Happy Birthday to me :)

    

So it was my birthday last week. I had an awesome day. And No, I am not telling how old I turned. Quite a girlie thing ;-)

20th Jan! This day has always been special to me not only because it’s my birthday but also because I share my birthday with a special love of my life – My Dad! We were born on same date and same day, different years though. lol. Interesting na! It’s been years that we have been celebrating our special day together and every time my amazing parents have been great in making it feel like the world has stopped turning – in a good way – in my honor.

Birthdays always makes me feel like a celebrity. Why? Because my phone is ringing every five seconds with people texting and/or calling, writing on my face book wall, sending me birthday mails or sending messages on twitter or LinkedIn. I do feel loved and blessed. Much Gratitude!

Now coming back to the D day …  I am glad that on that day I decided to skip office. (ahh, the luxury of making your own schedule...) I believe it's a big deal to have this one day out of 365 that is completely dedicated to your being - a day on which you do all that you want and the way you want ;-)

Like every year my darling mom - dad woke me up with their warm hug and countless blessings. I am grateful to them for the love and support they've given me all my life. And most of all, I'm grateful to God for giving me the grace to celebrate another birthday so I began my day by going to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara with mom to get the blessings of babaji J Can’t forget to mention here, I had a beautiful bouquet of flowers and chocolates delivered at my home in morning. It’s been almost a week and I am still clueless who sent it. So my dear well wisher if you are reading this blog please let me know your name so that I can at least thank you for the lovely gesture J

In afternoon, I visited a beautiful place called “Kingdom of dreams”. I think it will be difficult for me to describe it in words how wonderful the place was. I actually felt like a princess in this beautiful imitated kingdom. To add to its charm my friend gifted me a crown and actually made me Princess for a day. We ate, talked, laughed, and of course, took pictures ;-) I am thankful for the laughs we shared, the bonds we made, the memories we created, and of course, the gifts I received. Hehehe.

We also watched the night show of a stagecraft musical dance performance called “Zangoora” in a world class theater - Nautanki Mahal. The whole set was animated and was designed by Wizcraft. It was no less than a wonderland and I was deeply involved in this magic world with the people I love. They spoiled me beyond reason that day by pampering me and fulfilling each and every wish of mine. I am grateful to god almighty that he has given me many reasons to smile and appreciate this beautiful gift we all call Life.

Because certain relationships need no “TAGS"

Just for a minute, close your eyes and think of all the people who mean a lot to you… May be the images that flashes to your mind is your family, some one you love, few favorite relatives, few people who were once major part of your world or few close friends with whom you share a very special bond… I believe these are few handful of people we tag as “important”  J 

In this post of mine, I will not talk about these important people, because we already know their worth. These are the people who occupy a major share of thoughts in our mind… To an extent these are the people who hold the power to make us happy or to leave us crying…

But here I talk about the unnoticed, overlooked, unacknowledged, in fact not so important relations, The ones we hardly chose for ourselves… They do not hold any special place in your lives and their absence may not even be noticed, yet their presence makes you at ease. These are the people who don’t expect anything from you, yet unexpectedly make you happy,

I am sure most of you don’t get what I am saying, and have already termed me as insane!!

Umm let me try once again, Do you have any smile friends? Few people with whom you hardly ever talk to, yet whenever you meet them, be it what ever mood you are in, you exchange smiles?

It could be a little girl who waves her hand to you whenever you enter the community park… Or any face book friend whose updates motivates you for life whenever you are down, or any fruit vendor who suggests you to take apples instead of grapes because he believes they are better Or even an attendant of a restaurant who hardly even knows your name, but knows the table you would love to occupy and reserves it for you whenever he sees you walking in  J 

Or it could be even an old colleague whom you are meeting after a long time and he asks your whereabouts! His life of course is not affected by you but still he is concerned. Or an acquaintance, with whom you hardly ever interact comes up to u and asks if you are fine because he has been noticing your missing smile, broken arm or something of that sorts… These people are hardly your friends but they are important. For they give us the happiness which mostly goes unnoticed.

Just for one day, think beyond the important people in your life and concentrate on these people who touch your lives in a special way, spare, even if it’s a minute out of their own busy lives and make you smile!!

You will find loads of such people, acknowledge them!! And look at the smiles you get from them!! Suddenly your handful of important people list will increase drastically!!

