiece of his..The Thinker..then a few more...Adam, Eve, the Gates of Hell..and so on..very nice..I like sculptures a whole lot more than I like paintings..Impressionist ones notwithstanding..
Then walked over to Concorde..and here I had my second brush with Abhishek Bachan...they were shooting there!! managed to get an autograph this time..as well as a very close look of the star..he did not seem to be in the best of moods so could not get a glimpse of that killer smile..left after my autograph to check out Place Vendome..and before I forget..AB is good looking...polite..and has a voice that can make anyone go weak in the knees..
Place Vendome..dominated by a huge Column Vendome atop which sits Napolean on his Le Cheval! Surrounding this magnificent column are the Ritz Hotel..Chanel..Dior..Cartier..posh!! did not even look at their displays fearing I might really like something...You cannot love that which you do not know!! so left after a quick look to head to the next museum..Centre George Pompidou..
This is a weirdly built Modern Art Museum that has pipe like structures all outside..very starnge..I am not one for Modern Art..did not appreciate it too much at the Museum in Jerusalem..ditto here..had a quick look and left..
Every Museum in Paris presents its work differently..and they are all unique.;The Louvre was originally the Royal Palace..Musee D'Orsay a railway station..The Rodin Museum is a huge garden..witha lot of little gardens at the centre of which u have a work by Rodin..Centre G. Pompidou is weird..built like many pipes etc..very nice!
Returned home and slept like the dead..woke up at around 19.30..had to go out for dinner with Gurya and family..hunted all about Avenue Des Champs Elyseess for a cake..and no luck!! went for dinner anyways..returned home and crashed!!! have never felt this tired before I think...slept the sleep of the dead!!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Paris updates
Alrite...I have completely stopped my chain of reporting on my day to day activities in Paris...for one...coz like all good things...it had to come to an end ( ha ha kidding!)..Life had become routine. with long nights at the office..so only weekends were spent doing anything..as far as exploring Paris goes...I have not done a very good job..sad but true..so much I would like to see in this amazing city..and now there is hardly any time left...
My last update stopped with the trip to Italy so shall continue from there. Went up the Eiffel..gorgeous view of Paris..nice time..did nothing else exceptional that week..
First weekend after mom left was very unremarkable...did not feel like going out much or seeing new places..guess too much of a good thing can also be bad..so I just rested the entire weekend...
Next weekend..met up with a friend from coll..saw Sacre Cour..saw the outside of Jardins Du Luxemborg..saw Tour MontParnasse..huge building..have a nice pic in front of it too..for the select few who I have sent links to my abum..you may see this..shall send the links to others as well..that Sunday..we saw Pont De Alexder..one of the prettiest bridges in Paris leading to Invalides..500m of manicured lawn, Palais Royal..and all this on one of those typical French mornings..cloudy with a promise of rain in the air. Then we walked upto Musee D'Orsay and then took the RER to St. Michel..walked in the by lanes of St. Michel and stumbled upon this amazing place that has every board game known to man in there..its just stocked with board games..really super!had a nice lunch of tomata feta cheese sandwich followed by yummy hot chocolate..then we headed inside the Notre Dame Cathedral..I find it strange that I still haven't had the chance to read Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame..thin I will do it as soon as I reach India..went inside the church..saw the famous stained glass paintings..wasn't the best day to visit the place coz the absence of sunlight outside meant I really could not appreciate the beauty of the windows..but I will be going back theer again so its fine I guess..
The past weekend..Friday..we were treated to a brilliant display of fireworks at Parc De Villette..just brilliant! Saturday was dedicated to shopping..spent the Saturday browsing through dozens of shops in the La Defense mall..did not buy to much though..checked out some Harley Davidson bikes..these pics are also in my album..Sunday we went to Chateàu De Versailles...nice place..would not mind getting married there (:-) )..guess noone would..saw the musical fountain show..sat in those quaint horse drawn carriages...big horses are very very smelly...eeeeew!! Pretend-rowed a boat...got some awesome pics taken of myself..God bless Sachin! and then returned..had dinner and tachi..
This week was murder at work..but its Friday today..and all my work is done..went and watched an amazing movie last night...The Devil Wears Prada..in a nutshell its abt a Boss from hell and an employee from heaven..and the people who watched the movie..an employee from hell and a boss from heaven..yeah..Sachin and moi (kidding! Im a jem to work with..no sniggers here!) Hence the inspiration to look nice..which is why yours truly is dressed to kill today in a lovely green indian dress with bindi et all..looking verrrrrry ladylike and fairly pretty...
ok thats it for the Paris updates...
My last update stopped with the trip to Italy so shall continue from there. Went up the Eiffel..gorgeous view of Paris..nice time..did nothing else exceptional that week..
First weekend after mom left was very unremarkable...did not feel like going out much or seeing new places..guess too much of a good thing can also be bad..so I just rested the entire weekend...
Next weekend..met up with a friend from coll..saw Sacre Cour..saw the outside of Jardins Du Luxemborg..saw Tour MontParnasse..huge building..have a nice pic in front of it too..for the select few who I have sent links to my abum..you may see this..shall send the links to others as well..that Sunday..we saw Pont De Alexder..one of the prettiest bridges in Paris leading to Invalides..500m of manicured lawn, Palais Royal..and all this on one of those typical French mornings..cloudy with a promise of rain in the air. Then we walked upto Musee D'Orsay and then took the RER to St. Michel..walked in the by lanes of St. Michel and stumbled upon this amazing place that has every board game known to man in there..its just stocked with board games..really super!had a nice lunch of tomata feta cheese sandwich followed by yummy hot chocolate..then we headed inside the Notre Dame Cathedral..I find it strange that I still haven't had the chance to read Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame..thin I will do it as soon as I reach India..went inside the church..saw the famous stained glass paintings..wasn't the best day to visit the place coz the absence of sunlight outside meant I really could not appreciate the beauty of the windows..but I will be going back theer again so its fine I guess..
The past weekend..Friday..we were treated to a brilliant display of fireworks at Parc De Villette..just brilliant! Saturday was dedicated to shopping..spent the Saturday browsing through dozens of shops in the La Defense mall..did not buy to much though..checked out some Harley Davidson bikes..these pics are also in my album..Sunday we went to Chateàu De Versailles...nice place..would not mind getting married there (:-) )..guess noone would..saw the musical fountain show..sat in those quaint horse drawn carriages...big horses are very very smelly...eeeeew!! Pretend-rowed a boat...got some awesome pics taken of myself..God bless Sachin! and then returned..had dinner and tachi..
This week was murder at work..but its Friday today..and all my work is done..went and watched an amazing movie last night...The Devil Wears Prada..in a nutshell its abt a Boss from hell and an employee from heaven..and the people who watched the movie..an employee from hell and a boss from heaven..yeah..Sachin and moi (kidding! Im a jem to work with..no sniggers here!) Hence the inspiration to look nice..which is why yours truly is dressed to kill today in a lovely green indian dress with bindi et all..looking verrrrrry ladylike and fairly pretty...
ok thats it for the Paris updates...
Why aren't we proud to be Indians?
A fairly common feature among Indians you meet abroad. They are embarrassed to be Indians!! The India they see is full of corruption, bad politicians, over population, poverty and unemployment. These problems beset every country in the world!! Some more than the others..but no country is untouched by these scourges...But yet, we turn a blind eye to these when we are abroad and make a huge deal out of it in India!
As for me, yes I do think we are behind the rest of the world in almost everything..but I am still proud to be Indian..and no matter which corner of the globe I live in..Home as such would always be India...
The attitudes of Indians living in India...There are 3 specimens of Indians to be found anywhere in the world..
The first kind...has the attitude that being an Indian is a passport to being uncouth, uncivilized and is in general a public nuisance..This specimen has absolutely no regard for road rules..thinks nothing of littering public places..talks loudly..ugh!
The second kind...think when in India be an Indian..dirty public places..break every rule possible..but when abroad..these ppl consciously develop a pseudo-sense of Social and Civic responsibility..they just shrug it off along with their disembarkation pass at the Indian aiport...
The third kind..is the one that possesses a semblance of social and civic responsibility and chooses to maintain it irrespctive of which country they are in...
I believe that I am in the third category..and I wanna use this blog to address the other 2 categories..incidentally, it is the former 2 categories that are most embarassed to be Indians!!
When we go abroad..for various reasons..studies..work..vacation..most of us tend to forget that in our own small way we are cultural ambassadors of our country..and that if we ourselves hold no respect for India..then it is unlikely that the foreigners will..
Coming back to the subject of my blog...Why Indians have no respect for India?
1. Population...The days of having 7-10 children has almost faded..at least among the affluent and mid-income strata of society..a problem of this magnitude cannot be overcome in a day. It takes time, but we are seeing results..
2. UnEmployment...BPO hub, software centre...We are growing..albeit in small steps compared to China and other developing countries but steps nonetheless...
3. Poverty...There are beggars and there is poverty everywhere in the world...We choose not to see it here..but make a big deal out of poverty in India..yeah there may be more beggars...but nonetheless..its not a problem unique to India
4. Dirtiness..This is especially for Category 1 and 2 people...India can be a clean country too..use dustbins...stop spitting on the road..stop sticking posters where you're not allowed to..treat your country as an extension of your house and start keeping it clean..if each of us were to start making it our responsibility to keep a place clean..I fail to see how it could not work..
5. Traffic...yes, we are an over populated country with an under developed public transport system..but even in this aspect..every day I see a traffic jam on my way to the office here in Paris...what I don't see is irate drivers honking like there is no tomorrow...or abuses being hurled..people sit calmly and wait for the jam to pass..the key here is that they know the jam is inevitable so they don’t try and fight it...they patiently wait...this in a city with one of the most developed public transport systems..and with a population roughly equal to that of Jayanagar!! And yet we think of Paris as wonderland..
6. Corruption...Greed for money and power is rampant everywhere in the world. It's a matter of percentages as Sachin told me. Roughly the same percentage of people are corrupt everywhere. Since our population is a whole lot more, the amount of corruption may seem significantly more. But even here, with the Lok Ayukta coming into force etc. we are improving. And, we encourage corruption!! How many of us actually go and stand in queues at the RTO or the Passport Office? Instead we go to these middlemen, pay them a bribe and get the work done faster. We stop paying them bribes...in the long run, they stop asking for bribes!! Its a question of Supply and Demand..
7. Politics...False promises to win elections. In Budapest, people are demanding the resignation of their Prime Minister after a report that he won his office under false premises. That is being pro-active. What do we do? Instead of creating public forums to address our grievances, we grumble about how the government is not doing anything. Make the government sit up and hear you. You have a voice...use it!!
So, basically my point is don't be ashamed to be an Indian. Be proud of your country. We are a country rich in values, traditions and culture. We still possess a unique identity. We are the land of so many great people. I might sound like a patriotic song soon enough so I will stop here...but I hope you get the point...and more importantly I hope you learn to be a proud Indian!
Jai Hind!
As for me, yes I do think we are behind the rest of the world in almost everything..but I am still proud to be Indian..and no matter which corner of the globe I live in..Home as such would always be India...
The attitudes of Indians living in India...There are 3 specimens of Indians to be found anywhere in the world..
The first kind...has the attitude that being an Indian is a passport to being uncouth, uncivilized and is in general a public nuisance..This specimen has absolutely no regard for road rules..thinks nothing of littering public places..talks loudly..ugh!
The second kind...think when in India be an Indian..dirty public places..break every rule possible..but when abroad..these ppl consciously develop a pseudo-sense of Social and Civic responsibility..they just shrug it off along with their disembarkation pass at the Indian aiport...
The third kind..is the one that possesses a semblance of social and civic responsibility and chooses to maintain it irrespctive of which country they are in...
I believe that I am in the third category..and I wanna use this blog to address the other 2 categories..incidentally, it is the former 2 categories that are most embarassed to be Indians!!
When we go abroad..for various reasons..studies..work..vacation..most of us tend to forget that in our own small way we are cultural ambassadors of our country..and that if we ourselves hold no respect for India..then it is unlikely that the foreigners will..
Coming back to the subject of my blog...Why Indians have no respect for India?
1. Population...The days of having 7-10 children has almost faded..at least among the affluent and mid-income strata of society..a problem of this magnitude cannot be overcome in a day. It takes time, but we are seeing results..
2. UnEmployment...BPO hub, software centre...We are growing..albeit in small steps compared to China and other developing countries but steps nonetheless...
3. Poverty...There are beggars and there is poverty everywhere in the world...We choose not to see it here..but make a big deal out of poverty in India..yeah there may be more beggars...but nonetheless..its not a problem unique to India
4. Dirtiness..This is especially for Category 1 and 2 people...India can be a clean country too..use dustbins...stop spitting on the road..stop sticking posters where you're not allowed to..treat your country as an extension of your house and start keeping it clean..if each of us were to start making it our responsibility to keep a place clean..I fail to see how it could not work..
5. Traffic...yes, we are an over populated country with an under developed public transport system..but even in this aspect..every day I see a traffic jam on my way to the office here in Paris...what I don't see is irate drivers honking like there is no tomorrow...or abuses being hurled..people sit calmly and wait for the jam to pass..the key here is that they know the jam is inevitable so they don’t try and fight it...they patiently wait...this in a city with one of the most developed public transport systems..and with a population roughly equal to that of Jayanagar!! And yet we think of Paris as wonderland..
6. Corruption...Greed for money and power is rampant everywhere in the world. It's a matter of percentages as Sachin told me. Roughly the same percentage of people are corrupt everywhere. Since our population is a whole lot more, the amount of corruption may seem significantly more. But even here, with the Lok Ayukta coming into force etc. we are improving. And, we encourage corruption!! How many of us actually go and stand in queues at the RTO or the Passport Office? Instead we go to these middlemen, pay them a bribe and get the work done faster. We stop paying them bribes...in the long run, they stop asking for bribes!! Its a question of Supply and Demand..
7. Politics...False promises to win elections. In Budapest, people are demanding the resignation of their Prime Minister after a report that he won his office under false premises. That is being pro-active. What do we do? Instead of creating public forums to address our grievances, we grumble about how the government is not doing anything. Make the government sit up and hear you. You have a voice...use it!!
