Minarets or no minarets??

The recent vote in Switzerland to ban the construction of Minarets has yet again raised a lot of questions. Many instances like this in recent times in Europe is reflecting the growing disenchantment of europeans with its Muslim population. With the upsurge of terrorism and Muslim Fundamentalists, social and economic problems associated with immigration has taken a back seat and religion has become more important.

The growing resentment is very clear with the Frech President Sarkozy openly deriding the burqas and head scarves, the third largest party in Belgium openly opposing the "mushrooming of mosques" to name a few. In a recent Europewide study,among 14,000 correspondents,52 percent in Spain, 50 percent in Germany, 38 percent in France and 25 percent in UK harbored negative feelings about Muslims.

Is Europes' phobia with muslims justified??...this issue will open a Pandora's box....
Practically speaking, what harm can the construction of a minaret bring??....Its a symbol of Islamic architecture and its generally built alongside the large urban mosques...these mosques are run by moderate imams and so the fear that Jihad and terrorism would be preached from them is also unjustified because those imams who preach violence generally lay low and are always on run from the police.

But on the other hand, there are also justifications for this islamophobia...long and historically hostile relations between islam and christianity, constant demands by muslims for special treatment such as segregation of genders in public swimming pools, illegal practices of polygamy and ignorance  of core European values of free speech and separation of church from state. With the recent arrests of 5 Muslim-American citizens in Pakistan who wanted to join terrorist outfits or the arrest of Richard Headley and Rana,again two muslims citizens of US in association with Mumbai terror attacks have stoked a fear and resentment among the general masses which is far worse than the petty issues of Burqas and Minarets.....if the trend continues,it will be difficult to contain this resentment and prevent the alienation of muslim population from general masses not only in Europe but around the world.

December Fever.....

 December has arrived... it is considered the "holiday month" especially among the "desis" who work in firang countries...reason is simple....there are more holidays this month due to christmas and New Year...add a few days of your own and you have got a substantial vacation to go to India...where else ;)

Now its not that all desis go in december only...some even go in Navratras (esp. Gujjus) and Diwali etc....depending upon "family reasons" (read marriage,birthday etcetc) or holidays available but majority goes in december....then there are flurry of activities involved prior to the travel....long shopping lists are given or e-mailed...the excitement is electric....  

Its not that our good old desis are not into tourism....they do go to other places but if you are expecting us to climb mountains....hike on dangerous trails or safari in Kenya then forget it....we are not into "freakish" holidays...we would rather go to known commerical tourist destinations and have a civilized vacation but all this for a short time...because whenever there are bulk holidays the destination will always be india...

So heres wishing all the desis a Happy Holiday....everyone will be back in 2-3 weeks because lets face it..however "home sick" they may feel...no one really wants to stay back :))

Team India....No.1 :)

My heartiest congratulations to Team India which has finally become the No.1 Team in the world....it took 77 years to achieve this but we have done it afterall :D.....

Way to go boys....we are all so proud of you...keep it up!!!

Weekend Breakfast...

Here I am... cozily tucked in my quilt... nursing my tonsils and a running nose and dreaming about a breakfast of aloo parathas :)).....sad thing is that this dream wont come true unless I move and make them myself....a year ago I couldnt imagine myself waking up on a saturday morning and thinking of making aloo parathas...hell I wouldnt even wake up at 9.30 am on a saturday morning...its too early for a saturday :P....but now alas, things have changed.....actually I wouldnt wake up even today but my incessant coughing and hurting tonsils arent letting me sleep.....

With the temperature hovering around 4-6 degree celsius outside, I even contemplated braving the chill outside and get some readymade breakfast and hot coffee from outside but I am again tired of the bland breakfast of Donuts, Muffins, Pancakes,Croissants,Buns etc.....what I am craving for is the typical Desi Weekend Breakfast of Aloo Parathas dripping with ghee and curd and that I will not get anywhere at this hour unless I cook it myself......these are the times when I miss my home the most.....and I also wonder if my mom also felt lazy on these mornings because she never said so and always cooked whatever we demanded ...Love u mom :))....and I also wonder if I would be able to generate this same warmth and care about myself in my kid(s).....

The growling in my stomach has increased and like a substance addict,it will only be satisfied with aloo parathas so guess I will have to move my lazy bum afterall.... :))

A Tribute to Heroes

Today on 3rd December, 38 years ago, the Indo-pak war of 1971 started after Pakistan's pre-emptive air strikes on several indian air bases.A conflict that was triggered by the massive genocide carried out by Pakistan in erswhile East Pakistan particularly targeting hindus and massacring 3 million people overall. This war got over in less than a fortnight by 16th december after Pakistan faced a humiliating defeat in which it lost half of its navy, a quarter of its airforce and a third of its army. For Pakistan,it was a complete and humiliating defeat in which it lost half of its territory,significant portion of economy and its geo political role in south asia.




