Red- his favorite color. I don't remember how, over the time, it has become my favorite color as well. There was a time, not too long ago, when all I had were Blacks/Whites/Grays or their combination shades in my closet. Now, whenever I shop in the mall or online, Red is the one color I look for and instantly approve. The other day I was looking at my wardrobe and I saw some 4-5 clothes in the same shade of Red. Given that I am someone who only keeps around 8-9 clothes at a time for regular/seasonal wear, it was quite a share. And not just clothes, general stuff around my house (kitchen utensils included), the decor etc is like a theme- of him. It conveyed something so strongly. I realized how I am trying to compensate his absence by keeping him with myself all the time in my mind/heart where I am subconsciously doing smallest/subtle things the way he would have liked- choosing colors he would have picked. Love shows up in so many ways and Longing - even more.
Just felt like watching an Indian Flag Hoisting ceremony ...
Even though I am a self proclaimed - more patriotic than many, it always was a boring event for me back in the days. I lived in a neighborhood where at least 4 schools(including mine of course) were within a distance of clear loudspeaker sound. I was always repelled by the high volumes, irrespective of the nicest melody being played. Also, no matter how enthusiastically I practiced in bathroom, I would never think it was good enough for the stage and mic! So days like these mostly started with a negative undertone for me. To my relief, the ceremonies used to be over by noon or so and we were home around lunchtime. Sure enough there was some Karma/Tiranga/Shaheed type movie running on DD. So the rest of the day was the real freedom and fun for the kids that we were :). The best part was - four Boondi laddus in primary school to one tiger biscuit packet in secondary to snacks in college. Never thought I would miss this but here I am! Happy Independence Day :-).
Continued from Part 2 ... We did visit a few places like history museum by ourselves.
Coming back to food, London definitely has enough places to fill your stomach as well as satisfy your Indian taste buds. Here are a couple of interesting décor pieces, I clicked in one of the restaurants.
About architecture, what more can I say that has not been said before? Mmmm... probably nothing. You just
have to watch it yourself, experience it to get the feeling. Its enriching.
Big Ben
Buckingham palace
Madame T.
After being utterly disappointed by NYC's Madame Tussaud's, we decided to give it a skip here in London. However, later in the day we did think about visiting it since it was The Original one but then we were too tired to go back. Once we hit the bed, it took us only minutes to fall asleep. All we had in mind was not to miss our flight back home, next day. The trip was really exhausting but it was worth every bit of it. Totally Enjoyyyed It. :-)
The next day started with a lavish English breakfast.
Breakfast is one thing I love the most about travel :) because unlike other meals of the day, you can find decent veg breakfast options almost everywhere. At least I do.
Though I wouldn't call myself a foodie, the absence of quality edible food or delay in its arrival does change my mood/tone. Well, most of the time :).
After a fulfilling breakfast, we were all set to explore London.
We had to plan the agenda for what all to visit and how. Options were - taking a bus tour or do it ourselves. Like I mentioned in Part 1, a few landmarks were within walk-able distance. So, we decided to skip the bus for the first day.
We started the day with watching the famous Horse Guards Parade in the city of Westminster. The last time I had watched a horse with a rider(city police) was in Mysore, one of the better maintained historic cities of India.
This ceremony of changing The Queen's Life Guard is definitely a sight not to miss. Fascinating!
Among the things that were captivating in central London, the boat tour of the river Thames ranks on the higher side. As much as I distance myself from too-much-water .. the night-light and mesmerizing view of the Tower Bridge kept me glued to the side seats of the boat. The front seats were still too much for my water fear/disgust. Let's just say I am not a beach person or a ocean/river person for that matter. A water fountain or waterfall? May be :).
The mid november London was pretty cold. Colder than what we had packed for. We did get an idea of London winter through available means but the weather forecasts cannot give accurate data for more than 8-10 days in advance.
So, we were stuck with feeling cold while still enjoying London winter. To make it worse we also had rain forecasts for next couple of days.
