There are some moments when life flashes by, and you drop everything that you are doing or thinking to stand in awe of those moments.But i wonder if everyone really admires those awe moments of life! As kids we used to love holidays, vacations just because it gives you a break from school, assignments and Monday blues!! But as we grow, we lose the innocent charm of life.Games, fun and holidays are replaced by internet, career and social networking sites. Sometimes miracles do happen, you fall in love with your old you which makes you feel all new! OLD you?? when you admire life you feel you are born again! I so fell in love with travelling! Every time i traveled i found new life! a new ME!
In an unknown land, with new people, all by yourself for a month seems really exquisite!Warsaw truly a city of Phoenix! As you explore places, you explore yourself! I so fell in love with language!! I apparently started to conversed in a language which i have never done with anyone apart from my answer sheets in school. I was kinda bad with he grammar though but i loved learning French and a little bit of Polish which made me laugh, learn and talk. Lovely people whom i met in Warsaw made me dance to the tunes of polish songs..loved every bit of Polka and listened to some wonderful works of chopin! As a kid I used to love the bright blue beaches but as i grew i felt the sand spoils my trousers and shoes! Oops i was so wrong! In Thailand! A land of craziness, my friend and I went plunged ourselves into those crystal blue waters and built castles in white sand! I should say the Thai's were way too sweet and loving. They always greet you with a warm smile and SWADEEKA!! Their love for fun and adventure eventually makes you fall in love with them and their culture.We lived the streets of Bangkok! We celebrated new year in the Thai style Songram! We found ourselves to still love the bright hot sun and the crystal shining waves and soft white sand. We felt like we were kids of first grade owning mud castles where you be the charming prince and beautiful princess!
I have even seen people who crib that hectic work and schedules have made them busy! I was one among them but not after i spent a holiday in concrete jungle New York!! I used to wonder why US was the most preferred destinations, I finally found why! In the midst busy frenzie fast moving life in NY, You find people wander and relax in the greenest part of NY the Central park.. A place where you find people of all age groups, right from the cute babies to the fitness freaks to the happy couples and the calm oldies! Sometimes you need not have to talk to people to understand what life is all about! New York is one place where it makes you fall in love with life, work and fun all together in one go..! After all the small holidays, i touch back to the roots of my asli incredible India! It truly is incredible in all aspects from the spicy food to crazy people to the symbol of love Taj! My visit to Taj made me so fall in love with romance that i decided to get married just to take a pic with my husband in front of Taj Mahal ~ Symbol of Love!! The camel desert safari under the scorching sun.. the widlife safari in Rathambore made me fall in love with widlife and nature! Every time i traveled i picked up some interesting hobby, did some crazy stuff and I made few new friends ~ train friend, Park Friend, Party friend, Foodie friend, 2 A.M friend and yeah i needed up making friends all over the world!!
From all the trips and crazy people i met~ I found myself to be an independent, fun loving foodie, shopaholic, being friendly, my love for new language and culture! Should say one unique crazy extrovert girl who would quit her career for FUN and TRAVEL!! The more i travel the more i found myself!!
I am writing this post as part of the around the world with Expedia at indibloggers contest. Fall in love with Travel with EXPEDIA!!