Gen. A.A.K Niazi, Commander of Pakistani forces in Bangladesh surrendered to Lt.Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora on 16th dec 1971 and India took about 90,000 prisoners of war which constituted of Pakistani soldiers and their civilian supporters,who were later released in Simla Agreement of 1972.India also gave back more than 13,000 sq.kms. of land it had seized during the war although retaining a few strategic areas like Kargil which later became as focal point for war between the two again in 1999.




Be it the 1971 war or the Kargil War(1999) or recently the Terror Attacks in Mumbai (2008), our soldiers have displayed  amazing acts of bravery and courage to fight off the enemies and emerge victorious.
This Post is a tribute to all our martyrs and our brave soldiers who endanger their own life in order to protect ours...who stay awake so that we can sleep peacefully.

Proud to be an Indian....Jai Hind!!!

The Appeal...

Another very entertaining novel by John Grisham. Exposes the dirty little secret of Political Games behind the election of Supreme Court Justices in the state of Mississippi. It is also very frightening in the sense that big business and major insurance companies indirectly channel so much money into these elections through dummy corporations in order to fund the election campaign of their candidate for the Supreme Court.

As a result of this manoeuvre, their chosen candidate floods the advertising and television spots with his campaign and also acquires unlimited resources and secure a seat at the bench. This elected candidate after becoming the Justice will ofcourse always side with the big corporations and hence all the big litigations against these big business will be either reversed or rendered. As a result of this, many major insurance companies have become fearless and now dont settle out of the court because they are so confident about the outcome.

The story of how a well packaged and well marketed candidate can even become a Supreme Court Justice even though he/she does not have any experience at the bench....a very interesting read.

Glitzy Weddings....

It seems the wedding season is on, especially in Bollywood where a lot of weddings have taken place recently. Although almost everywhere in the world, getting married is the most important thing in anybodys life, in India the wedding functions are a mega event. No stone is left unturned and people go far beyond their means in order to make it the "best" because a  persons' capacity to spend in a wedding also decides his stature in the society.

                       

For example, take Shilpa Shetty or Eisha Koppikar's wedding.....there was news of a so called "bridal war" between the two ladies regarding the wedding card....venue...arrangement...designers and what not. Media plays a even greater role in adding up to the frenzy...Shilpa's jewellery designer was interviewed....what kind of jewellery she'll wear was speculated upon....her dress designer was interviewed too....previous clips of her dressed in a bridal trousseau from her movies and magazines were taken out and scrutinized to predict how would she look in her "real" wedding......there were news of her so called "blouse malfunction" at her reception. Same frenzy was around Eisha Koppikar and the media cried foul when she invited them to her wedding and then ignored them there!!.....

One would think what happened to sensible journalism??.....Who cares about who is designing their jewellery or which designer is designing their bridal trousseau??..... I admit the talks of trousseau and jewellery might interest some and why not, even I am interested in them but not in the minutest detail in which everything is scrutinized and reported again and again just to fill in the news time. Its stressful for the guests as well because they need a new dress and a set of jewellery for each function.....more the number of functions...more the number of dresses...more money spent and the worse part is you can never wear it again because of the damned cameras and video shoot. If you dare to wear it again some nosy female is sure to remember it and point it out loudly to embarass you.

These Hi-fi weddings aside..even the middle class is deep into it. People tend to spend far beyond their means and there is always a competition about who can spend more. It is such a status symbol that some people even drown in loans in order to make the wedding function appropriately glamourous. Maybe thats why the divorce rate is lesser in India (who would spend that much all over again!! :P:P).......

Its high time sense and sensibility prevailed :))

Food times Contd. ...

There are plenty of options in terms of restaurants offering international cuisines in Herzogenaurach. Its a boon for a food connoisseur like me because I get to try new and interesting dishes and not get saturated.

My favourite restaurant here is Corfu which offers authentic greek cuisine. The food is delicious and owner has really become a friend now that we frequent the place so much. This is a very beautiful thing that I have observed in european restaurants...you are welcomed warmly as if you are at somebodys home...everyone seems to know each other...there are smiles all around and no one is in hurry to move..you can sit for as long as you want and no one will rudely give you the cheque or give you any indication that now that your meal is over you can go and make room for others. This general feeling of warmth and merriment really makes the entire eating-out experience pleasant for someone like me who has always stayed in big cities.