So, basically my point is don't be ashamed to be an Indian. Be proud of your country. We are a country rich in values, traditions and culture. We still possess a unique identity. We are the land of so many great people. I might sound like a patriotic song soon enough so I will stop here...but I hope you get the point...and more importantly I hope you learn to be a proud Indian!
Jai Hind!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Amu Gyaan
Alrite..its been a blissful 7 weeks in Europe...think i will list out things I like/dislike blah blah...
List of my fave places in the 4 countries I have been to
1. France --> Paris - * Champs Elysses/Arc De Triomph * Eiffel Tower * Louvre by Night * Grande Arch/La Defense * Tour MontParnasse * Invalides
2. Belgium --> Brussels * Grand Place * St. Michel's Cathedral
--> Antwerpen * Antwerpen Central..teh prettiest Railway station ever! * GroenPlaats Square * The banks of the Scheldes River
--> Brugge * Markt Square
3. Holland --> Amsterdam * Madam Tussaud's * Daam Straat * Schipol Airport
4. Italy --> Rome * The Vatican * the Colosseum * Piazza Navona * Pantheon
--> Pisa * Leaning Tower
--> Venice * The water taxi stand just opp the Venezia St. Lucia station
Best Walks I have had in Europe..rated from best to good!
1. With JP...from La Defense to Porte De St.Cloud...through Pont De Neuilly, Argentine, Arc De Triomph, Champs Elysses, Concorde, Royal Palais, Trocadero..and the bridges..
2. With JP...from our hotel to the Javel bridge at 12 in the night! saw the Eiffel twinkling for the first time..stunning sight..
3. With Mom...through St. Peter's Square on Via Vatican all teh way upto St. Peter's basilica..
4. With Sachin..Walk from Grand Place to Palace of Justice in Brussels
Things I loved most during my stay
1. French Women..the way they smell and the way they dress..Ooo la la...
2. Hot Chocolate...well..all Hot Chocolate is good Hot chocolate..but the Italians make it the best..second would be the Belgian ones..the Dutch and the French are on equal footing...
3. Walking back home after a long day at the office and seeing the Eiffel twinkle!
4. Shopping!! granted I am not doing much ( read any!) shopping...but still..window shoppnig is an activity even the most disinterested shopper will cultivate in Paris...
5. Walking along Champs Elysses..I will miss this the most, I guess
6. Watching the Eiffel twinkle...
7. Eating the yummiest breads and pizzas here...
8. Galleries Lafayette....aaaaaaaaah! paradise
Will update this list...I know I am missing out something..
Murphy is God!
1. Murphy's Law of Mc Donalds : You can never find one when you need one! Otherwise, they are everywhere..all over the place!
2. When you're at a metro station waiting for your train, the train at the opposite platform will always arrive before yours!
3. The best laid plans always go wrong!
4. The time required to wait for ur train/the distance to walk in a metro is directly proportional to how tired you actually are!!
5. You miss a bus by a whisker and dont care coz the next one will come along in 4 mins..well..the next one comes after 25 mins...
6. When you know how to ask a particular question in French, chances are you will stumble upon that rare specimen in France that speaks English..you pray for an English speaking person and you get a person who will look at you blankly and say non anglais!
General observations on people and places in Europe
1. Paris is one of the dirtiest places here..there is dog do all over the place!!
2. Frenchmen are extremely polite and courteous..Gallic chivalry runs in their veins I guess...
3. French are also very polite drivers..will stop for you even when the pedestrian light is red..and all they expect is a smile and a Merci
4. Italians are a lazy lot in general..never rely on Italian local bus/train schedules..
5. Italian men are super hot!and super flirts too...nice combo to have..
6. European languages (except maybe German) have a very endearing sing song way of pronouncement.
7. A photo of the Arc De Triomph...and Champs Elysses..can never go wrong..no matter how redundant your camera may be or how unskilled a photographer you are..
More to come in this list as well…
List of my fave places in the 4 countries I have been to
1. France --> Paris - * Champs Elysses/Arc De Triomph * Eiffel Tower * Louvre by Night * Grande Arch/La Defense * Tour MontParnasse * Invalides
2. Belgium --> Brussels * Grand Place * St. Michel's Cathedral
--> Antwerpen * Antwerpen Central..teh prettiest Railway station ever! * GroenPlaats Square * The banks of the Scheldes River
--> Brugge * Markt Square
3. Holland --> Amsterdam * Madam Tussaud's * Daam Straat * Schipol Airport
4. Italy --> Rome * The Vatican * the Colosseum * Piazza Navona * Pantheon
--> Pisa * Leaning Tower
--> Venice * The water taxi stand just opp the Venezia St. Lucia station
Best Walks I have had in Europe..rated from best to good!
1. With JP...from La Defense to Porte De St.Cloud...through Pont De Neuilly, Argentine, Arc De Triomph, Champs Elysses, Concorde, Royal Palais, Trocadero..and the bridges..
2. With JP...from our hotel to the Javel bridge at 12 in the night! saw the Eiffel twinkling for the first time..stunning sight..
3. With Mom...through St. Peter's Square on Via Vatican all teh way upto St. Peter's basilica..
4. With Sachin..Walk from Grand Place to Palace of Justice in Brussels
Things I loved most during my stay
1. French Women..the way they smell and the way they dress..Ooo la la...
2. Hot Chocolate...well..all Hot Chocolate is good Hot chocolate..but the Italians make it the best..second would be the Belgian ones..the Dutch and the French are on equal footing...
3. Walking back home after a long day at the office and seeing the Eiffel twinkle!
4. Shopping!! granted I am not doing much ( read any!) shopping...but still..window shoppnig is an activity even the most disinterested shopper will cultivate in Paris...
5. Walking along Champs Elysses..I will miss this the most, I guess
6. Watching the Eiffel twinkle...
7. Eating the yummiest breads and pizzas here...
8. Galleries Lafayette....aaaaaaaaah! paradise
Will update this list...I know I am missing out something..
Murphy is God!
1. Murphy's Law of Mc Donalds : You can never find one when you need one! Otherwise, they are everywhere..all over the place!
2. When you're at a metro station waiting for your train, the train at the opposite platform will always arrive before yours!
3. The best laid plans always go wrong!
4. The time required to wait for ur train/the distance to walk in a metro is directly proportional to how tired you actually are!!
5. You miss a bus by a whisker and dont care coz the next one will come along in 4 mins..well..the next one comes after 25 mins...
6. When you know how to ask a particular question in French, chances are you will stumble upon that rare specimen in France that speaks English..you pray for an English speaking person and you get a person who will look at you blankly and say non anglais!
General observations on people and places in Europe
1. Paris is one of the dirtiest places here..there is dog do all over the place!!
2. Frenchmen are extremely polite and courteous..Gallic chivalry runs in their veins I guess...
3. French are also very polite drivers..will stop for you even when the pedestrian light is red..and all they expect is a smile and a Merci
4. Italians are a lazy lot in general..never rely on Italian local bus/train schedules..
5. Italian men are super hot!and super flirts too...nice combo to have..
6. European languages (except maybe German) have a very endearing sing song way of pronouncement.
7. A photo of the Arc De Triomph...and Champs Elysses..can never go wrong..no matter how redundant your camera may be or how unskilled a photographer you are..
More to come in this list as well…
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Terrorism versus Islam
I have not done anything significant this past week, except may be go up the Eiffel Tower and enjoy a stunning view of Paris..so I shall use this week's post to speak about something else...the villification of Muslims across the world
Yes, I, a Hindu..a Brahmin..am going to dedicate a post extending my sympathy to the Muslim community...and No, I have not taken leave of my senses..
As the world celebrates the 5th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the WTC, various news channels have also covered the change in the way the world now perceives Muslims. They are all looked upon in askance..as if being a Muslim is a sure fire way of identifying a potential terrorist. All Muslims are not terrorists just like all Germans are not Hitler's...all Marathis are not Nathuram Godse's and all Lankans are not Ravanas...
So, everytime we have a terrorist attack, a new wave of scathing comments are thrown at Muslims across the world. No, I most certainly don't condone these acts of terrorism..but I don't think these attacks are a license to attack Muslims..
Terrorism has no religion...no God-fearing person can execute thousands of innocents for no fault of their own. Yes, the terrorists use their religion as their potent weapon…they use the name of God to claim innocent lives…their War on Jihad is part of their plan to destroy all non believers’ of Islam..
Jihad is an Islamic term, which connotes a wide range of meanings: anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle to further the Islamic cause. Muslim scholars explained there are five kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God).
1. Jihad of the heart/soul (jihad bin nafs/qalb) is an inner struggle of good against evil in the mind.
2. Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is a struggle of good against evil waged by writing and speech, such as in the form of dawah (proselytizing), Khutbas (sermons), and political or military propaganda.
3. Jihad by the pen and knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm) is a struggle for good against evil through scholarly study of Islam, ijtihad (legal reasoning), and through sciences (such as military and medical sciences).
4. Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to a struggle of good against evil waged by actions or with one's wealth, such as going on the Hajj pilgrimage (seen as the best jihad for women), taking care of elderly parents, providing funding for jihad, political activity for furthering the cause of Islam, stopping evil by force, or espionage.
5. Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war).
It is the last interpretation of Jihad that is the reason behind this holy war. But, even Islam or the Quran does not allow the murder of innocents in Jihad. Physical Jihad relates to the use of physical force in defence of Muslims against oppression and transgression by the enemies of Allah, Islam and Muslims. Allah commands that Muslims lead peaceful lives and not transgress against anyone. If they are persecuted and oppressed, the Qur'an recommends that they migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land: "Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and strive (Jahadu) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy..." (2:218). If relocation is not possible, then Allah also requires Muslims to defend themselves against oppression by "fighting against those who fight against us." 2 The Qur'an states: "To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to defend themselves], because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most Powerful to give them victory." (22:39) [4]
Jihad is a supposed to be a fight against those who wrong Muslims or Islam. Being a Christian or a Hindu or a Jew is not a crime against Muslims or Islam. The very base behind this War of Jihad is wrong. The Muslim Jihad has been the compared to the Christian crusade centuries ago, where people were made to convert to Christianity. A person should be allowed to choose his/her own faith. Holding someone at gunpoint and asking him to worship Allah is not a means of converting faith. This War on Jihad is not based on Islam or people who have wronged it. Terrorism and murder as opposed to religion or God are the rules that govern it.
So, basically, I am trying to make a point here, that acts of terrorism, for the most part have no bearing on god-fearing Muslims across the world who have also lost their kith and kin in these attacks. We should not use these attacks to victimize Muslims and possibly alienate them further.
If there are any Muslims reading this blog, then I urge you to ask your community to be more vocal and active in the War against terrorism. The Muslim community should condemn these acts with no if's and buts’. They should not use these acts of Terrorism as a means to ask for upliftment from poverty or better rights to education as is the case in Britain. Poverty and illiteracy are independent of a person's religious background and are not reasons for the Muslims to condone terrorism.
Countries like Lebanon are democracies. The people of these countries can go a long way in fighting the war against terrorism if they elect leaders who will show the world that they are also opposed to Terrorism as opposed to electing to power Terrorist outfits like the Hezbollah. The Muslim community could also go a long way in preaching religious tolerance. Not being Muslim does not make us any less human. This would be the right time to put in Shylock the Jew’s dialogue in Merchant of Venice..
"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that."
There it was said from a Jew to a Christian..here it is being said from a Hindu to a Muslim. The point remains the same. We are as human as you are. So help us put an end to this madness. Let the world finally become a safe place to live in.
Warning...I know this post will evoke some very strong feelings among my readers...but please remember...this post is only about Islam vis-a-vis terrorism..please dont expand this to other facets of Islam notably their treatment of women etc...
Yes, I, a Hindu..a Brahmin..am going to dedicate a post extending my sympathy to the Muslim community...and No, I have not taken leave of my senses..
As the world celebrates the 5th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the WTC, various news channels have also covered the change in the way the world now perceives Muslims. They are all looked upon in askance..as if being a Muslim is a sure fire way of identifying a potential terrorist. All Muslims are not terrorists just like all Germans are not Hitler's...all Marathis are not Nathuram Godse's and all Lankans are not Ravanas...
So, everytime we have a terrorist attack, a new wave of scathing comments are thrown at Muslims across the world. No, I most certainly don't condone these acts of terrorism..but I don't think these attacks are a license to attack Muslims..
Terrorism has no religion...no God-fearing person can execute thousands of innocents for no fault of their own. Yes, the terrorists use their religion as their potent weapon…they use the name of God to claim innocent lives…their War on Jihad is part of their plan to destroy all non believers’ of Islam..
Jihad is an Islamic term, which connotes a wide range of meanings: anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle to further the Islamic cause. Muslim scholars explained there are five kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God).
1. Jihad of the heart/soul (jihad bin nafs/qalb) is an inner struggle of good against evil in the mind.
2. Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is a struggle of good against evil waged by writing and speech, such as in the form of dawah (proselytizing), Khutbas (sermons), and political or military propaganda.
3. Jihad by the pen and knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm) is a struggle for good against evil through scholarly study of Islam, ijtihad (legal reasoning), and through sciences (such as military and medical sciences).
4. Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to a struggle of good against evil waged by actions or with one's wealth, such as going on the Hajj pilgrimage (seen as the best jihad for women), taking care of elderly parents, providing funding for jihad, political activity for furthering the cause of Islam, stopping evil by force, or espionage.
5. Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war).
It is the last interpretation of Jihad that is the reason behind this holy war. But, even Islam or the Quran does not allow the murder of innocents in Jihad. Physical Jihad relates to the use of physical force in defence of Muslims against oppression and transgression by the enemies of Allah, Islam and Muslims. Allah commands that Muslims lead peaceful lives and not transgress against anyone. If they are persecuted and oppressed, the Qur'an recommends that they migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land: "Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and strive (Jahadu) in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy..." (2:218). If relocation is not possible, then Allah also requires Muslims to defend themselves against oppression by "fighting against those who fight against us." 2 The Qur'an states: "To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to defend themselves], because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most Powerful to give them victory." (22:39) [4]
Jihad is a supposed to be a fight against those who wrong Muslims or Islam. Being a Christian or a Hindu or a Jew is not a crime against Muslims or Islam. The very base behind this War of Jihad is wrong. The Muslim Jihad has been the compared to the Christian crusade centuries ago, where people were made to convert to Christianity. A person should be allowed to choose his/her own faith. Holding someone at gunpoint and asking him to worship Allah is not a means of converting faith. This War on Jihad is not based on Islam or people who have wronged it. Terrorism and murder as opposed to religion or God are the rules that govern it.