http://www.expedia.co.in/
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
SWADEEKAA ~ Crazy Thailand
Hey my dear blog.. How can me not blog about the THAI trip!!! OMG!!! Well how do I start this! This is the most memorable fun trip I made till date (12th – 18th april,2011), I really don’t think this trip could replace any other one (just 4 one particular reason my best friend was there), all planned in a week’s time. I should say it was our dream trip! A 10 day trip to the land of Craziness - THAILAND!! This is one mad place to go hangout with a bunch of crazy friends. N yeah I was one among those crazy ones..! As I said I was also with a bunch of crazy people, we were late to Chennai airport. Reaching the airport late was as expected coz my bestie was to pick me up! We rushed to board the Thai airways to Swarnabhumi airport Bangkok. And bang my best friend gives a comment” Hey that chick is cute!” and I was like how about that female I think she is good for you. This is how we were whiling time in the boring Chennai airport
wait lounge. We were super excited that this is gonna be the first trip out of Chennai and the fun part of the whole thing was it was Bangkok!!! A trip abroad with friends was the least expected at that point of time. The minute we settled ourself in the plane, we were like oh my godddd we are gonna flyyyy!! Our co passengers were like guess these people are mad.. The flight landed and we were standing in the visa on arrival counter close to an hour and then got our visas by paying 1000Bhats/adult. We had made pre travel car arrangements. A corolla the most commonly used cab in BBK picked us up from the airport and dropped us at the Baiyoke Suite where we made our room reservations. The rooms were big and the view from my balcony was amazing. We were given half a day to refresh ourselves but the excitement didn’t really make us take a small nap or relax, rather we took a Tuktuk (a small auto) and went around the streets of BBK . Day one we visited few jewel galleries though we weren’t any keen in buying gold or silver or diamonds. Then we realized that its time we catch up with some authentic Thai food and went to a Thai restaurant in MBK mall, don’t really know the name of the restaurant since it was written in thai. We ordered some chicken noodles, veg soup (me being a veggie) and insisted my frend to try something interesting though am not gonna try it ;). After going thru the menu, we ordered Octopus Balls. The food was interesting and good and yeah me being a veggie the veg noodle soup I ordered, turnout to be a disaster. I so wished I was a hardcore non vegetarian. My sweet friend could so understand I was hungry got me some doughnuts in Dunkins , ice cream and grabbed some coffee. Then we got into the metro to go back to hotel, somehow managed to figure out the way back to our hotel since there was nothing in English and my bestie doesn’t know to read maps..uffo!! Yeah the Thai are so friendly and they greet you saying Swadeekaa with a smile. The best part of the trip was that we were in Thailand during their New year week SONGRAM. A festive with full of happiness and they celebrate it by pouring water on each other and wish luck for each other. The street of BBK was full of water and people playing around with water. This fun filled atmosphere made us decide to live the streets of Thailand. It was time we got wet and played in the streets of BBK. We walked like madness, ate food in the small shops and restaurants in the streets and shopped like crazy. Sat on the road side at 2 A.M and was having a crazy conversation and still couldn’t accept the fact we were in THAI all by ourselves having the best fun ever possible! There is lot of shopping malls in the city to go around not really expensive. There are a few must watch places like the Siam ocean world for kids and the wildlife safari, ocean world and the Buddhist temple is a must watch. If you are a couple and want to indulge in some romantic evening dinner, candle lights then you should go for the 3 hour cruise. A perfect get away for romance. After roaming around BBK we headed over to Pattaya by car, it takes about 2 hours. If you love adventure then you have a lotta water sport activities to indulge and have fun. The best out of our experience is the Underwater walk ~ feeding fishes, palying with them.. makes you feel like a mermaid ;) You have other sports like the scuba diving, parasailing, treks, water scooter, snorkelling etc. They take you in a speed boat to an island where water seems like blue crystals floating. The walking street at pattaya never sleeps.. lot of pubs, gogo bars, discotheques..i would say it’s a place for bachelors.. The Alcazar show which shows the thai culture is a must watch. You can indulge yourself in some spa and massages for a refreshing experience..You have a variety of spa to pick from.. Thailand is a place to have fun and loads of adventure..! My trip turned out to be awesome coz of my Bestie.. big cheers .. love u all.. hope to make more fun trips and enjoy!