Had it not been for the weather we would have visited more places on our own. All hail (hell) to London weather we were left with no option but to go for the Bus-Tour now.
During our bus ride, I realized how much could I relate to those tourists I used to see back in Manhattan/NYC. Tourists probably resent to people who actually live at such picturesque places. (May be not; I somewhat did :P) I mean, they have to come all the way from their respective homes, around the world, for just a few days of experience and long bills of travel/lodging expenses!
Since a few months now, I wanted to be more regular with blogging especially because I happened to have some content to write about and didn't have to force my thoughts into a blog post. I just don't have that thing in me! I cant force myself to sit and write just for the sake of it. The topic should occur to me; the words should drive me. I realize and I read it everywhere that one needs be more regular in one's blogging world most importantly to improve the blogging skills( I definitely need that :)).But off late I got busy with things, I will update later about, and had to take a back seat. Well, I am still going to be around :-). This one was long due. I had drafted some of the parts, mostly the key things, during the trip itself. And now, when I found some time to write, this one felt like to be prioritized before I forget the links to give a finishing touch to those drafts. Yeah, I have a very selective memory. I remember certain things/incidents (even after decades) like its carved on the stones but forget most of the others like it was written on a beach sand. So lets start. The trip was for a week, a short one according to me. To add to that, it was a much colder London than what we thought it would be when we packed for the trip. Anyway, we did enjoy the untimely rain that caused the sudden drop in temperature but then we were not adequately prepared (clothing wise) so we could go out only when the weather allowed so with our lot.
We stayed in Haymarket Hotel in Central London. Ours was a typical British styled, cozy and elegant room. The place was perfect for tourists. Many landmarks were at a walking distance. The architecture of the surroundings dragged me straight to the history books. Each and every building around that area had a class and antique touch to it. What soothed my mind/heart along with my eyes was the fact that it was not made up to picture a theme; the built was all original and brilliant! There was so much to cover around our hotel area itself that we decided we will wait for the suitable weather for the city tour. After resting the first day, we started with the Trafalgar Square, which was just a couple of blocks away. We were on an early morning walk when suddenly a gentleman stopped us to not cross a certain not-drawn boundary. It was then that we realized the camera and crew around - there was some shooting going on. The area was vacated and there were a couple of dressed up actors. Based on their attires and lights' setup, it looked like some period feature shoot to us. It was my first live shoot watching experience. Although having lived in Manhattan for a couple of years, I did come across many chances when some shooting was scheduled nearby but by the time we used to know of it , the area used to get too crowded to see anything. This one being a very early morning shoot, didn't have much crowd/audience to disturb. I was so excited to see how things happen that we stayed there for a while . We curiously observed all the takes/retakes, makeup/touch-up, props, director's instructions, camera angles, dialogue recitals etc. The actors certainly have a very creative and fun world :). We managed to click this picture before we were requested not to take any photos.
We then came back to our room to have breakfast and plan the rest of the things. to be continued...
All smiling, I put the receiver back.
I was jumping with joy and didn't notice the filmy dialogue Mom just made. I realized it a few mins later while repeating the wonderful news in my head. Really Mamma? She surely had watched a lot of Hindi movies, I told myself.
Moreover its her first time as a Grandma, I can understand her excitement and nervousness. She probably couldn't think of her own words instantly.
The little one was going to be the first kid of our next generation and somehow the family had an intuition that it would be a Girl. So, I was ready with the name - Pari. There were so many names coming from everybody, but mine was the favorite. Yeah, I know its a very common name now but back in 2003, it was nowhere. I heard Pari the second time in a serial, which happened 3-4 months later. And, there I had struggled through months to find a beautiful and unique name for the doll who would call me Maasi .I got to hear it a few months later but the sound was totally worth the wait! Maasi, coming from those cute little lips through few tiny teeth, made my eyes twinkle with early mist followed by a few warm drops. She was angelic. It was sheer bliss.