So, basically, I am trying to make a point here, that acts of terrorism, for the most part have no bearing on god-fearing Muslims across the world who have also lost their kith and kin in these attacks. We should not use these attacks to victimize Muslims and possibly alienate them further.
If there are any Muslims reading this blog, then I urge you to ask your community to be more vocal and active in the War against terrorism. The Muslim community should condemn these acts with no if's and buts’. They should not use these acts of Terrorism as a means to ask for upliftment from poverty or better rights to education as is the case in Britain. Poverty and illiteracy are independent of a person's religious background and are not reasons for the Muslims to condone terrorism.
Countries like Lebanon are democracies. The people of these countries can go a long way in fighting the war against terrorism if they elect leaders who will show the world that they are also opposed to Terrorism as opposed to electing to power Terrorist outfits like the Hezbollah. The Muslim community could also go a long way in preaching religious tolerance. Not being Muslim does not make us any less human. This would be the right time to put in Shylock the Jew’s dialogue in Merchant of Venice..
"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that."
There it was said from a Jew to a Christian..here it is being said from a Hindu to a Muslim. The point remains the same. We are as human as you are. So help us put an end to this madness. Let the world finally become a safe place to live in.
Warning...I know this post will evoke some very strong feelings among my readers...but please remember...this post is only about Islam vis-a-vis terrorism..please dont expand this to other facets of Islam notably their treatment of women etc...
Monday, September 11, 2006
Italy - brillianto..perfectto...magnificento..
Day 42 - 2nd September - Rome..the Eternal City
Reached Rome around 10.30..the train was late and they did not even apologize!!! A visitor's first impression of Rome as the train chugs from the Rome Tiburtina station to the Roma Termini station is that it is really old...The buildings are dilapidated...everything has an ancient look...its almost like you’re travelling back in time...
Checked in to the Alessandro DownTown hostel…all people reading this who are looking for a cheap way to explore Italy..I highly recommend this place..decent facilities..free breakfast..and they always have a free pasta/pizza party of sorts happening for dinner..besides there is huge kitchen so u could make Maggi etc and in general save on some expenses...and more imprtantly..its a stone's throw from Roma Termini..you will come to know why this is important a little later..
Went to see one of those city tour places...got a map of Rome there...and decided to do Rome myself on foot!!! Best decision ever! got a one day metro pass..Rome has 2 metro lins..and they both pass through Roma Termini..so u can reach home from anywhere in Rome easily..
First hit the Colosseum...interesting tip again for those planing to visit Rome..to buy tickets for the Colosseum, dont wait in the humongous queue there..instead walk across to the Roman Forum ( Fora Roman in local lingo) and in the Palantino you can get tickets at the same price sans the hassle of waiting 90 minutes for ur ticket! The Roman Form is what is left of the political and religious centre of the Roman Empire...it is said that Caesar himself walked through this Forum..gives you a major high knowing that you’re walking in the footsteps of Caesar...
Picked up tickets to the Colosseum..walked past the almost mile long queue smugly...and entered the Colosseum...spell bound...its just a ruined old building..but even a slight shred of imagination is enough to imagine the people cheering…we could see the cages where the hungry lions were kept...we could see the place from where the Gladiators would enter..I watched that movie after a year of having the CD :-)...and standing inside the Colosseum, I was thankful for having watched it...I could at least imagine the significance of the place..its a standing testimonial to the might of the Roman Empire…to still be standing...albeit in ruins for so many centuries...Humbling...
Then had a typical Italian lunch of hot margherita pizza followed by a pistachio gelato with the Colosseum leaning over us...very nice...then took a bus towards the Pantheon...got off at the nearest stop..and walked..saw a huge pillar at Piazza Colonna..not sure of its significance though..shall Google later..then saw the Temple Adrianno that is now a theatre of sorts..and then the Pantheon…every nook and corner you will have some remnant of ancient Rome..which is what makes it the perfect place to explore on foot..the Pantheon..pagan temple converted to Christian church..very pretty..
Then Piazza Navona..this is a beautifuul square full of sunshine and colour...A huge fountain dominates the centre of this square...and you have lots of artists making watercolours of the scene around them…Took a bus that dropped us off near the Vatican. Crossed the Tiburina River via the Ponte De Saint Angelo...Castel St. Angelo is this mammoth edifice. Now a museum..unsure of its earlier purpose..but you just look right and there you see Saint Peter's Basilica in the distance..I know the Vatican was one of the biggest churches etc..but nothing prepared me for the scale and grandeur in front of my eyes..only superlatives befit the Vatican...its just amazing..huge walkway leading up to St. Peter's Basilica..a bigger square and then the mammoth church..entered in to see the tombs of all the previous popes...Dan Brown's Angels and Demons coming alive in my head..saw all the tombs including that of the apostle Peter..the Sistine chapel was closed until Monday! a sign that I have to visit Rome again...:-)..returned from the Vatican…and headed towards the Spanish steps..
Spanish steps are just steps in front of Piazza Esapgna..apparently a cool place for the Romans to hang out...connects the Piazza with another building above whose name I cant remember..then headed to Fontana Del Trevi..the most highly rated tourist spot in Rome...we walked forever to get there..and the fatigue removed some of the joy in seeing the place..besides it was packed!!! got our pic taken..it is said that if you throw a coin over your right shoulder you will come back to Rome..so mom and me promptly threw a coin…and then left for home..
Reached in time for the Pasta..yummy penne in spicy Arrabiata sauce..nice end to our day in Rome...the Eternal City
Day 43 - Join the dots again...
The problem with trying to see as many places as possible in one short weekend..means that u spend most of Sunday travelling..it happened last Sunday…its happening again today...left for Pisa at 7.30 after a nice breakfast at Alessandros..reached Pisa at 10.30 and took the bus to Campo Mirablio where the Leaning Tower is...it actually leans!!I mean its obvious and all..but when u see the tower actually leaning, it takes u by surprise..at least it took me by complete surprise...enjoyed seeing the place...bought some souvenirs...and then…I realised the importance of 1 minute
We missed our bus back to the station by 1 minute..the next bus which was supposed to come 9 minutes later came a whopping 25 mins later..this meant that we missed our train to Florence...and in turn our connecting train from Florence to Venice..so by the time we reached Florence, we had just 10 mins before the EuroStar left and we obviously could not catch it since we did not have the tickets..the next Eurostar was already booked..so we ended up taking a train to Bologne..then Bologne to Venise!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaah...join the dots..the upside..we got to travel 1st Class inter city from Florence to Bologne and it was brilliant...ppl there are seriously pampered!!! enjoyed that..managed to get hold of an English magazine...the dowside was..I just got to spend 24 minute in Venice…the city of my Dreams...its ok..guess it was meant to be shared with someone else....saw a canal..saw a gondola..saw Murano glass..so I at least got a taste of Venice..
Back to Paris..travelled with an Italian family where the Dad looked just like Al Pacino...dead ringer I tell you...and in case I forgot to mention it in this post…. Italian men are hot!!! and they flirt with all things female..so watch out...
Photos..the one on the left..Inside the Colosseum..Centre with a Roman dressed as a Gladiator..Right..outside the Pantheon
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Week 6
Day 37 - Monday - 28th August
Spent today just resting after our travels to Amsterdam...went to the Diana memorial at the Alma Marceau tunnel...this is where HRH, Princess Dianna of Wales died in a tragic road accident in 1997. Her car crashed into the 13th pillar in this tunnel. There is a huge golden flame outside dedicated to her...saw that...walked around the place and went to Gare Du Nord...booked tickets for Italy and returned...ate and tachi..
Day 38 - Tuesday - Sacre Couer, Mont Marte and Pigalle
Went to Anvers..did some shopping there..and moved on to see the awesome church called Sacre Cour...you get a brilliant view of Paris since this place is on a hill(Montmartre)..this view does not encompass the Eiffel, Notre Dame and Arc De Triomph..its the other end of Paris that we can see...
Went then to the Place De Terre which is this colourful square filled with artists...mom and I got portraits done of ourselves and mine ended up looking nothing like me...boo hoo..
We had seen the Red Light District in Amsterdam..wanted to see how the one in Paris compared to that..hence the trip to Pigalle..and this one was a whole lot more "colourful"..pun intended!! Saw the Moulin Rouge with its famous windmill sign..the prices for the "show" were bloody expensive..and yet there was no dearth of people queuing up for tickets...took a pic of the place and left...
Day 39 - Wednesday - The Louvre
I have spent 38 days in Paris and not yet seen the La Joconde or the Mona Lisa as we better know it...in order to rectify this grave error, mom and I set off for a nocturnal visit of the Louvre that is possible only on Wednesday and Friday...
First entered the Denon wing..this wing houses some jewels of Egyptian archaeology including a sarcophagus case( sarcophagus aka the egyptian Mummy!)..went to the next level and wow!! it was Greek Mythology coming alive in these sculptures..saw one of Venus, Eros - the primal god of Love, Diane - the goddess of chastity..and many more..some names were unfamiliar..maybe when I return I shall go armed with a copy of Greek mythology and check..there were
also 2 sculptures of the Egyptian goddess Isis and one of Osiris..saw one of Jupiter.;Zeus and Cronos were missing..maybe I missed an exhibit..
The next level contained the paintings..French and Italian..saw the Mona Lisa...yeah her smile is enigmatic..and yeah..its a beautiful painting..guess the portrait of La Gioconde just celebrates the fact that Da Vinci was well ahead of his time when he made that painting...coz it didn't make me swoon or go gaga or anything...then again..it takes a lot to impress me..and a kutty painting of a beautiful lady with an enigmatic smile doesn't quite cut it! saw a few more paintings...ended up in the American and African section of the Denon wing. Did a whirlwind tour of this and then headed to the Sully Wing...
Saw lot of Arabic and Iranian artwork here along with a few more sarcophagi...not Egyptian though...we did not have enough time to cover the Richelieu wing so I shall do that again some other time..
Walked out of the Glass Pyramid and admired the Louvre for the first time by night...now this is some sight to behold...just mind blowing...the lighted Glass pyramid...the still water lakes...it almost looks like glass till someone/wind creates a ripple on the surface...the palace on 3 sides...beautiful..I am going to do a Paris by Night photo shoot soon enough...am just working on the finer details...and then I shall attempt to present to you these magnificent sights...till then you just have to take my word for it!
Day 40 - Thursday - Nothing
Something abt the food we ate today did not agree with Sachin or me..went home..called in sick..got lotsa attention and love from my mom..Abhishek Nag..if you're reading this..then you were absolutely right! I do suffer from "SuperStar syndrome"....ate well..and slept real early for a change
Day 41 - Leaving for Rome
That is all I can think abt today..could barely contain my excitement...reached the station well in time and sat on the Trenitalia train to Roma....we had nice company..a trio of students who got off at Florence..and a good looking Italian lady..nothing much to write abt the train journey except that one of the students had an iBook and I was positively drooling...OMG!! I am actually turning into a gadget geek..occupational hazard I guess...Next on my wish list for the select few who know abt it..an iBook...please please please..il be ur slave for life I guess...
Ciao
Spent today just resting after our travels to Amsterdam...went to the Diana memorial at the Alma Marceau tunnel...this is where HRH, Princess Dianna of Wales died in a tragic road accident in 1997. Her car crashed into the 13th pillar in this tunnel. There is a huge golden flame outside dedicated to her...saw that...walked around the place and went to Gare Du Nord...booked tickets for Italy and returned...ate and tachi..
Day 38 - Tuesday - Sacre Couer, Mont Marte and Pigalle
Went to Anvers..did some shopping there..and moved on to see the awesome church called Sacre Cour...you get a brilliant view of Paris since this place is on a hill(Montmartre)..this view does not encompass the Eiffel, Notre Dame and Arc De Triomph..its the other end of Paris that we can see...
Went then to the Place De Terre which is this colourful square filled with artists...mom and I got portraits done of ourselves and mine ended up looking nothing like me...boo hoo..
We had seen the Red Light District in Amsterdam..wanted to see how the one in Paris compared to that..hence the trip to Pigalle..and this one was a whole lot more "colourful"..pun intended!! Saw the Moulin Rouge with its famous windmill sign..the prices for the "show" were bloody expensive..and yet there was no dearth of people queuing up for tickets...took a pic of the place and left...
Day 39 - Wednesday - The Louvre
I have spent 38 days in Paris and not yet seen the La Joconde or the Mona Lisa as we better know it...in order to rectify this grave error, mom and I set off for a nocturnal visit of the Louvre that is possible only on Wednesday and Friday...
First entered the Denon wing..this wing houses some jewels of Egyptian archaeology including a sarcophagus case( sarcophagus aka the egyptian Mummy!)..went to the next level and wow!! it was Greek Mythology coming alive in these sculptures..saw one of Venus, Eros - the primal god of Love, Diane - the goddess of chastity..and many more..some names were unfamiliar..maybe when I return I shall go armed with a copy of Greek mythology and check..there were
also 2 sculptures of the Egyptian goddess Isis and one of Osiris..saw one of Jupiter.;Zeus and Cronos were missing..maybe I missed an exhibit..
The next level contained the paintings..French and Italian..saw the Mona Lisa...yeah her smile is enigmatic..and yeah..its a beautiful painting..guess the portrait of La Gioconde just celebrates the fact that Da Vinci was well ahead of his time when he made that painting...coz it didn't make me swoon or go gaga or anything...then again..it takes a lot to impress me..and a kutty painting of a beautiful lady with an enigmatic smile doesn't quite cut it! saw a few more paintings...ended up in the American and African section of the Denon wing. Did a whirlwind tour of this and then headed to the Sully Wing...
Saw lot of Arabic and Iranian artwork here along with a few more sarcophagi...not Egyptian though...we did not have enough time to cover the Richelieu wing so I shall do that again some other time..
Walked out of the Glass Pyramid and admired the Louvre for the first time by night...now this is some sight to behold...just mind blowing...the lighted Glass pyramid...the still water lakes...it almost looks like glass till someone/wind creates a ripple on the surface...the palace on 3 sides...beautiful..I am going to do a Paris by Night photo shoot soon enough...am just working on the finer details...and then I shall attempt to present to you these magnificent sights...till then you just have to take my word for it!