wait lounge. We were super excited that this is gonna be the first trip out of Chennai and the fun part of the whole thing was it was Bangkok!!! A trip abroad with friends was the least expected at that point of time. The minute we settled ourself in the plane, we were like oh my godddd we are gonna flyyyy!! Our co passengers were like guess these people are mad.. The flight landed and we were standing in the visa on arrival counter close to an hour and then got our visas by paying 1000Bhats/adult. We had made pre travel car arrangements. A corolla the most commonly used cab in BBK picked us up from the airport and dropped us at the Baiyoke Suite where we made our room reservations. The rooms were big and the view from my balcony was amazing. We were given half a day to refresh ourselves but the excitement didn’t really make us take a small nap or relax, rather we took a Tuktuk (a small auto) and went around the streets of BBK . Day one we visited few jewel galleries though we weren’t any keen in buying gold or silver or diamonds. Then we realized that its time we catch up with some authentic Thai food and went to a Thai restaurant in MBK mall, don’t really know the name of the restaurant since it was written in thai. We ordered some chicken noodles, veg soup (me being a veggie) and insisted my frend to try something interesting though am not gonna try it ;). After going thru the menu, we ordered Octopus Balls. The food was interesting and good and yeah me being a veggie the veg noodle soup I ordered, turnout to be a disaster. I so wished I was a hardcore non vegetarian. My sweet friend could so understand I was hungry got me some doughnuts in Dunkins , ice cream and grabbed some coffee. Then we got into the metro to go back to hotel, somehow managed to figure out the way back to our hotel since there was nothing in English and my bestie doesn’t know to read maps..uffo!! Yeah the Thai are so friendly and they greet you saying Swadeekaa with a smile. The best part of the trip was that we were in Thailand during their New year week SONGRAM. A festive with full of happiness and they celebrate it by pouring water on each other and wish luck for each other. The street of BBK was full of water and people playing around with water. This fun filled atmosphere made us decide to live the streets of Thailand. It was time we got wet and played in the streets of BBK. We walked like madness, ate food in the small shops and restaurants in the streets and shopped like crazy. Sat on the road side at 2 A.M and was having a crazy conversation and still couldn’t accept the fact we were in THAI all by ourselves having the best fun ever possible! There is lot of shopping malls in the city to go around not really expensive. There are a few must watch places like the Siam ocean world for kids and the wildlife safari, ocean world and the Buddhist temple is a must watch. If you are a couple and want to indulge in some romantic evening dinner, candle lights then you should go for the 3 hour cruise. A perfect get away for romance. After roaming around BBK we headed over to Pattaya by car, it takes about 2 hours. If you love adventure then you have a lotta water sport activities to indulge and have fun. The best out of our experience is the Underwater walk ~ feeding fishes, palying with them.. makes you feel like a mermaid ;) You have other sports like the scuba diving, parasailing, treks, water scooter, snorkelling etc. They take you in a speed boat to an island where water seems like blue crystals floating. The walking street at pattaya never sleeps.. lot of pubs, gogo bars, discotheques..i would say it’s a place for bachelors.. The Alcazar show which shows the thai culture is a must watch. You can indulge yourself in some spa and massages for a refreshing experience..You have a variety of spa to pick from.. Thailand is a place to have fun and loads of adventure..! My trip turned out to be awesome coz of my Bestie.. big cheers .. love u all.. hope to make more fun trips and enjoy!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Asli Rajasthan!
oh yeah after all those words on marriage material life happiness.. am back to my travelogue.. As i said more of rajasthan coming soon yes its the time for Rajasthan! Guess wat i had this crazy conversation with my rajsthani friend Nari who has apparently stuck in his dad decision of getting married before 25!! OMG i'm super excited coz his wedding is gonna be held back in rajasthan in the most traditional way..! What excited more is the fooodddd woww yummmyyy.. ok ok let me hit back to my trip..!I always had this picture of rajasthan in mind where you have this barren land with some cactus, lot of sand and a sunny day to add beauty to it – a typical desert picture. We reached Jaipur at around 2 a.m, so I really couldn’t see anything in the dark and more over I was sleepy! The morning was so welcoming in Jaipur! How can one miss to see those amazingly dressed camels and handloom shop.. For all the shopaholic out there, I would say it will be fun to buy those authentic huge bangles, earrings and those slippers. Well not to forget the Dhoti pants and cotton bags printed with OM and camels and elephants! I would call them as a must but souvenirs of Rajasthan. Jaipur the Pink City! After checking with the tour guide, I realized that it’s going to be a long fun day under the sun. We first headed out to the Amber Fort. I was just wondering if I was somewhere close to china.. As we drove to the fort I found this wall built around the fort which looked like Great Wall of China to my eyes! Then our guide explained that this wall was just like a border. The fort was massive.. Well massive isn’t the word which can describe it. One can reach the Amber Palace by three means – walk, car or the most royal ride on the elephants! Trust me you can definitely feel like a King and Queen as the elephant walks through the huge doors. Well touching to a bit of history, seems the palace was given to the govt and the fort close to it is still owned by the royal blood. The current youngest King is just 15 years old!