There are Chinese options here as well in form of places like Asia Garten, Mr. Deng etc Italian restaurants are also here in plenty and for authentic mexican cuisine Pura Vida is your best bet.For Fast food there are a few Pizzerias and ofcourse McDonalds. Obviously this list would be incomplete without mentioning the German restaurants here. Some like Kreisl offer the Bavarian cuisine and its very important to note that beer plays a very important part in every German meal and your meal is considered incomplete without it and therefore Beer Gardens (known as Bier Gartens) are very popular here.

For authentic Indian food one can go to Erlangen and try places like Bombay Haus, The House of India, Curry House, Boliwood etc. Road side coffee shops and open air bistros are also very famous in Europe where weather permitting, one can sit outside and enjoy a quiet cup of espresso. The coffee chaain of Der Beck seems to be very popular here and its various outlets are present in both Herzogenaurach and Erlangen.

Ofcourse for vegetarians, the options are very limited but if you are a non-vegetarian, then its a good place to be. :)

Food Times...

I am going to talk about the food options and grocery retail stores in Herzogenaurach. The retail store chain of Norma seems to be very popular here and is conveniently located at all the key points. It is a kind of Supermarket where grocery stuff, meat,vegetables, dairy products,toiletries and even cheap wines are available. Although not exactly a discount store,but things are comparitively cheaper here then the usual market price and is convenient location wise. Then there is Handelshof which is a huge Discount Store and therefore ideal for large scale weekend shopping. Except for the  fruit and vegetable market which only opens on wednesdays and saturdays and one or two meat shops,these stores are the only shops to buy groceries from. I am yet to see a Mom n Pop or Kiraana store here...they have been wiped out I think if they ever existed. There are convenience stores on the Gas Stations too which are open 24/7 but nothing much except for milk,beverages,cigarettes etc is available there.

If you are ready to take a 18 minute bus ride to Erlangen in the bus which is very frequently available (the buses are manufactured by Mercedes and the ride is as comfortable as in a luxury car), you have more options in terms of grocery stores in terms of Lidl, Aldi, Kaufland etc.
Interestingly, Kaufland, Lidl and Handelshof are part of the same business group Schwarz Gruppe.Lidl has a cash and carry discount supermarket and its chief competitor is Aldi. Another interesting point here is that Lidl copied the discount supermarket concept of Aldi in 1973 and now is its chief competitor.

Kaufland on the other hand is a discount hypermarket founded in 1984 which operates in about 7 countries. Being a hypermarket, it has a lot of offerings besides groceries in terms of utensils,electronic items, curtains,clothes etcetc. For Indian grocery stuff like spices, Lentils, Wheat flour etc there is Gandhi Asia.

 Coming to restaurants in Herzogenaurach....one has a lot of options considering whether you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

To be Continued.....

Schweinen Grippe Impfstoff

Above translated in english simply means "Swine Flu Vaccine"...I have written the title in Deutsche to create a mystical aura around this blog  :P:P

Anyway, we got our swine flu shots today which are supposed to protect us against this deadly virus which has spread around the world. For the ignorant folks...swine flu is the name given to Type A or H1N1 virus which is a lethal strain of influenza virus.It originated from Mexico and now has spread all over the world. Although, there are not many cases of swine flu in Europe, we took this vaccine because of the travelling we will be doing next month.

The road towards this vaccination has been rocky to say the least. In Germany, there was a raging controversy when the vaccination program first started. The reason of controversy being that the German Government introduced two types of vaccines..... Pandermix which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithkline PLC,that contains an Adjuvant is being given to the general public whereas the German Politicians, government employees and the military is being given Celvapan manufactured by Baxter International and does not have any adjuvant.

On further research, I found out that Adjuvants are the chemical compounds that boost the human body's immune response but there is not much data available on how safe they are esp. on pregnant women and children. No flu vaccines with adjuvants are licensed in the U.S.

Now the question which arose was why the german government was adopting a two-class health policy?....is this vaccine really safe? are there any fatal side effects??.....these questions plagued my mind for days and days.....
 But then I realised that all these controversies aside....We are essentially Indians....and where the German Government has ordered 50 million doses for its people....India still does not have any vaccine with or without adjuvant or even adequate supply of Tamiflu or essential medical assistance for those who contract this virus. While people are dying, our government is more worried about the Babri Masjid Demolition in 1993 and so on.....

So we thought prevention is better than cure and took the shots :)

Social Networking Sites

"Man is a social animal"...this we all have read, heard, studied.Now that internet has become so widespread, web based social networking came as no surprise.

With so many different social networking sites available,each having its own unique format...users have plenty to choose from....Facebook,Orkut,Twitter,MySpace,Blogger etcetc.....There is a social community for everything...Religious Groups...Education...Political Factions...Entertainment...Adult Material...you name it and there is a community for it where like minded people interact and exchange information.