Day 40 - Thursday - Nothing
Something abt the food we ate today did not agree with Sachin or me..went home..called in sick..got lotsa attention and love from my mom..Abhishek Nag..if you're reading this..then you were absolutely right! I do suffer from "SuperStar syndrome"....ate well..and slept real early for a change
Day 41 - Leaving for Rome
That is all I can think abt today..could barely contain my excitement...reached the station well in time and sat on the Trenitalia train to Roma....we had nice company..a trio of students who got off at Florence..and a good looking Italian lady..nothing much to write abt the train journey except that one of the students had an iBook and I was positively drooling...OMG!! I am actually turning into a gadget geek..occupational hazard I guess...Next on my wish list for the select few who know abt it..an iBook...please please please..il be ur slave for life I guess...
Ciao
Friday, September 01, 2006
Amsterdam...Belgium..
Day 34 - Saturday - 26th August - Amsterdam
Reached Amsterdam at 6 in the morning...Sachin and I have calculated that the best time to reach a city is at 9am in the morning..and we were both, absolutely correct. Having reached at 6, we took the metro from Amstel station to Amsterdam Central (the dutch pronounce it as Aaamsterddam)..did not like the metro here..the station names are poorly displayed..and they have metal seats..I am no princess..but at 6 in the morning it is unbelievably cold and the metal seat uncomfortably emphasizes that fact...Reached Amsterdam Central station..and the Information office opens only at 9 in the morning..so our theory stands proved..
Loitered around Daam Straat looking for a place to stay...found none! There is a festival of sorts happening in Amsterdam..just my luck..I always end up reachng a place when something major is happening..its good in a way..but the scarcity of cheap accomodation coupled with the constant jostling of ppl is something I am not too keen abt..anyways, killed time till 9 and managed to get accomodation near the airport!! Also booked ourselves on a city tour and had a nice glimpse of Amsterdam..the striking feature of this city as viewed from a moving bus is its unique architecture..the houses are all longitudinal and deep and stuck to each other..This was oen to avoid paying much taxes...each house had a hook on top to bring in furniture through the windows...coz the doors were too narrow..Went to a windmill..Why do they have windmills in Amsterdam? The city is build on the River Amstel, from which it gets its name and has 102 canals. The windmills help regulate the water level in these canals..or atleast this is what I understood from our guide on the bus..
Saw Rembrandts last house..also visited a Diamond Factory in the Jewish quarter of town..The Jews are good at anything they do!! My appreciation for them never tends to cease..anyways saw a lot about the diamond polishing process at the factory and returned to Central around noon.
Walked along Daam Straat again, this time checking out the shops along the way...Amsterdam advertises its Red Light District and drugs-are-legal-here bit a whole lot more than it advertises that it is the birthplace of Rembrandt and Van Gogh...that it was the scene of Anne Frank's Nazi experience...so did not like that too much abt the place..but then again..I guess they give the tourists what they want!!!
Went into Madame Tussaud's...Oooo la laa...I have hugged Pierce Brosnan...sat in Robbie Williams arms..had dinner with George Clooney..posed with the Dutch Royal family and what not!! Awesome fun!!! totally worth coming here...went then to the Anne Frank Huis..and then back to the hotel around 10..we were bone tired...and before I forget...today is my darling mom's birthday..hope my supermom had a memorable birthday...wishing her a year of happiness and joy..
Day 35 - Sunday - 27th August - Antwerpen, Brugge
After a well deserved good night's sleep, left for Central...our train to Antwerpen was cancelled..so we hung around Central a lil bit longer...finally got on to the train and reached Antwerpen around lunch time..showed my mom the beauty of Anwerpen central..it is one of the most beautiful stations I have seen..since we had 3/4ths of an hour before our train to Brugge, I showed her around the famous diamond district of Antwerpen..had lunch at Pizza Hut and boarded our train to Brugge.
Brugge rocks!! Its a place where you can actually relive Enid Blyton..remember the Famous Five series..how they would take off on these biking trips..and camp out in the wetlands..with heather for beds..and little rivers?? And the quaint little villages they would pass through for food?? It is all here in Brugge!! A pity I just got an hour in this wonderful place..went around to the central Markt Square and saw some brilliant architectural wonders..and returned to catch our train to Brussels..Yeah..we spent most of today connected between cities..much like a join-the-dots game..but we ended up seeing a lot too so I guess its fine..
Returned home by the Thalys from Brussels to Paris and we were home by 10...
End to a lovely weekend...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Paris - Week 5
Paris - Week 5
Day 30 - 22nd August Tuesday - Champs Elysses Again!
Returned home late from work today..so Sachin and me took my mom to the only place that is open after 8...Champs Elysses..as far as I am concerned, Champs Elysses itself is a tourist destination..walked along to the Virgin Megastore..another glimpse of Davy Jones at the Disney store...that character must have been conjured up by an extremely gross person..and I am sure, just like Frankenstein he must have been astounded by his ghastly creation!! I deviate as usual from the topic..then walked over to FNAC..the Merc showroom...man to be rolling in that much money!!
Pit Stop at Sephora..even if I have no intention of buying anything, I am yet to walk out of Sephora without a Sephora bag on me..the lure is too much to resist!!! Reached home late enough...mom had as usual made some yummy food...my fave bhindi fry..so ate well and tachi..
And in response to a comment on my previous post, tachi is the fuel on which I run all day long..I have on occasion survived without food..but without tachi..I have no life..no soul..
Day 31 - 23rd August Wednesday - A month in Paris
Today I finish 1 month in Paris..time seems to fly...feels like yesterday when Sachin and I decided we would not like Paris and we kept calling it a village..now, we both seem to be madly in love with this city....Celebrated my one month with a nice bottle of wine..Grand Vin Bordeaux..have improved my wine gyaan so those of you interested in buying a good bottle for the "Higher-ups", do give me a holler...shall be glad to assist..the wine was really good..soft and mellow...not too sweet..just right...Took mom around to La Défense..saw the sky rises , the mall inside..Auchan..and back..
Day 32 - 24th August Thur
Reached home early today so we went around to Galleries LaFayette...another shopping paradise..dunno how or why my daily activities almost always involve shopping or travelling in some way...I'm in the wrong profession, I swear...anyways...La Fayette seems to be the most advertised shopping area in Paris..right from Charles De Gaulle to the metros to billboards, Galleries LaFayette is widely advertised...and boy..the hype is totally worth it!! Huge buildings..one for women..one for men..and god-knows how many more..every brand known to man, woman and child is here I guess...and the mall itself is an example of opulence..with an ornate dome and carved balconies...nice place to shop if you ask me..you get culture ( I am
sure shopping can be classified as a culture, an activity, a hobby and a lot more)..you get aesthetic beauty..you get an "experience to remember"..I am coming here again..just to look around and soak in the place if nothing else!
Returned home to a nice sambhar, courtesy Sachin and out!
Day 33 - Friday - Travel Time!
Leaving on a Euro Lines bus to Amsterdam today..Yippee!!! For the first time, I was actually going to a place without doing any research whatsoever!! So, I was not being my usual cock sure self this time! Anyways the bus was quiet comfy..I have been spoilt for bus journeys by a particular someone..but in spite of the obvious absence..I slept quite sound!
And this is an extremely short post by my standards!! My gift to all my readers...ha ha
Day 30 - 22nd August Tuesday - Champs Elysses Again!
Returned home late from work today..so Sachin and me took my mom to the only place that is open after 8...Champs Elysses..as far as I am concerned, Champs Elysses itself is a tourist destination..walked along to the Virgin Megastore..another glimpse of Davy Jones at the Disney store...that character must have been conjured up by an extremely gross person..and I am sure, just like Frankenstein he must have been astounded by his ghastly creation!! I deviate as usual from the topic..then walked over to FNAC..the Merc showroom...man to be rolling in that much money!!
Pit Stop at Sephora..even if I have no intention of buying anything, I am yet to walk out of Sephora without a Sephora bag on me..the lure is too much to resist!!! Reached home late enough...mom had as usual made some yummy food...my fave bhindi fry..so ate well and tachi..
And in response to a comment on my previous post, tachi is the fuel on which I run all day long..I have on occasion survived without food..but without tachi..I have no life..no soul..
Day 31 - 23rd August Wednesday - A month in Paris
Today I finish 1 month in Paris..time seems to fly...feels like yesterday when Sachin and I decided we would not like Paris and we kept calling it a village..now, we both seem to be madly in love with this city....Celebrated my one month with a nice bottle of wine..Grand Vin Bordeaux..have improved my wine gyaan so those of you interested in buying a good bottle for the "Higher-ups", do give me a holler...shall be glad to assist..the wine was really good..soft and mellow...not too sweet..just right...Took mom around to La Défense..saw the sky rises , the mall inside..Auchan..and back..
Day 32 - 24th August Thur
Reached home early today so we went around to Galleries LaFayette...another shopping paradise..dunno how or why my daily activities almost always involve shopping or travelling in some way...I'm in the wrong profession, I swear...anyways...La Fayette seems to be the most advertised shopping area in Paris..right from Charles De Gaulle to the metros to billboards, Galleries LaFayette is widely advertised...and boy..the hype is totally worth it!! Huge buildings..one for women..one for men..and god-knows how many more..every brand known to man, woman and child is here I guess...and the mall itself is an example of opulence..with an ornate dome and carved balconies...nice place to shop if you ask me..you get culture ( I am
sure shopping can be classified as a culture, an activity, a hobby and a lot more)..you get aesthetic beauty..you get an "experience to remember"..I am coming here again..just to look around and soak in the place if nothing else!
Returned home to a nice sambhar, courtesy Sachin and out!
Day 33 - Friday - Travel Time!
Leaving on a Euro Lines bus to Amsterdam today..Yippee!!! For the first time, I was actually going to a place without doing any research whatsoever!! So, I was not being my usual cock sure self this time! Anyways the bus was quiet comfy..I have been spoilt for bus journeys by a particular someone..but in spite of the obvious absence..I slept quite sound!
And this is an extremely short post by my standards!! My gift to all my readers...ha ha
Monday, August 28, 2006
Paris - Week 4
Day 25 Thursday - 17th August
Anu was coming in today, so I was all excited abt that. She reached safely but as is generally the case, I was swamped with work..all morning I was jobless...and just when I had to leave, things started falling into place!!! Murphy is the most influential man in this century and many to follow I am sure...
Introduced Sachin to the evils of taking the bus from office to home. Don't think he is every gonna walk again or maybe just outta sheer desperation. I like walking..correction..I love walking..remember the time in Jerusalem when all Sandeep and I did was walk..and of course the brilliant walk around Paris with JP..the problem with having a love for walking is that you don't realise how tiring/painful it can get for the people around you...But anyways, Paris is a beautiful place to walk around and the route to the office is complete with a nice bridge over the Seine and a glimpse of the Eiffel..
Took Anu to the symbols of Paris..the Grand Arch, the Eiffel and Arc De Triomph!!! She was quite impressed!!! The Eiffel tower twinkling at Trocadero can be an overwhelming sight...even for the seasoned traveller who has been there and done that...and everytime I look at that sight..it still manages to take my breath away..
Returned home to a good South Indian meal and tachi..was out like a light
Day 26 Friday - 18th August
Got up 4 hours later to pick my mom up from the airport...Was sleep walking and I didnt realise it till I actually opened my eyes 20 mins later!!! Reached the airport well ahead of time..and stood watching all flights from the UK or US either being cancelled or postponed...
Later today, as we all revelled in the magnificence of Paris and wondered about the plight of our country we realised something...India has always been a peaceful country..we have never conquered another country or kingdom and we don't have any plans to..On the contrary, we have always been the plundered and besieged underdog. Goes a long way in explaining the difference in our country and say, a country like France. They were ruled by kings who acquired hordes of money from plundering and conquering lesser kingdoms and this money they put in to the infrastructure of their city. Paris has had a metro since 1910!! Bangalore will hopefully have a metro in 2010. A century behind??? And what do we lack?? Brains?? Manpower?? Money?? Infrastructure?? Or should we just blame our kings for it??
Showed my mom a little of St.Michel Notre Dame and then the Arc de Triomph..nice day in all..had a bad pizza on Champs Elysses and returned.
Day 27 Saturday - 19th August
Woke up quite early but by the time we left for Mont St. Michel, it was past 11 am..after going around Paris we managed to set off on the right road..Typical European country side..lush, verdant, breath taking...I could go into rhapsodies describing the place but shall refrain from doing so..it has to be seen to be believed..
Reached this quaint town called Caen (pronounced Koh..)...very pretty town with the river running right through it...and yachts anchored along side the road...reached there around 1.30 and we were positively ravenous..however, French law (or so it seemed) does not "allow" most establishments to serve food after 2...So by 1.45, all doors closed upon us...managed to find an Arab guy who bent the rules..and we had a feta cheese sandwich for lunch. Went to this beautiful cathedral...but you see one cathedral in Europe, you have pretty much seen them all. Have a strange feeling of deja vu as I write this blog coz I have a strange feeling of having written these things already...
Drove on to Mont St. Michel..dozed off for a while but Anu told me that the scenery outside was just beautiful..the weather in France is an unpredictable as a woman's moods...One instant its sunny..the next it it's pouring so hard that you cant even see the road in front of you..the third..its cold and the 4th its probably sunny again...
Stayed at this nice European Villa at Mont St. Michel and visited the castle and its narrow alleys filled with shops..saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time...Mont St. Michel is on the north western coast of France..just overlooks the English Channel...reached the villa and sunk...into these super soft beds..had a good sleep...
Day 28 Sunday - 20th August
Woke up really late....left Mont St. Michel...on the way to Paris, stopped at this château ruins in Domfront where we also had our lunch...consisted of croissants and brownie...abt the only vegetarian food we managed to salvage from the place..reached Paris around 6...and then set out to the Eiffel and Arc De Triomph...saw the Eiffel twinkling again..and this time Sachin captured it on the handycam..so I have the moment stored for posterity..