We walked around the beautiful palace.. The shesha palace - mirror palace was so glittering that one can take their eyes out of it. Some renovation works were going on. After going around the huge palace, we were so stunned by the architecture..! Now I heard a voice saying that I wanna study architecture dada..! So inspirational.. The artificial lake near the palace was so beautiful. As we got down to the road, we saw some typical rajasthani dances and cultural activities. My cousin Meena was so stunned looking at the colorful fun loving people though she never loved the sun. Then we headed out to the Jal Mahal and Hawa Palace where you just pass through it and it’s isn’t a place to stand and explore. Anyways we did stand in front of it for a while just to brush on the history ;) And then my aunt so insisted we eat in a local dhaba just to get the real flavor of rajasthani food. I would say it was a wonderful experience. Yummy hot tasty authentic food.. yes. I’m a Foodie . After having a sumptuous lunch, we headed over to Udaipur. Again a long travel!
We walked around the beautiful palace.. The shesha palace - mirror palace was so glittering that one can take their eyes out of it. Some renovation works were going on. After going around the huge palace, we were so stunned by the architecture..! Now I heard a voice saying that I wanna study architecture dada..! So inspirational.. The artificial lake near the palace was so beautiful. As we got down to the road, we saw some typical rajasthani dances and cultural activities. My cousin Meena was so stunned looking at the colorful fun loving people though she never loved the sun. Then we headed out to the Jal Mahal and Hawa Palace where you just pass through it and it’s isn’t a place to stand and explore. Anyways we did stand in front of it for a while just to brush on the history ;) And then my aunt so insisted we eat in a local dhaba just to get the real flavor of rajasthani food. I would say it was a wonderful experience. Yummy hot tasty authentic food.. yes. I’m a Foodie . After having a sumptuous lunch, we headed over to Udaipur. Again a long travel!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Colors of a Fairy-tale!
Well i was just rereading my old blogs and was so surprised to see the way things have changed in life.. there are changes in priorities, responsibility.. sometimes it just makes me wonder if it is the real me! We all change through life, getting new experience few happy and few sad, making new mistakes. Sometimes you get weird dreams which would make wonder if you're living someone else's dream or someone else is living in your dreams. There are somethings which remain the same just to remind you who you are and what you are worth! I am glad that one thing has never changed in my life that's my approach to life, family and friend!Sometimes i so wish i could roll back to my childhood, all you have a is happy family with no worries. A dream life all pink and happy and nice..! I should say nice is not a word to describe it. All i can say is that life is never a fairy-tale.. But sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life someone else's choice gives you a fairy-tale! Do fairy-tales come true?? if you expect an entire life pink then i must disappoint you! Life is like a bubble you never know when it would burst but when it does you should know how to handle! Most of the cases you don't know to. Sometimes life makes you feel AWWW each morning, you wake up think fresh, makes you smile when you are tired, it makes you a better person,makes you stronger and wiser an yea it makes you HAPPY!!! This fairy-tale does not just happen!Every day, every hour, every single minute, you work for it! you work harder for those every moment of life! You adjust, you care, you love, you compromise for those precious moments and those special ones. You create your own fairy-tale full of fun, happiness and love!
PS:Never expect ~ Live life like there is no tomorrow ~ love from deep down you heart ~
smile like a sunshine :)
PS:Never expect ~ Live life like there is no tomorrow ~ love from deep down you heart ~
smile like a sunshine :)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
OH MY GODDDDD... THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEW!