When Mom used to massage her, she would sing "Pahle to main mommy thi ..Naani banaya aapne". Oh she brought so much fun in our lives :).
How I suddenly thought of writing about her?
Well, just few weeks back it struck me that her birthday was approaching and she will enter into her teens this year. Couldn't believe so many years have passed already ..still feels like yesterday when we went to hospital to meet her for the very first time! I haven't been very good at handling infants so I would wait for her to sleep and then cuddle her :-)
How time flies!
Now, she is already trained in classical and contemporary dance. A talented performer, she is a part of almost every dance program happening around. At 10, she choreographed her dance for my wedding-Sangeet. Super cute it was!
Here is a pic of her(right most) with her dance group.
Birthday special tight hug and lots of love -- Maasi God Bless You.
"Which song is this?" Someone would ask sitting in front of TV, tape recorder or radio.
Most of us would answer the correct song guessing from the first tune of the song, before hearing even the first word of it. Those were the days!
Miles apart and all grown up, now we have started WhatsApp-ing random screenshot of a song and some/all from the family-group crack it correctly.
I have been brought up in a musical environment. More on knowledge side than performance. Credit goes to my Mom! I think she knows more songs than all the women of her age (in her social circle) put together. She has a melodious voice to complement her interest.
My favorites have to start with this one. Maa sang it in her muh-dikhayi(DIL's introduction) ceremony in a small village in north India back in mid 70s.
Can you imagine her love for music and see my excitement and pride here? :)
Dheere Dheere Machal...
The lyrics, the music, the actors.. this song is an absolute pleasure.
Ironically, my dad who was all proud and bit blushed when someone told him that bhabhi was singing a beautiful Filmy song, is a total off key :) Yeah, it was a thing to sing filmy song back then especially in a rural set up like that. He himself hardly knew any songs but did improve with time. He always keeps the fun part alive be it remembering the lyrics -aaj ki raat mere dil ki salami lele or trying to sing- firki vali :)
Jodi Hamara Jamega Kaise....
My all time favorite from his list.
We siblings had many favorites depending on mood and occasion. Most of them are the bollywood songs from 60s, 70s and early 80s. The reason probably is- we grew up listening to songs from older generations hence our musical taste got developed that way. I mean, my current memory has 80% songs from the time when I wasn't even born :P
Its not like they don't make beautiful songs anymore. For some reason most of them just don't last long in my heart. Weak lyrics, not-so-pleasant visuals or noisy music, there is something (at times everything) which doesn't go well with my ears.
I would still love to add a song from the current generation of music. Yup, I do get to listen 'hope' every once in a while.
Haan Hansi Ban Gaye...
This one is also a Valentine special. :)
"Really? How long we've been sleeping? I don't think we'll get anything to eat at this time."
"Lets just have our carry-on snacks and try to sleep back. "
"Yeah."
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"Shopping will be the first thing in our to-do list. ok?"
"Do I have an option?" :P
Nope, I am not a shopaholic. Same is the case with my husband. Actually the set up of our Hotel was to set the guests up! It was interconnected to one of the most sought after shopping malls in HK.
However, we ended up doing just window shopping. Well.... most of the time!
We were there for a week. So, I will only do the highlights.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
## In search of Indian food, we roamed around street markets. We came across small temporarily built shops, roadside set up, bargaining ladies, car stuck in a narrow road :P... almost everything that you will see in any small Indian town.
We even saw two elderly couples, probably retired, playing something like carom in one of the shops during off peak afternoon hours :-).
Well, life isn't all about money and machines!
## My b'day was one of the highlights of course ;). It was in the middle of the week. Cake, dressing up and then candle light dinner. Yeah, getting outing-ready is actually a task for me. I am one of those ladies, who find face-cream + lip-balm enough for most of their outings. My make up kit opens up only on special occasions. Yeah, call me lazy! I am too much of that to even mind it :P.