Climbed up the Arc De Triomph...the view!!!!! You ain't seen Paris if you haven't gone up the Arc...what an amazing view..12 roads...from allsides of the Arc..Champs Elysses..the Grand Arch..Sacre Cour...the Pantheon...the Eiffel..the Concorde..Notre Dame..its Paris in a nutshell..so if you have only an hour in Paris and you wanna see it all..climb up the Arc De Triomph at night..
Returned home to crash..
Day 29 Monday - 21st August
Woke up an hour later to drop Anu off at the airport..drove the car a little on the way back..was totally kicked abt it...reached the hotel and promptly fell asleep again with the consequence that I was quite late to the office..my bad!!
As I read this blog, I feel that the quality of my writing is drastically deteriorating...i seem to be going through a slump of sorts..so I’m sorry if I have bored ya..shall endeavour to improve!!!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Paris - Week 3
Day 15: Monday
Put up my post on Belgium...Got a lot of Oooohs and Aaaahs abt the Belgium pics :-) Got a few mails appreciating my blog..thank you people.
Had lotsa domestic chores to do..my room looked like a tornado has ripped through it..so left early for home..went to the supermarket to pick up milk, onions, bread etc....I almost sound like a Frau..Did not feel like cooking...was too tired with all the travelling and having fun that I just slept.
Day 16: Tuesday
Hmmm...the problem with writing posts a week after is that you can’t remember much abt most days...So I shall write abt something else...to all the Soap addicts...please please please keep me updated on the happenings on Desperate Housewives and Bold and Beautiful...do it as a personal favour to me and you earn eternal gratitude..there is nothing more frustrating than watching these in French and kicking yourself for not knowing the language..I have gone to the heights of muting and trying to lip read but failed miserably...so please..I beseech you kindred souls! Maybe I need help! I think I need to join Soap-ics Anonymous or something..
Day 17: Wednesday
Picked up a Lonely Planet - Paris from the library..read and read...learnt a lot about the history of Paris..blah..blah..interesting read..managed to get my laundry done as well...and found the treasure trove of beautiful places that Paris holds! All excited, I made plans for Sachin and me for the weekend...
Day 18: Auchan...Lost
I think the gods of direction are very displeased with us when we go to Auchan. Because Sachin and I are known to have a fairly good sense of direction...we managed Antwerpen and Brussels without getting lost! So, after spending 3 weeks in Paris, we could only blame God for our misfortune..we took the bus this time..got down at the right stop( apparently!)..but finding ourselves on unchartered territory, we took the next bus and headed 2 stops ahead and walked back to the hotel...hopeless!!! or just Auchan I guess...
Day 19: Swiss Embassy and Invalides
Went to the Swiss Embassy today to enquire about the Swiss visa..No can do..so trudged back to the office. Did a spot of exploring before that though and chanced upon this beautiful area in Paris known as Invalides. Beautiful gardens..wide, cobbled avenues..some brilliant examples of Gothic/ Renaissance architecture..Just so you all know..I was not mindlessly loafing on an office day but was looking at the most optimum way to get to the office and that involved this pleasant, gifted walk. Reached office and gorged on a triple cheese pizza for lunch! Realised..Blue cheese does not go down too well with me...end of Another working week..
Day 20: French..maybe Italian!
Yo...beautiful morning..got up late..had a nice breakfast of cheese toast and we left on our day out in Paris...moi wearing a nice summer dress..and looking all french( according to Isoup a lil Italian maybe!)..Went to Louis Vuitton on Champs Elysses..Aaaaah..the cheapest thing there was a keychain the size of a 1€ coin worth 140€...OMG..but the place was amazing..as is my wont..fell in love with 2 dresses, a top and a diamond something and the Louis Vuitton brooch! I am seriously high maintenance!!! Went from here to the Hugo Boss showroom...I actually did not like their collection this season so we left soon enough! And then..the reason I was all excited about Paris..Chanel..Ooo la la..it is the city of the rich if not famous...have always wanted to possess a piece of Chanel...will have to most certainly defer that wish for the time being..but the lone disappointment at Chanel was not getting a glimpse of the LBD that Chanel is most famous for ( for the fashionably challenged..LBD = Little Black Dress, immortalized by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's!)..from here, we walked down to the Concorde and then...through the Jardin des Tuilleries to..the Louvre..its breathtakingly beautiful..and really huge!! walked inside the famous glass pyramid and went in..it was almost closing time so we just got all the information we needed and headed out..From here, walked towards La Seine and then walked on towards St. Michel Notre Dame..the area around this place is very parisien..picked up my first piece of Parisien clothing..a beret!!! totally rocks..dont think I will ever wear a cap again...went to the church and all tired, we trudged home..
Day 21: Sunday
Cooked a hearty meal..we ate well and left for the La Défense mall in the hope of buying a much needed raincoat..but everything was closed so we just watched Pirates of the Carribean and returned..nice movie..Orlando Bloom totally rocks!! complete paisa vasool..
Day 22: Monday
Did some work at the office and left for the La Défense mall again..and this time we returned triumphant! I got myself a cute raincoat ( reminiscent of little Red Riding Hood!)..also got meself a jigsaw puzzle! Made a nice sambhar and thats the end of Day 22
Day 23: Jai Hind
Happy Independence Day..went back to Champs Elysses..that place is magnetic..you cant help but go there..besides its the only place in Paris that is open after 8pm and that is open on public holidays (like today)..No, the French dont celebrate the Indian Independence day but across Europe, today is the day of Assumption (think it is to do with Christianity...not sre! I got a holiday..thats all that matters!)..went to GAP..fell in love..went to Sephora..fell in love again..bought a Hermes deo....rocks!!! Went to Haagen Das..fell in love..ate some brilliant ice cream...went to the Eiffel..stood amazed at the power of human imagination..returned home to make a kick ass Gobi Manchurian and rasam..divine end to another perfect day in Paris..Cant believe its already been 23 days..Time flies...
Day 24: Wednesday
Wrote this blog..did some work..super sleepy so leaving now...Au Revoir
Put up my post on Belgium...Got a lot of Oooohs and Aaaahs abt the Belgium pics :-) Got a few mails appreciating my blog..thank you people.
Had lotsa domestic chores to do..my room looked like a tornado has ripped through it..so left early for home..went to the supermarket to pick up milk, onions, bread etc....I almost sound like a Frau..Did not feel like cooking...was too tired with all the travelling and having fun that I just slept.
Day 16: Tuesday
Hmmm...the problem with writing posts a week after is that you can’t remember much abt most days...So I shall write abt something else...to all the Soap addicts...please please please keep me updated on the happenings on Desperate Housewives and Bold and Beautiful...do it as a personal favour to me and you earn eternal gratitude..there is nothing more frustrating than watching these in French and kicking yourself for not knowing the language..I have gone to the heights of muting and trying to lip read but failed miserably...so please..I beseech you kindred souls! Maybe I need help! I think I need to join Soap-ics Anonymous or something..
Day 17: Wednesday
Picked up a Lonely Planet - Paris from the library..read and read...learnt a lot about the history of Paris..blah..blah..interesting read..managed to get my laundry done as well...and found the treasure trove of beautiful places that Paris holds! All excited, I made plans for Sachin and me for the weekend...
Day 18: Auchan...Lost
I think the gods of direction are very displeased with us when we go to Auchan. Because Sachin and I are known to have a fairly good sense of direction...we managed Antwerpen and Brussels without getting lost! So, after spending 3 weeks in Paris, we could only blame God for our misfortune..we took the bus this time..got down at the right stop( apparently!)..but finding ourselves on unchartered territory, we took the next bus and headed 2 stops ahead and walked back to the hotel...hopeless!!! or just Auchan I guess...
Day 19: Swiss Embassy and Invalides
Went to the Swiss Embassy today to enquire about the Swiss visa..No can do..so trudged back to the office. Did a spot of exploring before that though and chanced upon this beautiful area in Paris known as Invalides. Beautiful gardens..wide, cobbled avenues..some brilliant examples of Gothic/ Renaissance architecture..Just so you all know..I was not mindlessly loafing on an office day but was looking at the most optimum way to get to the office and that involved this pleasant, gifted walk. Reached office and gorged on a triple cheese pizza for lunch! Realised..Blue cheese does not go down too well with me...end of Another working week..
Day 20: French..maybe Italian!
Yo...beautiful morning..got up late..had a nice breakfast of cheese toast and we left on our day out in Paris...moi wearing a nice summer dress..and looking all french( according to Isoup a lil Italian maybe!)..Went to Louis Vuitton on Champs Elysses..Aaaaah..the cheapest thing there was a keychain the size of a 1€ coin worth 140€...OMG..but the place was amazing..as is my wont..fell in love with 2 dresses, a top and a diamond something and the Louis Vuitton brooch! I am seriously high maintenance!!! Went from here to the Hugo Boss showroom...I actually did not like their collection this season so we left soon enough! And then..the reason I was all excited about Paris..Chanel..Ooo la la..it is the city of the rich if not famous...have always wanted to possess a piece of Chanel...will have to most certainly defer that wish for the time being..but the lone disappointment at Chanel was not getting a glimpse of the LBD that Chanel is most famous for ( for the fashionably challenged..LBD = Little Black Dress, immortalized by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's!)..from here, we walked down to the Concorde and then...through the Jardin des Tuilleries to..the Louvre..its breathtakingly beautiful..and really huge!! walked inside the famous glass pyramid and went in..it was almost closing time so we just got all the information we needed and headed out..From here, walked towards La Seine and then walked on towards St. Michel Notre Dame..the area around this place is very parisien..picked up my first piece of Parisien clothing..a beret!!! totally rocks..dont think I will ever wear a cap again...went to the church and all tired, we trudged home..
Day 21: Sunday
Cooked a hearty meal..we ate well and left for the La Défense mall in the hope of buying a much needed raincoat..but everything was closed so we just watched Pirates of the Carribean and returned..nice movie..Orlando Bloom totally rocks!! complete paisa vasool..
Day 22: Monday
Did some work at the office and left for the La Défense mall again..and this time we returned triumphant! I got myself a cute raincoat ( reminiscent of little Red Riding Hood!)..also got meself a jigsaw puzzle! Made a nice sambhar and thats the end of Day 22
Day 23: Jai Hind
Happy Independence Day..went back to Champs Elysses..that place is magnetic..you cant help but go there..besides its the only place in Paris that is open after 8pm and that is open on public holidays (like today)..No, the French dont celebrate the Indian Independence day but across Europe, today is the day of Assumption (think it is to do with Christianity...not sre! I got a holiday..thats all that matters!)..went to GAP..fell in love..went to Sephora..fell in love again..bought a Hermes deo....rocks!!! Went to Haagen Das..fell in love..ate some brilliant ice cream...went to the Eiffel..stood amazed at the power of human imagination..returned home to make a kick ass Gobi Manchurian and rasam..divine end to another perfect day in Paris..Cant believe its already been 23 days..Time flies...
Day 24: Wednesday
Wrote this blog..did some work..super sleepy so leaving now...Au Revoir
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Hey Bro
Not quite sure..what I wanna convey..since the word brother conjures many many memories..all pleasant of course..so I guess I shall just write what comes into my head..be warned...
Not quite sure where to start from..given that I know each of you for different periods of time...my relation with no 2 brothers is the same...
My first notion of a brother was Adi...I was around 2 when he was born...and I think we have fought non-stop since then...but in spite of the fights...he is still the apple of my eye...and I try to spoil him as much as I can...its still not enough though (I don’t think it ever is!)..I wish for him to achieve every dream he dreams...and may nothing be too high for his reach...Al the best Adi....you ever need a guiding hand..you know I'm right there..
The next brother I knew was Sumanth..my big brother..We are both very similar..complete brats...superbly lazy..believe that what can be done today..can also be done tomo..drive Suchi up the wall!!!But he is such an amazing brother...even though the miles may separate us..I can always count on him...He is my pillar of strength and if I ever need an encouraging word or a listening ear..I turn to him...Thanks a lot bro..May you grow from strength to strength in your new career..
Then there is Karthik..the order of listing the brothers is purely random..so don't feel offended if ur at the end...U still mean the same to me..anyways..Karthik baby-sat me when I was young and I think indelibly stamped a part of him on me...the things we do..the way we think...are all unbelievably similar..wishing you all the best brother...may you continue to enjoy success both personally and professionally..
Joel...a kid..still think of him as the guy with Hazel eyes...the only one who claims to be scared of me..a cute kid..very hard-working..very sweet..and unbelievably forgetful! Did I forget to mention super intelligent?? A potent combo...Great guy to know in all..A hopeless guy to have on a bike though..
Anyways..All the best for your career Joel...do well...excel!
Ravi..the only North Indian in my list...had the pleasure of working with him in my final year project. Very dependable guy..you know you can count on him..no matter what the situation..All the best bro..for your future plans..May you achieve all that you wish..
And last but certainly not the least....JP!!! My mentor..friend..philosopher and guide..all rolled into one..brilliant company..never a dull moment when he is around..once he starts talking..I think I am one of the few ppl who can manage to get a word in! And he is just brilliance personified...one of the few ppl I get intimidated by...All the best JP...may you excel in all that you do...Wish you to have the Midas touch...though I think you already do!!
Special mention here for Sachin..technically my first boss...an amazing guy..we get along like a house on fire..and incidentally the only bro I spent Rakhi with this year...in Paris!!! Wishing you all the best Sachin...
So, once here is wishing each and everyone of my brothers..for all they have done for me...a Happy Rakshbandhan..this is a whole lot more sugary than I planned..so if any you get diabetes reading this..I sincerely apologize!!!
Not quite sure where to start from..given that I know each of you for different periods of time...my relation with no 2 brothers is the same...
My first notion of a brother was Adi...I was around 2 when he was born...and I think we have fought non-stop since then...but in spite of the fights...he is still the apple of my eye...and I try to spoil him as much as I can...its still not enough though (I don’t think it ever is!)..I wish for him to achieve every dream he dreams...and may nothing be too high for his reach...Al the best Adi....you ever need a guiding hand..you know I'm right there..
The next brother I knew was Sumanth..my big brother..We are both very similar..complete brats...superbly lazy..believe that what can be done today..can also be done tomo..drive Suchi up the wall!!!But he is such an amazing brother...even though the miles may separate us..I can always count on him...He is my pillar of strength and if I ever need an encouraging word or a listening ear..I turn to him...Thanks a lot bro..May you grow from strength to strength in your new career..