"Live everyday like the last day of your life", a cliche statement. Why do you think am saying this..? auright stop squeezing your brain! it has nothing to do with wat am gonna write.. lolz.. Well wondering wat am upto write? it's about marriage material!!! Parents in India they look at dating and flirting as a big deal. The best and the funniest part of arranged marriage is that you get to flirt and date your potential gurl/ guy who can soon be your life.. LEGALLY!! Craziness is all i would say though it's such an awesome feel.. i am none out of the box in this marriage world..! Wondering if this is marriage season.. just not humans even technology has started to fall in love.. Microsoft fell for Nokia/ HTC, Google committed to Motorola, and yeah the Apple is single and having fun! No wonder matrimony sites are filled with profiles like stars in the sky! The whole process of finding your soul mate has become like board examz.. omg! you scored a 9/10 in your horoscope match!!! Wow dat's like a great score as if you are gonna get admission in the world premier colleges! Had this crazy conversation with my friend at 2 in the night..She is married and she was like god knows who is this perfect couple.. i was like i so wanna meet someone who scores 10/10 ! is it something like 6/10 is the pass percentage..? and you score 10/10 you never fight and stuffs ? She was like man i don't think there's any couple who doesn't argue and fight and have misunderstanding! i was like ohhhh yeahh..Technically if all your stars are in perfect position then your are gonna be the perfect SOUL MATE!!! Next time if the couple fights its time you blame the stars and not yourself ;) not that i don't believe horoscope..but it has its own level of acceptance! Its very much obvious that u can't be this ideal/perfect couple! different minds how can you so think alike.. This is not like what happens to Marshel and Lilly in How i met your mother..where they actually feel the same thing at the same time! Horoscopes are scientific but you just need to know if your astrologer is scientific enough to understand the stars..! Man, this is supposed to be the most sweetest and ever cherished part of your life but few make you feel like you are attending the most important interview in your life! (i'm so glad that i ain't feeling so) its time we actually find a better way of interviewing just to make sure you are the right one! i wonder if there is someone called the Mr. & Ms.Right!! To me life is short, stay happy. it's all about sacrifice, compromise and trust than to fight on the whole issue again and again! Anyways at the end it..all i can say is good luck in your search!and yeahh my charming loving prince who ever you are, where ever you are ! keep smiling and love your life.. kisses and hugs to you!
PS: Finally added some romance to the Most important interview of life..!
PS: Finally added some romance to the Most important interview of life..!
Monday, September 12, 2011
WOWWWW I am standing right next to TAJ MAHAL!!!!!
Well.. After all that roaming in the city that never sleeps, I was in the land where nature and history meet – India, My lovely country.. Nothing beats the visual treat of busy and noisy roads, colorful atmos.. Missed all of them..The Duranto express was great with all my cousins around. The entire child in us was born again, jumping from one berth to another, getting down the stations, fighting for the upper berth and blankets. After all the hungama in the train, We reached Agra. The railway station was such a mess as expected and yeah not to mention about the tour guides who keep roaming all the way in the station just to bargain some $ and Rupee from the tourists! After all the bargaining, we finally reached the hotel for some quick refreshment. Wow watttaa breakfast.. aloo paratha’s, paneer paratha, sabji, yoghurt and pickle. After the good yummy breakfast, well I would say heavy breakfast, we were all geared up for our first day in Agra. Walking through the roads was a mess! I so wished that the govt took extra care of Agra ~ the most favorite tourist spots of India. And our guide collected our entry tickets to see the World’s beautiful monument; yes it is the TAJ MAHAL – the symbol of Love! I wonder if sun has fallen in love with the TAJ oh my god..! It was so sunny that we were so dehydrated by the time we finished the security check. Well biological abnormalities we were so high to see the beautiful monument!