I did so today and I am feeling content from deep within. I smiled little more today, appreciated my beautiful life more, shared few hugs today and realized that to make a difference to some one’s life you don’t need a relationship name tag, may be all you need is a little kindness and a will to spread smiles J

Welcoming New Year in Aladdin’s castle: Jaisalmer!

Most of us spend our life as if we have another one reserved in the bank -- Ben Irwin.

I can relate to this as I know I don't have a reserve and I intend to leave no regrets in life and live this one dedicating it to my heart's desire J

Another year went by so quickly like speed of light. I began this year with many promises to myself including a positive outlook, my personal growth, wonderful memories, new achievements, a doze of maturity and lots of travel. Writing about how the past 365 days changed my life is definitely no easy task. People came and went, I cried, laughed, loved, cared, envied, desired, bitched, and above all discovered myself further.

2011 certainly hailed as super lucky to me. I began to blog, got deal of the year award, did bungee jump, participated in a car rally, got promoted, few dance shows and above all traveled a lot including one international trip. There could not have been a better way to end this wonderful year by adding one more chapter to my travel diaries and I chose to visit what people often call as Aladdin’s castle – Jaisalmer!

Traveling is exhilarating for me and the thrill of exploring things anew keeps the traveler in me tickling. I was excited to the core as I was about to spend this long awaited vacation with the people close to my heart. As soon as we arrived at the hotel we straight away went to the terrace. The views were unbelievable and the roof top was lovely overlooking an amazing red fort.  It was lovely!

The attraction in Jaisalmer is a beautiful fort that looks like it is has been carved out like a sand castle on a hill. Inside is a living city where about 1500 people reside. The fort is the oldest occupied fort in the world and it was amazing walking though the tiny alleys. It was really something else wandering the streets.  It really did feel like a scene from Aladdin and I portrayed like no less than princess Jasmine ;-)

After climbing a huge set of stairs and we came to roof top and I was amazed with the 360 view all around. That’s Jaisalmer for us - a wonder view. The architecture was incredible and the whole atmosphere out of this world.

But the most exciting part of the trip was still to be witnessed. Our trip to the golden sands of Thar Desert and to spend whole night there without a tent just below the open sky watching twinkling stars! Yes! You heard it right on the sand in the chilly December night J We hopped into the jeep. On our way we spent about half an hour in a ruined place which locals consider to be haunted [mostly getting ourselves clicked and just hoping if we could spot a ghost and the narrate story to our friends :P] lol

  

As the sun set it appeared God has painted a wonderful painting on the desert canvas.

We reached our destination for the night; a beautiful expanse of rolling sand dunes with not another soul to be seen. It’s mere 150km from the India/Pakistan border, and so has a strong military presence. As we took our seats around the fireplace in the star lit night sky, my friend started to play guitar and we all started singing sufi songs.  Post our musical performance; it was time to treat ourselves on conventional Rajasthani cuisine. We made delicious “lal maas” in the desert. Rajasthan's traditional food is a national treasure, undoubtedly. After dinner, we all slept in the cold sand below beautiful sky in that cold night and made it a night to remember through out our lives …. Yes, this memory will stay with me for many years to come. I spent the wonderful night with equally cordial people discovering the enticing vast desert. Locals in Jaisalmer told me not to miss the sunrise, as it was one of the most beautiful moments of the day and I was fortunate enough to see it early morning as I woke up. I took some beautiful shots of the sunrise in the desert. I was surprised by the nature’s wonder J

As all good things come to an end so did this magical night and we headed for our hotel. I can’t forget to mention that sitting on the roof top terrace of “Little Italy” restaurant overlooking the fort, with golden lights in the night and spending many lazy hours discussing the beauty of life with my dear ones was one of the marvelous moment of my life. The next few days were spent relaxing and enjoying the delicious local food (not to forget onion kachoris and bhel) and soaking up the sun.

What a wonderful start of the year it was! And soon came the time to pack our bags and return to Delhi. Jaisalmer is a dream come true for any traveler and I was also mesmerized by its beauty. The charm and the beauty of the city are awesomely alluring and I would love to visit this golden city with my dear ones again for sure.

Bagwati - A new adornment to my closet!