Then there is Karthik..the order of listing the brothers is purely random..so don't feel offended if ur at the end...U still mean the same to me..anyways..Karthik baby-sat me when I was young and I think indelibly stamped a part of him on me...the things we do..the way we think...are all unbelievably similar..wishing you all the best brother...may you continue to enjoy success both personally and professionally..
Joel...a kid..still think of him as the guy with Hazel eyes...the only one who claims to be scared of me..a cute kid..very hard-working..very sweet..and unbelievably forgetful! Did I forget to mention super intelligent?? A potent combo...Great guy to know in all..A hopeless guy to have on a bike though..
Anyways..All the best for your career Joel...do well...excel!
Ravi..the only North Indian in my list...had the pleasure of working with him in my final year project. Very dependable guy..you know you can count on him..no matter what the situation..All the best bro..for your future plans..May you achieve all that you wish..
And last but certainly not the least....JP!!! My mentor..friend..philosopher and guide..all rolled into one..brilliant company..never a dull moment when he is around..once he starts talking..I think I am one of the few ppl who can manage to get a word in! And he is just brilliance personified...one of the few ppl I get intimidated by...All the best JP...may you excel in all that you do...Wish you to have the Midas touch...though I think you already do!!
Special mention here for Sachin..technically my first boss...an amazing guy..we get along like a house on fire..and incidentally the only bro I spent Rakhi with this year...in Paris!!! Wishing you all the best Sachin...
So, once here is wishing each and everyone of my brothers..for all they have done for me...a Happy Rakshbandhan..this is a whole lot more sugary than I planned..so if any you get diabetes reading this..I sincerely apologize!!!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Rakhabandhan
To all my brothers
Here's wishing each and every one of my adorable brother's a very Happy Rakshabandhan. May the bond we share grow stronger with each passing year. Missing you all today and I hope you know that you all make my world a better place to be in!! Thanks....
Your naughty sis,
Amu
Here's wishing each and every one of my adorable brother's a very Happy Rakshabandhan. May the bond we share grow stronger with each passing year. Missing you all today and I hope you know that you all make my world a better place to be in!! Thanks....
Your naughty sis,
Amu
Monday, August 07, 2006
Belgium...aaaah!
Day 12: Change of Plans!
Our initial plan for the weekend was to spend Saturday idling in Paris and spend Sunday at Futuroscope, which is a sci-fi theme park abt an hour's drive from Paris. We were just about to book tickets to Poitier (which is the nearest city to Futuroscope) when on a while we decided to check ticket prices to Brussels. It didn't seem too expensive, so in an instant Futuroscope was ditched and we decided to go to Brussels.
Sachin and I went to Gard De Nord to board the 20.55 train to Brussels but decided against it. What was the point in going to a place at 11 in the night? So bought tickets for the 7.55 train next morning and went to an Indian Restaurant (again!) for dinner. A place called Gandhi which is apparently a chain of Indian restaurants across the world. They use the name Gandhi and serve meat! Sacrilege..at least to me it was...almost the same as asking a Brahmin to
advertise for KFC...Nonetheless had a decent Dal and Bhatura and left for home.
Day 13: The most beautiful place in Europe
Left for Brussels as scheduled. Got up at 5.30..I am sure there are people reading this blog who know what a Herculean task that is for me...anyways..switched on the TV from my bed so that I don’t fall asleep again..and watched the first English program on TV outside of CNN and BBC...nice Kate Hudson movie..Raising Helen..another movie wish fulfilled..finally got up at only 6...raced around and finished getting ready by 6.30. Had already finished packing the previous night like a good child..
Sat in the Thalys train..Thalys is the name of the international railways plying acrossEurope..you also have Eurail and Eurostar..Anyways, boarded the train and promptly fell asleep! Its a 80 minute journey to Brussels so after a round of tachi had an excellent breakfast on the train..
Reached Brussels..went to the tourist information centre and asked the lady for sightseeing places in Brussels and out came a variety of brochures in all sizes, colours and languages! All gratis of course..Belgium has 4 official languages and thankfully one of them is English...so communication was not going to be a problem here..thank god! Read the tour itinerary and figured out the must see places here..
Started off at the Grand Place. We decided to foot it in Belgium which we later decided was the best thing we could have done..The place is filled with architectural wonders and beautiful gardens everywhere! While walking to the Grand Place, we passed hordes of chocolatiers..I could barely contain my glee!!! I was literally the kid in the candy store...there were chocolates in all possible varieties!! After all, its the land of Godiva..(and I am sure everyone
know abt the legend of Lady Godiva..so I shall not elaborate!)
Coming back to the Grand Place. It is this huge square that is covered by huge palace like buildings everywhere..and they were selling flowers ion the square and it looked very picturesque. It is the picture you have in your mind when you think of Europe...finished with the Grand place and kept walking around..chanced upon this desi mall where all the shop keepers were Indians...didn’t even look too much..went then to the Galleries which is this huge closed
promenade of all the top European brands..their version of Champs Elysee I guess..too cool! Saw their opera House which actually didn’t look impressive architecture-wise but the listing of the concerts more than made up for it..Started with Mozart..went on to Bach, Vivaldi,Brahms....wish i could have stayed and attended at least one concert.
Went then to St. Michels Cathedral..I haven't been to Notre Dame or the Sistine Chapel but this place would definitely give those 2 a holy run for their money!!! the stained glass paintings on either side, the oak carved confessional boxes, the stone carvings of all the apostles of Christ...I could go on...really really beautiful place...and its just as beautiful outside the cathedral as well..a nice garden and loads of nice buildings on all sides...
Walked around to the Royal Place, saw a Palace, court of Justice, a couple more beautiful gardens...after a while, we just gave up...each building was better than the other..and even the houses had a similar facade to match the buildings alongside them..we just kept clicking...saw the Atomium from afar..its this huge structure of an atom along with the cohesive bonds between particles made in steel(I think!)...nice shiny thing...got a nice postcard of it..
Had a decent Italian lunch..had a Gazpacho..which is a cold soup..now the thing abt cold soup is that since it is not cooked..you get each flavour very distinctly in your mouth..unfortunately..im the kind who enjoys subtle nuances and play on flavours..basically like mildly flavoured food....safe to say the gazpacho didn't go down too well with me..had the only veg éntree on the menu..penne with cheese..was super filling so barely eat half my plate..then went
around hunting for the railway station and guess what...I heard the least unlikely sound in Europe...HIMESH RESHAMMIYA!!! Can you believe that?? I heard
Aashiq Banaya Aapne...and some Indians grooving wildly to it!!! Blech!!!
Took the train to Antwerp..was super super sleepy....so just slept the entire 1 hour..reached Antwerpen (in Flamish!) and headed straight to tourist information ( :-) ) ..got a map of Antwerp along with a friendly guy who suggested we rent bicycles!!!Sachin and I were mighty kicked abt the idea and went about hunting for the bicycle renting place near the station...finally found it after 20 mins..and got 2 nice, new, shiny yellow bikes!! toally cool we decided...I had been dying to have the Belgian Waffles..so we found a cafe where they served them and settled down..got a mikado Waffle..which is waffle with cream (slagroom in Flamish) and ice cream and sugar syrup...yummy...ate that and had a chocolade (in flamish) milkshake and dinner was done..
Once that was done with, we started off hunting for youth hostels to spend the night..we struck out at 2...that’s coz there is a summer festival happening in Antwerp right now....but managed to find accommodation in the Jewish section of town..since we were riding it wasn't much trouble(!)..got into the hostel and crashed for abt an hour..around 9pm we set out to the centre of town..walked along the Scheldes river..enjoyed the view of Antwerpen...then went to La Bodyguita..a salsa bar in Antwerp....the people who came there were amazing dancers...it was just magnificento..decided that I needed to learn salsa... returned to the hostel around 1 and crashed....
In all a beautiful day!
Day 14: Antwerpen...Happy Friendship Day..
Happy Friendship Day..have already written a post on this...so my dear friends read it..celebrated Friendship Day, with a good friend (Sachin) in Antwerpen...nice!
Woke up at 10 and left the hostel by 11...there are loads of flea markets around Antwerp...on account of the summer festival..so stopped at the first one..and picked up a nice summer dress..have always wanted one...very pretty..went around some more...
Had brunch in the city centre...I had this huge serving of Antwerp's famous fries..We then went to the Cathedral of our lady..beautiful..has paintings by the famous Belgian painter..PP Rubens everywhere..after walked around the square..Btw..today is no automobile day in Antwerp..at least in the city centre..so we could only see pedestrians and cyclists..
Saw this super cool march past of people dressed in the old regiment uniforms..very adorable..then went into the maritime museum that is housed inside a castle..saw most of what there is to know abt building a ship/yacht and running it..etc..very interesting..left then for the diamond district...Antwerp is very famous for its diamonds...bloody expensive though...just saw lots of pretty things I couldn’t afford and then we left for Brussels!
Brussels to Paris...and voila I am home again! dunno why..but Paris has started to feel like home to me now...strange but true..there is that instant ease and comfort and warmth that you feel in familiar surroundings...
End of Day 14 and a beautiful weekend
Our initial plan for the weekend was to spend Saturday idling in Paris and spend Sunday at Futuroscope, which is a sci-fi theme park abt an hour's drive from Paris. We were just about to book tickets to Poitier (which is the nearest city to Futuroscope) when on a while we decided to check ticket prices to Brussels. It didn't seem too expensive, so in an instant Futuroscope was ditched and we decided to go to Brussels.
Sachin and I went to Gard De Nord to board the 20.55 train to Brussels but decided against it. What was the point in going to a place at 11 in the night? So bought tickets for the 7.55 train next morning and went to an Indian Restaurant (again!) for dinner. A place called Gandhi which is apparently a chain of Indian restaurants across the world. They use the name Gandhi and serve meat! Sacrilege..at least to me it was...almost the same as asking a Brahmin to
advertise for KFC...Nonetheless had a decent Dal and Bhatura and left for home.
Day 13: The most beautiful place in Europe
Left for Brussels as scheduled. Got up at 5.30..I am sure there are people reading this blog who know what a Herculean task that is for me...anyways..switched on the TV from my bed so that I don’t fall asleep again..and watched the first English program on TV outside of CNN and BBC...nice Kate Hudson movie..Raising Helen..another movie wish fulfilled..finally got up at only 6...raced around and finished getting ready by 6.30. Had already finished packing the previous night like a good child..
Sat in the Thalys train..Thalys is the name of the international railways plying acrossEurope..you also have Eurail and Eurostar..Anyways, boarded the train and promptly fell asleep! Its a 80 minute journey to Brussels so after a round of tachi had an excellent breakfast on the train..
Reached Brussels..went to the tourist information centre and asked the lady for sightseeing places in Brussels and out came a variety of brochures in all sizes, colours and languages! All gratis of course..Belgium has 4 official languages and thankfully one of them is English...so communication was not going to be a problem here..thank god! Read the tour itinerary and figured out the must see places here..
Started off at the Grand Place. We decided to foot it in Belgium which we later decided was the best thing we could have done..The place is filled with architectural wonders and beautiful gardens everywhere! While walking to the Grand Place, we passed hordes of chocolatiers..I could barely contain my glee!!! I was literally the kid in the candy store...there were chocolates in all possible varieties!! After all, its the land of Godiva..(and I am sure everyone
know abt the legend of Lady Godiva..so I shall not elaborate!)
Coming back to the Grand Place. It is this huge square that is covered by huge palace like buildings everywhere..and they were selling flowers ion the square and it looked very picturesque. It is the picture you have in your mind when you think of Europe...finished with the Grand place and kept walking around..chanced upon this desi mall where all the shop keepers were Indians...didn’t even look too much..went then to the Galleries which is this huge closed
promenade of all the top European brands..their version of Champs Elysee I guess..too cool! Saw their opera House which actually didn’t look impressive architecture-wise but the listing of the concerts more than made up for it..Started with Mozart..went on to Bach, Vivaldi,Brahms....wish i could have stayed and attended at least one concert.
Went then to St. Michels Cathedral..I haven't been to Notre Dame or the Sistine Chapel but this place would definitely give those 2 a holy run for their money!!! the stained glass paintings on either side, the oak carved confessional boxes, the stone carvings of all the apostles of Christ...I could go on...really really beautiful place...and its just as beautiful outside the cathedral as well..a nice garden and loads of nice buildings on all sides...
Walked around to the Royal Place, saw a Palace, court of Justice, a couple more beautiful gardens...after a while, we just gave up...each building was better than the other..and even the houses had a similar facade to match the buildings alongside them..we just kept clicking...saw the Atomium from afar..its this huge structure of an atom along with the cohesive bonds between particles made in steel(I think!)...nice shiny thing...got a nice postcard of it..
Had a decent Italian lunch..had a Gazpacho..which is a cold soup..now the thing abt cold soup is that since it is not cooked..you get each flavour very distinctly in your mouth..unfortunately..im the kind who enjoys subtle nuances and play on flavours..basically like mildly flavoured food....safe to say the gazpacho didn't go down too well with me..had the only veg éntree on the menu..penne with cheese..was super filling so barely eat half my plate..then went
around hunting for the railway station and guess what...I heard the least unlikely sound in Europe...HIMESH RESHAMMIYA!!! Can you believe that?? I heard
Aashiq Banaya Aapne...and some Indians grooving wildly to it!!! Blech!!!
Took the train to Antwerp..was super super sleepy....so just slept the entire 1 hour..reached Antwerpen (in Flamish!) and headed straight to tourist information ( :-) ) ..got a map of Antwerp along with a friendly guy who suggested we rent bicycles!!!Sachin and I were mighty kicked abt the idea and went about hunting for the bicycle renting place near the station...finally found it after 20 mins..and got 2 nice, new, shiny yellow bikes!! toally cool we decided...I had been dying to have the Belgian Waffles..so we found a cafe where they served them and settled down..got a mikado Waffle..which is waffle with cream (slagroom in Flamish) and ice cream and sugar syrup...yummy...ate that and had a chocolade (in flamish) milkshake and dinner was done..
Once that was done with, we started off hunting for youth hostels to spend the night..we struck out at 2...that’s coz there is a summer festival happening in Antwerp right now....but managed to find accommodation in the Jewish section of town..since we were riding it wasn't much trouble(!)..got into the hostel and crashed for abt an hour..around 9pm we set out to the centre of town..walked along the Scheldes river..enjoyed the view of Antwerpen...then went to La Bodyguita..a salsa bar in Antwerp....the people who came there were amazing dancers...it was just magnificento..decided that I needed to learn salsa... returned to the hostel around 1 and crashed....