Wow She definitely is a white beauty. Guess everyone should look at her and feel the beauty of it. Everyone from small to grownups take a lot of clicks, that you get calls from FB and says god sake stop updating your profile pic.. lolz.. On a personal end, I would say I loved every bit of TAJ, the love of river Yamuna hugs her around. I call her the white beauty; she was so calm stood still as I saw her 20 years back. Yes, this was my second encounter. Though I hardly remember seeing the TAJ, and all I had to kick my memory was a family pic taken when I was 3 years old may be! Not to mention I overheard some conversations of young lovers saying “Tum mer jaan ho..n blah blah blah “ Well after hearing this I so felt like giving one shot right on his head ! All I could call was hopeless romantics! Let’s not get there! After all the sightseeing and the long walks, we came to a small shop right outside the Taj Mahal, bought water bottles. We were so tired..and could so relate us to the nimboos ad wherein the sun sucks all the energy ;) Then went to CafĂ© Coffee Day ~ Anything can happen over a coffee, as they say. CCD Agra had a nice the Indian interiors, never mind we hardly noticed it since we were so dehydrated.. ordered some cappuccino , latte , Devil’s Own and ice tea! Felt so fresh.. When you are in Agra, how can one miss to taste the Agra Pedda..! the juicy and sweet yummy taste triggered all our taste buds.. After all the sweet eating we got ourselves some spicy corn. After visiting the Agra fort, we hired a car and headed over to Jaipur. Well once we cleared the check post at Rajasthan, We found a lot of locust flying around the highway. It was unusual for us! Anyways after a long drive, we finally checked into a hotel and had a tight sleep. Okay guys more of Rajasthan coming soon!
Wow She definitely is a white beauty. Guess everyone should look at her and feel the beauty of it. Everyone from small to grownups take a lot of clicks, that you get calls from FB and says god sake stop updating your profile pic.. lolz.. On a personal end, I would say I loved every bit of TAJ, the love of river Yamuna hugs her around. I call her the white beauty; she was so calm stood still as I saw her 20 years back. Yes, this was my second encounter. Though I hardly remember seeing the TAJ, and all I had to kick my memory was a family pic taken when I was 3 years old may be! Not to mention I overheard some conversations of young lovers saying “Tum mer jaan ho..n blah blah blah “ Well after hearing this I so felt like giving one shot right on his head ! All I could call was hopeless romantics! Let’s not get there! After all the sightseeing and the long walks, we came to a small shop right outside the Taj Mahal, bought water bottles. We were so tired..and could so relate us to the nimboos ad wherein the sun sucks all the energy ;) Then went to CafĂ© Coffee Day ~ Anything can happen over a coffee, as they say. CCD Agra had a nice the Indian interiors, never mind we hardly noticed it since we were so dehydrated.. ordered some cappuccino , latte , Devil’s Own and ice tea! Felt so fresh.. When you are in Agra, how can one miss to taste the Agra Pedda..! the juicy and sweet yummy taste triggered all our taste buds.. After all the sweet eating we got ourselves some spicy corn. After visiting the Agra fort, we hired a car and headed over to Jaipur. Well once we cleared the check post at Rajasthan, We found a lot of locust flying around the highway. It was unusual for us! Anyways after a long drive, we finally checked into a hotel and had a tight sleep. Okay guys more of Rajasthan coming soon!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Concrete Jungle ~ NYC.. Life Unplugged
There are some moments when life flashes by, and you drop everything that you are doing or thinking to stand in awe of those moments. It all started with imagine cup New York in july. I really don’t think a blog can pen down all about the city that never sleeps – NEW YORK, USA. The most extravagant stay at Marriot Marquis, Broadway, makes you feel like a New Yorker. A perfect place to consume all the energy. New York on the whole gives you a fabulous experience.. you can quietly partake or watch all the fun..A walk through the Times square is a must for all.. the lights, the crowd, the naked cowboy, Fifth avenue, Hard rock cafĂ©, restaurants, theatres.. best place to experience the fast moving life.. And if you are someone who loves a silence greenery and you find yourself in the midst of huge buildings, NYC can never be a disappointment for you.. You have a great place to wander away from the frenzie gust of NYC , yes its Central Park – with extensive walk paths, lakes, zoo, strawberry field, Harlem.. New York is an epitome for those who love fun.. The musem of Natural History is a great educational gateway for kids. is well known for it's exhibits like the full-scaled blue whale ( the largest living animal ) that hangs from the ceiling of the Milstein Family hall of ocean life, it's famous fossil collection, the planetarium and so many others. My personal favorite exhibit is "The Hall of the Age of Man" know called "The Hall of Human Biology". This exhibit has the most in dept history of human evolution in the world. It has a collection of anatomically correct models of are ancestor's and other early primates. The Rockefeller centre is one of the most popular attractions in NYC. A beautiful New York destination all year long, the Rockefeller Center is home to numerous NY events, including the lighting of the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. This iconic NYC landmark has been featured in dozens of films and TV shows over the past century, and is home to the legendary NBC Studios and Saturday Night Live. With its serene statues and beautiful art nouveau murals, Rockefeller Center is also a popular destination for art enthusiasts in NYC. The Rockefeller Center features Top of the Rock - an observation deck atop the GE Building with panoramic views of Central Park and the Empire State Building. The lower plaza, you have a nice view of the sculpture of Prometheus and the GE building. How can one forget the Charging bull or the Wall Street bull, a 7100 Lb Bronze sculpture.. As you head down the road, you head to the Memorial for the WTC.. Wat moved me the most was the Amex memorial for their 11 employees.. last but not the least..you see a beautiful monument that depicts the symbol of friendship between France and USA.. Yes it's the Statue of Liberty, located in the harbor of NY. The historical gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States , the Ellis Island. The friendly neighborhoods - China Town, Little italy, greenwhich village,soho and the must walk thru the oldest suspension Brooklyn bridge would make you feel all new and fresh.