A pleasant surprise was the door bell that afternoon. I opened the door and there was this guy(school going type) with a tray. Also, handed me a hand written b'day wishes card from the Manager.
"Happy birthday Ma'am! This is from the Hotel. Enjoy your special day :-)"
"Hey wait, how did you know it was my birthday? I dont remember mentioning my DoB anywhere."
"We have our special secret ways, Ma'am". He said, smiling at my puzzled face.
"Sure, you do :-). Thanks a lot ."
It must be my passport. Wow, they actually go through those IDs we submit.
## Next day was Diwali. Our own much cerebrated Hindu festival. This year it was only about having Indian food for a three course dinner.
## Up next was visiting Tian Tan Buddha. I am not my religious self since quite some time now but Art is still in my list. The statue on the top of the hill and the way to reach there were fascinating enough to go.
We opted for crystal cable car, transparent thoroughly.The hint of acrophobia in me scared the both of us initially. But we held up. The ride was breathtakingly beautiful.
## We also covered botanical garden which was equally zoological. Among many other species, red Flamingos were worth a click.
## Next on list was tram to Victoria Peak, the highest point of Hong Kong.
So, this was a 20-25 mins angular tram ride through the city and dropped you at a place, whence you would go to the peak.
For me, that tram ride was an experience of another world. You just shouldn't miss this thing while in HK. We were so thrilled that we realized afterwards there were no photos clicked from tram. Believe me, its that amazing!!
And, then came the day we left for airport.
Hong Kong is one beautiful place with beautiful people inside out..
The trip continued to a couple of other destinations, hence a little gap in the next post.
Anyway, I am back now. :)
En route to hotel, we couldn't help notice the highly developed infrastructure of the Vertical City even with those sleepy eyes and heavy eyelids. The balance between men-made and natural beauty was really amazing.
We reached our hotel around 8:30 AM and the receptionist only disappointed us despite all the elegance and smiles she could pour!
" We are really sorry Sir. The guest in the room, booked for you from today, has not checked out yet. I am afraid, you will have to wait."
" How long is it gonna take?" - me and husband unanimously.
" The check out time is before 12:30 PM. So, whenever the guest leaves we will need another 1-2 hours to get the room ready for you.
You can spend the time in our lounge or recreational areas. We will give you a call once the room is ready. Really sorry about the wait, Sir."
" Its all right. Not your fault. Thanks."
"Come on, we all know the check- in/out standard timings. How could the travel agency do such a mistake. They knew the flight arrival time. Should have booked the room from yesterday!!" I blurted out in tired frustration.
The tone was more like it was Kumar's fault. Well, you cant take a wife out of a lady around her husband!
He ignored or let it go and we started looking for something to eat. A fight well saved. :P
Hotchpotch aside, I cant miss the perks! Those musicians during breakfast, caring staff and a mesmerizing swimming pool area among other things helped us relax while we explored the surroundings.
We finally entered into our room around 2 PM. It was a harbor facing worth-the-wait deluxe room. We were full from that melodious brunch so just took a much needed shower and slept like babies! :) to be continued ..
at the early dawn. If only I could watch it without that (plane's)window in between!
"Boiled bland eggplant with a thin layer of mildest salsa!" The sight and then the taste of it crashed my little hope of getting some edible food in the 15 hrs long flight. I so trusted that flight attendant when she came with some note and asked for my confirmation -"Ms. Kumar, you have special food request. Vegetarian meal, right?"
"Yes, please. thank you!" I said imagining how wonderful it would have been had she asked me to pick something from 3-4 veg options. Alas!
No, I am not a foodie. Not at all. However, whatever is served, should have some basic ingredients to start with. For my taste buds, salt is a must. Some veg gravy in mild spices with rice/Roti would do just fine.
Anyway, I started getting the feeling I am away from my home and heading towards some foreign land.