I finally realized that there is no Santa. After years of keeping those lists under my pillow and waiting endlessly for some old man from the sky to come and drop in an awesome gift or two, my wait has officially come to an end. I know I took a little more time than all you grown ups. :P Okay, So I take it upon myself to be my Santa, to quench my desires for those gifts. And well, during one of my recent quests to get hold of something good in a mall, I saw this Bag.

Well, to be honest, I do not shop, I normally go on a quest. A mission rather to get hold of something awesome…. frisking unknown things, visiting an infinite number of shops, sometimes even talking to those inanimate objects to let them excite me.. and then, you guys think that we girls take a lot of time to shop! Come on, it is more of a religion to us..

So, yes, coming back to the topic. I see this awesome bag sitting beautifully in the window of this showroom. One look and I knew that’s exactly what I wanted. I mean, in spite of the price tag attached to it. Hmm, yeah it costed a bit, Rs 8500 to be exact, but then, as they say all good things come for a price.. well, most of them certainly do.. sadly! So, here was my Bagwati. Staring me right into my eyes, like some prince charming to get her.

Introducing Ms. Bagwati : An extremely welcome addition to my collection. Yes, sweet heart you adorn my closet quite well. And I'm absolutely lovin' this. It has space for everything that goes into a woman's bag.. My heart-shaped mirror, hair-brushes, mascara.. and the rest. Ah, well guys stop right there. You're not supposed to know what goes into a woman's bag!  J 

So, Ms. Bagwati finally ends my quest for a perfect bag officially, Until it starts again….. :P

One for the man of my dreams…

Driving down on a foggy morning with my car’s music player on repeat mode at just one song “you are beautiful” by James Blunt, made me feel heavenly and put this soft smile on my face today. It’s not that there was something special today but some how I smiled every time he repeated “You are beautiful, It’s true” ' It may be for the way he hums these words is a lot more than just a compliment to a girl J  

I know I am one of those hopeless romantics at heart who believe in concepts like “Happy ever after”, “made for each other” and “soul mates”. Who gets touched with most of these love stories no matter how clichéd they are, who live for the feeling of possibility and hope, who know that love does not exist only in books….

As a little girl I always dreamt of fun, spontaneous and wonderful surprises that love will bring in my life. In my early teens, I was fascinated to imagine that when I will fall in love my life will become more beautiful, every day more colorful, every morning more bright. It’s like when you feel like any other protagonist in Yash Raj films. You will wake up happy every morning, people will suddenly start smiling at you, music will play in the back ground, you will look yourself into mirror some twenty times a day, the wind will make your hair blow in the right directions, and it will rain only so that you can look supremely gorgeous. Every thing will be just PERFECT. We all have thought like this at some point in our life. Haven’t we? :) Perhaps that’s what we call innocent growing up days. But then, as years passed, I realized that it’s not this music in back ground, wind or rain that makes it perfect it’s just HIM

We all have to accept the fact that life is not like a typical bollywood movie where you come across him at an epic moment, with some soft music playing at the back drop and you know that he is the one! Yet, deep down I strongly feel that when that person is around, you know that he is the one with whom you really want to spend the rest of your life with and your heart says, “Yes he is the one, go grab him girl!” :)

I know….. I know for a fact many things…..

No one secretly leaves flowers at your doorstep each day.

Agreed! But he may just know my favourite flowers and gets them for me. 

No one surprises us daily

Agreed! But one day he may just suddenly drop in to my office to make sure if I am fine

No one tells you every day that how much they love you,

Agreed! It might be at least expected moment when he says, I LOVE YOU.... and I turn speechless

Falling in love is certainly beautiful. Something that heightens the wonderful experience that is life. Some day, I want to get married looking at my best to someone who cannot believe how unbelievably gorgeous I am [ok now even if I am stretching it a bit, but it's my wedding day ;-) ]. Lol

And now till that day comes I write this blog for this future guy so that one day when he will read all this he will just know how long I have been waiting for him to come along :)

A classy evening watching Polo: The game of Kings and the king of Games

I still remember the days when any polo match used to telecast and leaving all my stuff aside, I used to glue to my couch with large glass of coke and nachos in hand. The time when with every goal, I used to jump off my couch making loud noise and almost shaking the walls of my rooms. Lol That was the time when my love for this sport began to flourish J  I used to think a day will come, when I will also watch this match live and will experience this game of kings with great deal of amusement and mirth. Months and years passed and one fine day I got a special invite from The Reid and Taylor to come and watch the match at their premium lounge at Jaipur Polo Ground.