This magical city can never be described in words..The song by Aliciakeys is so perfect.. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.. there’s nothing you cant do.. Lets hear it for New York, These streets will make you feel brand new big lights will inspire you.. Lets hear it for New York New York New York..!!
This magical city can never be described in words..The song by Aliciakeys is so perfect.. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.. there’s nothing you cant do.. Lets hear it for New York, These streets will make you feel brand new big lights will inspire you.. Lets hear it for New York New York New York..!!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Most wonderful experiences of my life :)))
Well this is my first post in my blog which i have been wanting to write for the past two months.. let me tell you why i write this blog.. reason is am totally totally jobless doing nothing.. n me , being a very happy person so i want my first blog also to be filled with happy n wonderful memories.. it was the first week of June when the results of the Envisioning 2020 category of the IMAGINE CUP2010 was out.. i was all excited sitting right in front of the PC waiting for the results.. am sure students all over the world would have been sitting at the tip of the chair, bitting their nails just to see who makes it to the grand finale which was to be held in Warsaw, Poland. Bing goes my head seeing my team in the finalist page.. We were so so thrilled about the whole event.. a full sponsored euro trip :)) after some really good tiresome trips from chennai to mumbai for the polish visa we managed to get our first schengen visa stamped in our passports.. n this was the most herculean tasks in the whole trip..it was just one day before our departure that we came to know that We Are Leaving to WARSAW....!!! did all our last minute shopping.. best part was we just had six hours in mumbai to shop and prepare for the event.. We happen to meet supreeth in mumbai international airport who was also representing India for the software development..koushik, kiran , supreeth and me were smiling big and one could easily feel the happiness and excitement in the air..after a long wait in the lounge we were done with our security check and immigrations n finally boarded the Air France to Paris.. Paris was our first port of entry to the EU..Paris was so so beautiful having read about it in my french classes during school , the first sight of Paris was just too amazing.. really huge airport very crowded though..the first person who captured my attention was the blue eyed immigration officer Patrick.. very friendly n smart..the first view of Paris was filled with thunderstorms.. it was raining really heavy out there.. water was sliding over the glass ceiling of the wait lounge.. Did some small shoppings in those duty free shops.. had some salad and some coffee..We were roaming and clicking a few pics in the airport.. after the hours wait we boarded our flight to Warsaw.. there were quite a few contestants for IMAGINE CUP in the same plane.. More than 400 students was streaming into Warsaw for the 2010 Imagine Cup finals. Dreary-eyed from long flights with their luggage in hand, teams from over 70 countries have travelled from all over the globe to attend the event. Once in Warsaw the teams arrived at the Novotel hotel where all members registered and received their Imagine Cup back-packs, including a fun t-shirt, cap, rain coat and yearbook..the most exciting aspects of the Imagine Cup was we had the opportunity to meet with peers from different cultures and share stories and compare projects (and scope out the competition!) Finalists will explore and attend activities in the Novotel, Palace of Culture, and Opera House as well as offsite trips to Warsaw’s Old Town and a local castle..then Students gathered in front of the Palace of Culture and Science yesterday to celebrate the official opening of the 2010 finals, marked with the cutting of the Imagine Cup ribbon. Wearing their matching T-shirts, teams excitedly waved their country flags and listened to inspiring speeches from Waldemar Pawlak, former prime minister of Poland, Jacek Murawski, general manager of Microsoft Poland and Jon Perera, Microsoft’s general manager of education strategy..then we gave a big wave n hug to the Software Design teams from Sri Lanka and Ivory Coast that, because of travel issues, were not able to be