Hong Kong. Geographically not so foreign from my forever home-India but culture & food are so distant. Whereas, culture & food are not so foreign from my current home-New York but located at almost the other end of the Globe.
Officially, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China(straight from Google).
Now, that's some name! :-)
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The excitement of the trip kept me awake during most of the journey. The flight entertainment had a decent collection of my-type-of-stuff to help me through it.
From Kora Kagaz to Sabrina and Anamika to Breakfast at Tiffany's. I had them all :-).
The plane landed in the morning and we ran to catch a cab/taxi .. wanted to fly to the hotel room and sleep for the whole day!
"Sir, we only take cash, HongKong dollars. No cards in taxis anywhere in the city." The cab guy told my husband. Go to such and such place and withdraw some for yourself, you will need it in the city.
And we thought VISA, the credit card, was All we needed. Well, at least their slogan says so.
We went back, withdrew cash, got into the taxi and heard- "You Indi(यू इन्दी)" in an assertive, humbled, cute voice. Our cab driver was an elderly Chinese.
Some 2 years back when I found my space in blog world, I hadn't imagined in my wildest dream that people would actually come to my page and pay attention to my scribble(as it might look like to many out there) :)!
Today when I receive a comment on my posts or notice visitors' count growing , I feel contented that my writings must be making some sense to at least few of these visitors around the world( much to my surprise!!).
I feel privileged and deeply touched.
MANY THANKS & HAPPY BLOGGING :) your comments are always welcome.
A few days back this friend of mine pinged me and while conversing he casually asked.. aur poems voems nahi likh rahi aaj kal? Since I dont really intimate people whenever I post something here, I understood that though being aware of its existence, he has not been checking this blog of late. Well, fine with me.. I simply affirmed and responded with the link.
A pause, a few formal niceties and the important part to come was his suggestion to try hands on Non-Poetry stuff. May be he didnt like the poems or thought I could do better with stories( Cant say what made him suggest this..believe me I have never been a story-teller :P). I always thought I lack that skill and patience!
The idea anyway did sound interesting ..will not say challenging as I dont have to prove anything anywhere! All this is totally about that thing called creative gratification :).
I so want to format atleast one of those plenty of threads running through my mind these days!
No luck though :(
Need to stop a few or segregate 'em .. help needed from within :)
On Leave K No Office J As a holiday routine, trying to talk to everyone in the family. Still in blanket, started punching keys from my cell. PapaJi… not seniority-wise J… hadn’t talked to him since he reached our hometown yesterday. Cell.. congested network. Landline.. not picked. Tried younger sis. Not picked L. Tried Di… picked J. She n Jiju had just reached their place.. all busy and tired.. had a short call.
Mom..trying again and again ..but it seems the network congestion is not going to clear today L. Bhai is in office, so not disturbing him.
Had there not been a cell phone…. cannot even imagine now a days. Thank God its there.. got the calls back from Papa and sis J.
Just happen to recall the time around 10 years back. We the family used to stay together, all of us in our beautiful (for us it’s been way more than that!) home. We used to go to school/college/office, whichever applicable and then gather for evening tea discussing all what happened the whole day. No need of cell phones.
Our studies, jobs and marriage made us to stay apart and grow electronic. Not bad at all the time that is; but wonderful the time that was !!
The Mom made food, own room, own bed. For me, nothing could beat that cozy feeling.
.. :)so this is not my very first blogging attempt...you see! UPDATE: looks like the linked blog has been deleted due to inactivity! :-( I need to write more often.
Though I had started penning down my thoughts quite a long back. I remember my first poetry attempt being for one of the girls from my class in school. Well, she shared to be in a situation and I just wrote 2-3 lines on that while thinking about it.
And they come out rhyming!!
We were in 4th or 5th std. I guess.
The blogging thing and actually letting people read your words came to me when I was getting used to this online social world. While finishing my graduation, I did sign up for a blogging site. However, I couldn't write much then and lost touch to that side of mine for 2-3 years!