The day arrived and I dressed up for the occasion wearing my fancy blue hat that complimented my dress quite well. I made my red carpet entry in full princess style as if I am not the spectator but chief guest of the match. Hahaha J  There was a dash of glamour and luxury thrown in good measures every where. The Polo ground was full of Ambassadors, expats, socialites, royals and who’s who of Delhi glitterati who came in full attendance to enjoy the high voltage polo action. I spectated the final match of the royal sport polo which was full of pulsating moves, charismatic horsemanship, skillful stick work and occasional clashes and falls. It was quite the experience to feel the thundering hoofs gallop across the field and to listen to the deep, quick breaths of the horses.  I holded my glass of white wine and enjoyed the game play out in sun, cheering every “chukka”. Players changed horses after every chukka due to extreme demand placed on pony. It was a learning experience for me and I learned a lot about the game. I also continued my photography sessions in between and got some amazing shots J 

Polo was and will remain a pinnacle of sports. I enjoyed this fast and furious game in a very amiable social atmosphere. It was certainly one of the most glittering events on the social calendar of the global elite. Finally Samir Suhag smashed five goals in powering Cavalry-Jindal Polo to a 11-9 victory over Jindal-Carysil in the final round and won the match. The ground was full with applauds. It was my first live polo experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After polo match we left for a nice mid evening lunch at “The living Room” which was followed by a nice musical evening at “Thadi” where we enjoyed the hot cup of tea at open terrace. The chilly winter, laung chai, amazing company and sound of drums made my evening perfect J 

The day was memorable and definitely scores a special entry in my blog J 

    

Formula 1: An encounter with thrilling beast machines

Cars, Speed, Power, Thrill, Adrenaline rush, Passion, Excitement, Action - all these words go synonyms with what I experienced in formula one race last Saturday. What an experience! Without exception, just like millions of other Indians it was a very proud moment for me as Formula One race debuted in our country. The screams of the machines howling past at over 300kph provided goose bumps to all incredibly excited F1 fans like me J  It was a dream come true for millions of racing fans in India to witness the grandest sporting spectacle.

I have always loved the thrill and passion that these adventure sports bring. While writing this blog, I am going back to the memory lane when earlier this year I participated in India’s largest women car rally based on TDS format from Delhi till Jaipur which also got an honor in Limca book of records. I know this doesn’t even come close to what these F1 racers must be feeling but I could some how relate myself with the sport as the enthusiasm to realize the sense of adventure, a love for life and curiosity about the unknown was same here as well. I still remember the freedom of open roads and loose bunch of destinations which were more refreshing than any thing else and it puts a smile on my face every time I think about it. Two girls, unknown roads, 963 kms on road and our adventurous trip… How I skipped my heart beat twice while overtaking trucks in speed and traveled till Pushkar only to meet a friend after 5 yrs.  Ever since then my love towards Formula 1 has been growing at an exponential rate. Happy memories!!!!

 

Ok ok by now we all know why I was so enthusiastic about attending this race J  I was trying for these passes for very long with no success but I guess the universe specially conspired to make this wish true for me, as just a day before the event I got the premium pass. Whoa! Chance to watch these excellent drivers from one of the best stands in the circuit J  Engines started to fire up and wheel guns started to scream. Yes! That was the time when these ultimate cars began to emerge one by one. The race began and so as my excitement level. The whining sound of Formula 1 cars made my heart also race. The 130 db sound pumped my heart like any thing. There were over 1,00,000 spectators for the exciting show. We were watching the sport from the main overtaking spot and saw some spine-tingling action, many daring overtakes and an awful lot of close racing.

The cars were flying past us at a little more than 300 kmph and they made me skip a heart beat every time a driver overtook another one. I could see the excitement on the faces of the people with me. We were discussing our expert views munching the spicy nachos and giving amazing facial expressions every time the cars past us. Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull at the end of last lap crossed the chequered flag and won the race. It was a good battle and an action packed session.

The day ended but left me with lots of happy memories. I had no clue how quickly the day passed by. All I know is I was full of smiles by the time I returned back home J