in Warsaw, Poland at the Worldwide Finals. Software Design teams from Sri Lanka and Ivory Coast that, because of travel issues, were not able to be in Warsaw, Poland at the Worldwide Finals. The ceremony included a show from the famous local folk band Zakopower, who played with a variety of instruments from guitars and drums to cellos, violins, horns, megaphones and even bagpipes! The band created an array of sounds and flavors that matched the diversity of the student audience. Lead singer, Sebastian Karpiel Bulecka, spoke to us right after the gig…took a plenty of pics then we went for our first dinner in Novotel.. n yea the entire city was so so bright thought the time would be around 4 in the evening but to my surprise it was nine o clock then only realised i was in Poland and the sunsets really late there..had a good polish food..not spicy very blank i would say.. the deserts were just too great that they melted in my tongue as i ate them.. roamed till 2 in the night.. had a long walk in the park went to the metro station.. got a sim card then finally decided to hit the couch at three.. the morning view at 6 in the morning was just too fabulous.. stayed in the 14th floor.. again got to see the city very bright and happy.. then went for breakfast met lot of people from different countries n cultures..made new friends.. my first friend was from indonesia.. :)) After a day full of amazing ideas presented by some of the brightest students from around the world, they announced the teams going on to the second round in the Software Design and Embedded Development competitions. For Software Design, we went from 68 teams to 12 and for Embedded Development, from 15 teams to 10. The caliber of entries across the board was incredibly high so, while not everyone will continue in the competition, everyone deserves a huge congratulations for making it this far..then we got a real taste of Polish culture in the town of Pultusk. Dating back to the 10th century, the town features a medieval castle alongside the river Narew. On arrival, we were welcomed by Waldemar Malicki, the famed Polish classical pianist. He delighted the crowd with examples of well-known classical European pieces, from Chopin to Beethoven, coupled with humorous jokes and references to other well know musical tunes. After the standing ovation we were free to roam different cultural zones in the castles grounds and learn different aspect to polish life. This included:
- Jousting in traditional polish knight costumes
- Sample tradition Pierogi
- Butter making and the opportunity to taste local polish cheese
- A talk from local beekeepers giving insight into how they collect nectar
- Horseshoe and coin making from local ironmongers
- Kayaking and gondola rides up the river Narew accompanied by an accordion player
In addition to the cultural attractions, the day was an opportunity for students to get to know one another, share stories and build memories. The friendships and connections made at the Imagine Cup live on much longer than the week-long competition. We toured Warsaw’s Old Town, the historic district that lies along the bank of the Vistula River featuring medieval architecture ..then went to an Indian restaurant Namaste India to have some spicy indian food which just made us feel how much we miss home..!! at last the grand finale was held in the Opera house.. the show began with a polka dance then a short welcome video and speech by John Perera.. the came the huge minute when the awards were started to be given out..the second runner up was the delhi team from india.. we were the first runners up and the first place went to the taiwan team which was a mix of polish and an indian.. it was such a great patriotic feel when we held the tricolor flag high up in a huge stage..We were very very happy and was jumping throughout.. and cheering the other teams.. our ADE's Mark ,Satish and Mandira from The Week were highly excited about the victory.. the entire team india was filled with happiness two out of four teams from india won.. :)) with all the adrealine levels high we had a huge bash in the the final party held at Platinum Club were all the teams were celebrating their victory and the grandeur of the event..
I got to compete in a competition where my competitors from around the world becomes my family for a week and my friends for ever Imagine Cup 2010♥♥" love yea all :)
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