In all a beautiful day!
Day 14: Antwerpen...Happy Friendship Day..
Happy Friendship Day..have already written a post on this...so my dear friends read it..celebrated Friendship Day, with a good friend (Sachin) in Antwerpen...nice!
Woke up at 10 and left the hostel by 11...there are loads of flea markets around Antwerp...on account of the summer festival..so stopped at the first one..and picked up a nice summer dress..have always wanted one...very pretty..went around some more...
Had brunch in the city centre...I had this huge serving of Antwerp's famous fries..We then went to the Cathedral of our lady..beautiful..has paintings by the famous Belgian painter..PP Rubens everywhere..after walked around the square..Btw..today is no automobile day in Antwerp..at least in the city centre..so we could only see pedestrians and cyclists..
Saw this super cool march past of people dressed in the old regiment uniforms..very adorable..then went into the maritime museum that is housed inside a castle..saw most of what there is to know abt building a ship/yacht and running it..etc..very interesting..left then for the diamond district...Antwerp is very famous for its diamonds...bloody expensive though...just saw lots of pretty things I couldn’t afford and then we left for Brussels!
Brussels to Paris...and voila I am home again! dunno why..but Paris has started to feel like home to me now...strange but true..there is that instant ease and comfort and warmth that you feel in familiar surroundings...
End of Day 14 and a beautiful weekend
Happy Friendship Day
Happy Friendship Day
What is a friend? The Oxford Dictionary defines a friend as a person with whom you share a bond of mutual affection. For me, a friend is that and a whole lot more..a source of hope, courage, inspiration, strength, laughter...a shoulder to lean on...a person to share dreams and ambitions with...ok this is starting to sound like a sappy Celine Dion number so I shall stop..
I want to thank all my friends for...well, being my friends firstly..and for always being there for me..in the past 6 years I have gained a lot of friends and lost a few as well...have learnt a lot of lessons in friendship, love and family from you all…
This post is for all those lost friends…we can't go back to what we had...but we can at least try and have something tangible in the future...
This post is also for all my best friends...an elite club that forms the foundation of my existence...this group includes people from my family who are more like friends and friends who mean as much as family to me..if I haven't told you this before, then I'm telling you now..I love each and every one of you..and I may not be the best at keeping in touch or mailing..but you can bet that I am thinking of you..and you are not forgotten..
This post is for all people I have known in the past 22 years...who have been a part of my life..for brief sojourns.but who have managed to make a difference in that short time...
Thank you all...
What is a friend? The Oxford Dictionary defines a friend as a person with whom you share a bond of mutual affection. For me, a friend is that and a whole lot more..a source of hope, courage, inspiration, strength, laughter...a shoulder to lean on...a person to share dreams and ambitions with...ok this is starting to sound like a sappy Celine Dion number so I shall stop..
I want to thank all my friends for...well, being my friends firstly..and for always being there for me..in the past 6 years I have gained a lot of friends and lost a few as well...have learnt a lot of lessons in friendship, love and family from you all…
This post is for all those lost friends…we can't go back to what we had...but we can at least try and have something tangible in the future...
This post is also for all my best friends...an elite club that forms the foundation of my existence...this group includes people from my family who are more like friends and friends who mean as much as family to me..if I haven't told you this before, then I'm telling you now..I love each and every one of you..and I may not be the best at keeping in touch or mailing..but you can bet that I am thinking of you..and you are not forgotten..
This post is for all people I have known in the past 22 years...who have been a part of my life..for brief sojourns.but who have managed to make a difference in that short time...
Thank you all...
Friday, August 04, 2006
Paris - Week 2
Week 2 in Paris
Day 8: Tragic news...and an Italian dinner
This is to pay homage to Anand Prakash, a dear friend from RV who passed away on Friday evening in a road accident. He was my lab partner in RV and together we have shared some very memorable times...May your soul rest in peace buddy and I pray for strength and courage to your near and dear ones.
Had a royal case of Monday morning blues...the rain outside didn't help. Anyways, left for office by around 9.30...didn’t have much work in the morning since my workload for the week is decided in a meeting that happens post lunch..so Monday morning in general is when I complete work I could not finish last week or like today, update my blogs and do some general time pass. Lunch today was just awful!!!! They had put meat in all of the salads...who on earth eats coleslaw with raw beef pieces! All I could salvage was a plate full of raw cucumber and a dessert (thankfully, that was sans meat!). JP gave me his portion of fries so in all I managed to fill myself. Post lunch, had my weekly status meeting and then did a lil more work. Spoke to an old friend, Bindu for a while. I was quite shaken by the news abt Anand, so speaking to Bindu helped me feel better. Thanks di! JP had some last minute shopping to do so we headed to Champs Elysses (where else!)...and went to Sephora and bought all the requisites. Reached home by around 10.
Had promised the lads an Italian dinner so started working on my promise. In the meanwhile, JP started packing my stuff. JP is leaving tomorrow (boo hoo!) so I was moving into his room. This exercise was for many reasons. Firstly, his room is bigger since it doesn’t have a balcony. I have spent a total of 15mins in the balcony in the past 1 week so it’s a waste of space for me. Secondly, my room is on the topmost floor of the hotel so it gets heated up quickly. Thirdly, Sachin lives across the hall from my new room so it’s safer as well. And most importantly, this room has double the closet space of my existing room. For those of you who are familiar with my clothes fetish, you can well imagine what a relief this was for me. Anyways, 2 hours later, we had an Italian feast of Penne in Arabiata sauce and Alfredo sauce with garlic bread on the side. It looked totally scrumptious and tasted quite good, if I say so myself. Post dinner, washed all the vessels, moved most of my luggage to Sachin's room and slept at 3.
Finito Day 8
Day 9: In mourning
This week seems to have a ghastly ring about it! But today's mourning was coz JP was leaving. He was brilliant company for a week and now he is going away (waaaaaaaaaaah!). Got up early so that I could chat with him and all the time, he was like Amu, don’t get into trouble. I think he managed to convey the same message in 8 different ways! (at least it seemed that way). So, another new entry into the ever growing list of people who believe, that wherever Amu goes, trouble follows. Why? Why? Why?
Anyways, moved all my stuff into Sachin's room and left for the office. Was super tired coz of all the moving around and late nights. Reached home early and again unpacked all my stuff. Sachin made a yummy potato sambhar and rice so ate that and then we decided to go for a walk and explore the area near our hotel. Our findings included a KFC, MacD and Pizza Hut along with loads of local fast food joints offering every possible cuisine from Italian to Chinese to Japanese and even Turkish! We returned by around 1 and tachi...
Day 10: We like to carry our world with us..
Sachin and I are planning a trip up north to the Brittany coast this weekend. We needed a car for this purpose so we took an extended lunch break and decided to go to Clichy in the north of Paris. We had the joy of travelling in an RER which is a double decker train. I could barely contain my childish joy..but it moves real slowly so it took us an hour to reach Clichy...Walked around till we found the address we were looking for and it turns out you need an international license to drive in France which neither Sachin nor I possessed. So that! Totally sucks..puts a spoke in many wheels...anyways headed back to the office. I was already exhausted but managed to get some work done nonetheless...
In case you're wondering abt the title of this day, here it comes. One of my colleagues is returning to India today so he wanted to distribute his extra groceries. Very sweet thought. And Sachin and I got the lion's share since we are staying so long. OMG!!! this guy had literally brought India to Paris..every little essential you might need including saumph, varieties of sambhar/rasam powder....and some powders of questionable origin!!! Im pretty im done with grocery shopping for the rest of my trip here...but nice gesture so I thank this dear colleague if mine as well...But it is true that we Indians literally carry our world with us wherever we go...the maggi and the MTR powders form an essential part of our luggage..Guess its coz the vegetarians like me would starve otherwise...
Anyways, arranged everything in my lil kitchen and my home for the next 3 months is set!
End if Day 10
Day 11: You and I.....in this beautiful world...
Got a SIM card today...so feel like humming the Hutch song..I am connected again ppl..shall mail across the number soon enough...did nothing else today..work was a disaster!!!!nothing seems to be working...I have 50% of this week's work target to achieve...am just waiting for that wave of panic to set in...which results in frenzied activity and then everything gets done...I cant work without pressure..maybe I am a mutant...maybe I'm human...
Day 8: Tragic news...and an Italian dinner
This is to pay homage to Anand Prakash, a dear friend from RV who passed away on Friday evening in a road accident. He was my lab partner in RV and together we have shared some very memorable times...May your soul rest in peace buddy and I pray for strength and courage to your near and dear ones.
Had a royal case of Monday morning blues...the rain outside didn't help. Anyways, left for office by around 9.30...didn’t have much work in the morning since my workload for the week is decided in a meeting that happens post lunch..so Monday morning in general is when I complete work I could not finish last week or like today, update my blogs and do some general time pass. Lunch today was just awful!!!! They had put meat in all of the salads...who on earth eats coleslaw with raw beef pieces! All I could salvage was a plate full of raw cucumber and a dessert (thankfully, that was sans meat!). JP gave me his portion of fries so in all I managed to fill myself. Post lunch, had my weekly status meeting and then did a lil more work. Spoke to an old friend, Bindu for a while. I was quite shaken by the news abt Anand, so speaking to Bindu helped me feel better. Thanks di! JP had some last minute shopping to do so we headed to Champs Elysses (where else!)...and went to Sephora and bought all the requisites. Reached home by around 10.
Had promised the lads an Italian dinner so started working on my promise. In the meanwhile, JP started packing my stuff. JP is leaving tomorrow (boo hoo!) so I was moving into his room. This exercise was for many reasons. Firstly, his room is bigger since it doesn’t have a balcony. I have spent a total of 15mins in the balcony in the past 1 week so it’s a waste of space for me. Secondly, my room is on the topmost floor of the hotel so it gets heated up quickly. Thirdly, Sachin lives across the hall from my new room so it’s safer as well. And most importantly, this room has double the closet space of my existing room. For those of you who are familiar with my clothes fetish, you can well imagine what a relief this was for me. Anyways, 2 hours later, we had an Italian feast of Penne in Arabiata sauce and Alfredo sauce with garlic bread on the side. It looked totally scrumptious and tasted quite good, if I say so myself. Post dinner, washed all the vessels, moved most of my luggage to Sachin's room and slept at 3.
Finito Day 8
Day 9: In mourning
This week seems to have a ghastly ring about it! But today's mourning was coz JP was leaving. He was brilliant company for a week and now he is going away (waaaaaaaaaaah!). Got up early so that I could chat with him and all the time, he was like Amu, don’t get into trouble. I think he managed to convey the same message in 8 different ways! (at least it seemed that way). So, another new entry into the ever growing list of people who believe, that wherever Amu goes, trouble follows. Why? Why? Why?
Anyways, moved all my stuff into Sachin's room and left for the office. Was super tired coz of all the moving around and late nights. Reached home early and again unpacked all my stuff. Sachin made a yummy potato sambhar and rice so ate that and then we decided to go for a walk and explore the area near our hotel. Our findings included a KFC, MacD and Pizza Hut along with loads of local fast food joints offering every possible cuisine from Italian to Chinese to Japanese and even Turkish! We returned by around 1 and tachi...
Day 10: We like to carry our world with us..
Sachin and I are planning a trip up north to the Brittany coast this weekend. We needed a car for this purpose so we took an extended lunch break and decided to go to Clichy in the north of Paris. We had the joy of travelling in an RER which is a double decker train. I could barely contain my childish joy..but it moves real slowly so it took us an hour to reach Clichy...Walked around till we found the address we were looking for and it turns out you need an international license to drive in France which neither Sachin nor I possessed. So that! Totally sucks..puts a spoke in many wheels...anyways headed back to the office. I was already exhausted but managed to get some work done nonetheless...
In case you're wondering abt the title of this day, here it comes. One of my colleagues is returning to India today so he wanted to distribute his extra groceries. Very sweet thought. And Sachin and I got the lion's share since we are staying so long. OMG!!! this guy had literally brought India to Paris..every little essential you might need including saumph, varieties of sambhar/rasam powder....and some powders of questionable origin!!! Im pretty im done with grocery shopping for the rest of my trip here...but nice gesture so I thank this dear colleague if mine as well...But it is true that we Indians literally carry our world with us wherever we go...the maggi and the MTR powders form an essential part of our luggage..Guess its coz the vegetarians like me would starve otherwise...
Anyways, arranged everything in my lil kitchen and my home for the next 3 months is set!
End if Day 10
Day 11: You and I.....in this beautiful world...
Got a SIM card today...so feel like humming the Hutch song..I am connected again ppl..shall mail across the number soon enough...did nothing else today..work was a disaster!!!!nothing seems to be working...I have 50% of this week's work target to achieve...am just waiting for that wave of panic to set in...which results in frenzied activity and then everything gets done...I cant work without pressure..maybe I am a mutant...maybe I'm human...
Monday, July 31, 2006
Rest of Week 1 in Paris
Paris - The rest of week one
Day 3: Lost in a sandstorm
It started off as just another day in Paris. Had a brilliant Margherita pizza for lunch (I can almost hear the sniggers from all the ppl who are aware of my Diet plan!).But seriously, this was a lil thicker than a papad. Totally loved it. Did quite a bit of work in the office and left for Auchan (which is a huge Supermarket chain here) by foot. Was 1km from our office I guess. Anyways reached this mall which has its entrance in a garage (I have no idea why though!). It was like a regular mall except for the huge Soldes boards everywhere. Went into the supermarket to pick sun screen and shampoo and I was floored! Numerous ceiling to floor shelves lined with every possible brand I have read about in Cosmopolitan or Femina. I was in cosmetic heaven! Isoup helped me understand the French words for sun screen etc. so I found my way around quite well. Also picked up some essentials for my kitchen in the hope that I shall begin cooking soon.
I deviate here to speak a little about my work environment. People here are extremely professional in their way of working. The office is a place where you come and work, grab some lunch and leave. I don’t see these people socialize or chat or discuss their children etc. like I did in Israel. But I guess the French or in general all the Europeans are very closed. They are not known to be expansive or extroverted. Given the chatterbox that I am, quite surprised to say that I have toned down my general exuberance by several notches to fit in better in my new environment. It’s been a whole office week now and I think I have adjusted quite well.
Back to Auchan. By the time Sachin and I finished shopping, the 3 inch heels were taking their toll on my legs so we sat down for a coffee. It was already 8.40 pm so we decided to leave. In case you are wondering about the irrelevance of the topic of this post to my mindless ramblings, your patience has just been rewarded. Sachin and I decided to find a shorter way home by exploring a seemingly parallel road. After a kilometre of walking, we realise that we are hopelessly lost and the Signboards’ pointing to Paris was not a comforting sight! I mean, we must have walked out of Paris to see signboards to Paris! We asked around for directions and looked at some maps and just when it seemed like we had managed to find our way home, a sandstorm starts. And when I say sandstorm, I mean gusts of wind pelting sand at us from all possible directions! And the worst part was that we were walking against the direction of the wind. And we were at least 3km away from home! We risked life and limb to reach home..actually we didn’t but I have always wanted to use that phrase :-)
So that was a very eventful day 3 in Paris.
Day 4: Lost again
By now, most of you must think I am completely devoid of any sense of direction (given the increasing regularity with which the word lost appears in my post!) but that is quite untrue. The first instance of getting lost was coz I was too tired to think...and this instance was coz I trusted JP to know Paris the way I know Jerusalem or Tiberius! Anyways JP returned from Athens today....he was gone just 2 days but I really missed him. Guess when you're away from home, family and friends every familiar face matters to you and the absence of one is felt more acutely. So told JP all that I did in his absence...finished quite a bit of work..but left only by 8.30. Decided to cook dinner. Made a fairly decent rasam and scrambled eggs.
By the time we finished dinner it was 12.30 but moi felt like going for a walk. So JP decided to show me the miniature Statue of Liberty that Gustave Eiffel made for the city of Paris. It’s not publicized at all but it’s quite decent. Anyways we walked along La Seine, passed a couple of bridges and then I saw a really beautiful sight. The Eiffel Tower with twinkling lights! It was seriously stunning! It twinkles once every hour for 10 mins. And for those of you who did not know this, Philips is responsible for the lighting of the Eiffel Tower. So walked till the Javel bridge and took a turnaround to reach the hotel. Somehow, the turnaround wasn’t as smooth as expected and we reached a part of Paris JP wasn’t familiar with. JP has lived in Paris for over 4 months and knows most nooks and corners so when he claimed to be lost, all hope was lost. But unlike the last time, we were at least in Paris, so after walking an additional 3 km we were back along La Seine on the way to the hotel. Reached my Room at 3 in the morning and crashed.
End of Day 4
Day 5: Magic..Perfection...
If I ever made a list of the best days in my life, then today would definitely make it in the top 5! Started off as just another day in Paris. Did some kelsa in the office and I was done with my work for the week. Went out for lunch with the top brass of NDS France. Me, JP, Sachin and Manju Venkata from India and Miloud, Lucas and Jean-Paul from France. Went to this Lebanese restaurant quite close to the office. Had a robust red wine which I didnt like too much. I liked the hummus and Falafel though. Nice meal, nice company. Will come back here again for sure.
Returned to the office and resumed work. Learnt a little road terms from Isoup and a few terms regarding hair cut from Christine. Left office by around 7 and after I changed into a nicer dress we left the hotel around 8.
As an intro to the beauty of this day, let me tell you what JP had planned for us. A walk that starts from La Defense, down Avenue de Charles De Gaulle, a pause at the Arc De Triomphe and a walk down Avenue de Champs Elysses right up to the Concorde and then down La Seine back to our hotel. I can tell you that this walk captures the very essence of this beautiful city and should be put on the must-do things in Paris for those of you who have the stamina. So we reached La Defence by the tram. Had a look around again at the beauty of the sky scrapers around us. I haven’t been to Manhattan yet, so this skyline is the most impressive I have seen till now. Beats the hell outta the Deira Dubai skyline that had been my best till now. We then started on our waking tour and reached Avenue des Charles De Gaulle. This is where the rich and famous have their houses, at least the ones that live in Paris. Nice walk along La Seine and there is a beautiful garden with fountains smack in the middle of the road. The roads, the architecture...Ah.....I know now why Paris is called the most romantic city in the world. With the right person to experience it, this city is paradise......and even without it, I seem to be having a whole lotta fun so great! We reached Troceador at exactly one in the night. Now Trocedor is a view point made specifically for enjoying looking at the Eiffel tower. So we just sat there and the Eiffel started twinkling again. Overwhelming...just beautiful...and then we reached home...I could go on and on but this post is already quite long....think I shall have to start editing my posts soon enough!
Day 6: Snip Snip!
There are a considerable lot among my friends and family who just adore me with long hair. And it was for this section, that I had grown my hair as long as it was when I reached Paris. But the sweltering heat here crumbled my resolve to keep my hair long and voila, you now have Amu with short hair! But fear not, by the time you see me again it would have grown to most of its original length. Got a nice cut as did JP. The chick who cut his hair looked a lot like Victoria Beckham....not sure though whether she inspired him to get his hair cut in the first place :-).
Anyways, did some small bit of shopping in the La Defense mall and then took the metro to Opera. This is a beautiful building..an excellent example of European architecture (not sure if it’s Gothic or some other style..shall do the needful research soon!)..and the best part of this particular location is the La Fayette galleries. OMG...just brilliant...I could just window shop for hours and not get bored. Really great stuff. Saw some ahem-ly stuff that I shall mail across to the people who need to know about it ;-)...
Then we went to the Pakistani part of Paris called Strasbourg St. Denis and ate biryani. I, for one, am not the types to wanna eat Indian food within a week of coming from India. Nonetheless, at least to know where I can get a mean veg biryani at 9 in the night, we had a decent biryani at this Indian restaurant called Rajpout, although the Pakistani waiter seemed to seriously have something up his you-know-where. Was extremely uncourteous and princess that I am, it didn’t go down too well with me. Anyways, was super tired after this so just left for home.Day 6 is over!
Day 7: Lazy Sunday
Spent most of today just lazing around...went to this area in Paris called Sacre Couer. Brilliant view of the entire city of Paris. We went further up and there is this entire street with artists who draw your portraits..and they are really good at it..Very quaint and European. Definitely returning to this place.
Then we went to Gard De Nord which is the tamil area in Paris. Quite shady although you get all the Indian cooking items here the place in general is shady. It's the KR Market of Paris :-)
Returned home, cooked some food and tachi.
End of week 1 in Paris..I have shorter hair and I already look slimmer...yippee..
Day 3: Lost in a sandstorm
It started off as just another day in Paris. Had a brilliant Margherita pizza for lunch (I can almost hear the sniggers from all the ppl who are aware of my Diet plan!).But seriously, this was a lil thicker than a papad. Totally loved it. Did quite a bit of work in the office and left for Auchan (which is a huge Supermarket chain here) by foot. Was 1km from our office I guess. Anyways reached this mall which has its entrance in a garage (I have no idea why though!). It was like a regular mall except for the huge Soldes boards everywhere. Went into the supermarket to pick sun screen and shampoo and I was floored! Numerous ceiling to floor shelves lined with every possible brand I have read about in Cosmopolitan or Femina. I was in cosmetic heaven! Isoup helped me understand the French words for sun screen etc. so I found my way around quite well. Also picked up some essentials for my kitchen in the hope that I shall begin cooking soon.
I deviate here to speak a little about my work environment. People here are extremely professional in their way of working. The office is a place where you come and work, grab some lunch and leave. I don’t see these people socialize or chat or discuss their children etc. like I did in Israel. But I guess the French or in general all the Europeans are very closed. They are not known to be expansive or extroverted. Given the chatterbox that I am, quite surprised to say that I have toned down my general exuberance by several notches to fit in better in my new environment. It’s been a whole office week now and I think I have adjusted quite well.
Back to Auchan. By the time Sachin and I finished shopping, the 3 inch heels were taking their toll on my legs so we sat down for a coffee. It was already 8.40 pm so we decided to leave. In case you are wondering about the irrelevance of the topic of this post to my mindless ramblings, your patience has just been rewarded. Sachin and I decided to find a shorter way home by exploring a seemingly parallel road. After a kilometre of walking, we realise that we are hopelessly lost and the Signboards’ pointing to Paris was not a comforting sight! I mean, we must have walked out of Paris to see signboards to Paris! We asked around for directions and looked at some maps and just when it seemed like we had managed to find our way home, a sandstorm starts. And when I say sandstorm, I mean gusts of wind pelting sand at us from all possible directions! And the worst part was that we were walking against the direction of the wind. And we were at least 3km away from home! We risked life and limb to reach home..actually we didn’t but I have always wanted to use that phrase :-)
So that was a very eventful day 3 in Paris.
Day 4: Lost again
By now, most of you must think I am completely devoid of any sense of direction (given the increasing regularity with which the word lost appears in my post!) but that is quite untrue. The first instance of getting lost was coz I was too tired to think...and this instance was coz I trusted JP to know Paris the way I know Jerusalem or Tiberius! Anyways JP returned from Athens today....he was gone just 2 days but I really missed him. Guess when you're away from home, family and friends every familiar face matters to you and the absence of one is felt more acutely. So told JP all that I did in his absence...finished quite a bit of work..but left only by 8.30. Decided to cook dinner. Made a fairly decent rasam and scrambled eggs.
By the time we finished dinner it was 12.30 but moi felt like going for a walk. So JP decided to show me the miniature Statue of Liberty that Gustave Eiffel made for the city of Paris. It’s not publicized at all but it’s quite decent. Anyways we walked along La Seine, passed a couple of bridges and then I saw a really beautiful sight. The Eiffel Tower with twinkling lights! It was seriously stunning! It twinkles once every hour for 10 mins. And for those of you who did not know this, Philips is responsible for the lighting of the Eiffel Tower. So walked till the Javel bridge and took a turnaround to reach the hotel. Somehow, the turnaround wasn’t as smooth as expected and we reached a part of Paris JP wasn’t familiar with. JP has lived in Paris for over 4 months and knows most nooks and corners so when he claimed to be lost, all hope was lost. But unlike the last time, we were at least in Paris, so after walking an additional 3 km we were back along La Seine on the way to the hotel. Reached my Room at 3 in the morning and crashed.
End of Day 4
Day 5: Magic..Perfection...
If I ever made a list of the best days in my life, then today would definitely make it in the top 5! Started off as just another day in Paris. Did some kelsa in the office and I was done with my work for the week. Went out for lunch with the top brass of NDS France. Me, JP, Sachin and Manju Venkata from India and Miloud, Lucas and Jean-Paul from France. Went to this Lebanese restaurant quite close to the office. Had a robust red wine which I didnt like too much. I liked the hummus and Falafel though. Nice meal, nice company. Will come back here again for sure.
Returned to the office and resumed work. Learnt a little road terms from Isoup and a few terms regarding hair cut from Christine. Left office by around 7 and after I changed into a nicer dress we left the hotel around 8.
As an intro to the beauty of this day, let me tell you what JP had planned for us. A walk that starts from La Defense, down Avenue de Charles De Gaulle, a pause at the Arc De Triomphe and a walk down Avenue de Champs Elysses right up to the Concorde and then down La Seine back to our hotel. I can tell you that this walk captures the very essence of this beautiful city and should be put on the must-do things in Paris for those of you who have the stamina. So we reached La Defence by the tram. Had a look around again at the beauty of the sky scrapers around us. I haven’t been to Manhattan yet, so this skyline is the most impressive I have seen till now. Beats the hell outta the Deira Dubai skyline that had been my best till now. We then started on our waking tour and reached Avenue des Charles De Gaulle. This is where the rich and famous have their houses, at least the ones that live in Paris. Nice walk along La Seine and there is a beautiful garden with fountains smack in the middle of the road. The roads, the architecture...Ah.....I know now why Paris is called the most romantic city in the world. With the right person to experience it, this city is paradise......and even without it, I seem to be having a whole lotta fun so great! We reached Troceador at exactly one in the night. Now Trocedor is a view point made specifically for enjoying looking at the Eiffel tower. So we just sat there and the Eiffel started twinkling again. Overwhelming...just beautiful...and then we reached home...I could go on and on but this post is already quite long....think I shall have to start editing my posts soon enough!
Day 6: Snip Snip!
There are a considerable lot among my friends and family who just adore me with long hair. And it was for this section, that I had grown my hair as long as it was when I reached Paris. But the sweltering heat here crumbled my resolve to keep my hair long and voila, you now have Amu with short hair! But fear not, by the time you see me again it would have grown to most of its original length. Got a nice cut as did JP. The chick who cut his hair looked a lot like Victoria Beckham....not sure though whether she inspired him to get his hair cut in the first place :-).
Anyways, did some small bit of shopping in the La Defense mall and then took the metro to Opera. This is a beautiful building..an excellent example of European architecture (not sure if it’s Gothic or some other style..shall do the needful research soon!)..and the best part of this particular location is the La Fayette galleries. OMG...just brilliant...I could just window shop for hours and not get bored. Really great stuff. Saw some ahem-ly stuff that I shall mail across to the people who need to know about it ;-)...
Then we went to the Pakistani part of Paris called Strasbourg St. Denis and ate biryani. I, for one, am not the types to wanna eat Indian food within a week of coming from India. Nonetheless, at least to know where I can get a mean veg biryani at 9 in the night, we had a decent biryani at this Indian restaurant called Rajpout, although the Pakistani waiter seemed to seriously have something up his you-know-where. Was extremely uncourteous and princess that I am, it didn’t go down too well with me. Anyways, was super tired after this so just left for home.Day 6 is over!
Day 7: Lazy Sunday
Spent most of today just lazing around...went to this area in Paris called Sacre Couer. Brilliant view of the entire city of Paris. We went further up and there is this entire street with artists who draw your portraits..and they are really good at it..Very quaint and European. Definitely returning to this place.
Then we went to Gard De Nord which is the tamil area in Paris. Quite shady although you get all the Indian cooking items here the place in general is shady. It's the KR Market of Paris :-)
Returned home, cooked some food and tachi.
End of week 1 in Paris..I have shorter hair and I already look slimmer...yippee..
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