These networking sites have their advantages....In this fast moving world where people are ultra busy or people who arent so comfortable socialising in person...its the best way to remain in touch. It is also a very cheap and quick way of communicating between people who are located at different destinations. People can send each other messages or IMs....upload pictures...music and what not...

Blogs are another method of communicating ones ideas and thoughts and reaching out to like minded people from around the world. These networking sites are also proving to be a boon for the marketers as they can easily spot their target market from the online communities and through these social networking sites,it is much easier and cheaper to create a buzz about a product or service....

One can do almost anything through these sites...even get married...join a matrimony site and choose...talk about convenience!!!....

These networking sites have made exchanging information easier. Reaching out to people is relatively easier and cheaper. Privacy,Security and in some cases Anonymity is also guaranteed. Today world has become a small tight knit community and these sites have a major contribution in that.

But not all is hunky dory here....there are some or depending upon ones own opinion...many disadvantages of these sites too....question which normally arises is "do these sites really help in socialising online?".....umm....my contention is not always....for example...take Facebook...how many times do people actually message each other except on Birthdays or some other event??....are you really socialising by playing Farmville...Sorority Life...Mafia Wars etc?....and are these really games or just mindless clicking???.... Then there is the issue of fake identities and fake profiles which limits people to only interact with those who they already know in person....there are questions raised on the security of these sites too because many profiles have been hacked...pictures copied and morphed...adult content inserted etcetc

These and many other issues are prevalent but inspite of all this, one has to agree that these social networking sites are very popular and are here to stay. More than anything it has become a status symbol... if you dont want to sound or look like a douchebag...you gotta be a part of atleast one such site.

In this digital age,where information means everything,these social networking site are and will play a paramount role.

Bombay or Mumbai....

Bombay which now has become Mumbai (because Shivsena wanted it) is the commercial capital of India. Its also known as the City of Dreams because of the opportunities it provides. Be it the Film Industry or the Media and fashion agencies or the thriving businesses..you will find loads of "Rags to Riches" stories here because its said that those who really want to succeed will succeed...ofcourse not everyone is able to fulfill their dreams but one thing is there....even when it does not give you what you want, you cant help falling in love with this city.

Whether described in best sellers or 8 oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire...the city continues to intrigue and attract.Bombay has its own beauty and elegance. Where there is shabbiness and slums on one hand....there is also the splendor of the arabian sea,beaches and promenades. One can find the foot prints of the British Era in stoned pavements,churches and buildings and also the stark modernity of today in Nariman Point and other areas. Its known for its fashion, movie industry, slums, underworld and what not. Its buzzing with life....here you can find young girls doing Rasta Shopping in Bandra and Colaba...Youngsters lounging about in cafes,pubs and discs in Andheri, Juhu etc.....Industrialists and executives rushing to their work in Nariman Point,Bandra Kurla Complex and elsewhere....Leather goods and thousands of other legal as well as illegal products being sold in Dharavi..the largest slum of Asia. Bombay has a lot of courage too....whether the 1993 Bomb Blasts...or the floods of July 2005 or serial train blasts of 2006 or recently the terror attacks of 26/11....the city has withered all of it and much more,but its remains unbent and fastidious.....the spirit of Bombay and its people have enabled it to get up everytime and rise like a phoenix.

The spirit of this magical city comes from its people who come from everywhere...it does not belong to any specific creed or state. Its an integral part of the indian nation and belongs to every indian citizen. Such people who create these differences should be arrested and tried in court for trying to create differences and unrest among the people.They should be asked why their band of goons only attack poor students from UP and Bihar who come to appear for All India Exams and where were they when the terror attacks were happening in Bombay....why Karan Johar, the film maker has to apologize for using the word "Bombay" instead of Mumbai in his movie "Wake up Sid"....why it cannot be Bombay and why it has to be Mumbai???...In America, a lot of cities were named by the countries who made their colonies there like Los Angeles, San Francisco to name a few...why havent these names changed there???....Its high time that people understand that a city is made by its people and not its name....we should be Indian first and then belong to any state not vice versa.

It says it all in the words of Sachin Tendulkar "Mumbai is for every Indian" and thats how it should be. Irrespective of whatever anyone has to say I will always love this splendid city.

Salaam Mumbai :))

Majestical Paris Contd....

The park is about 40 minutes train ride from the main city and is a whole new world in itself. Its divided into three parts viz. Disneyland, Walt Disney Studios and the Disney Village. The Disney Castle is the main attraction in the Park and the kids throng to see the well dressed princes and princesses and other royalties...adults are no less enthusiastic about meeting and getting photographed with these characters here. There are many theme based rides here which all are different and exciting in their unique ways.Since Halloween was around the corner when we had gone there, the entire park was decorated on that theme and one could see a lot of colored pumpkins around which gave the place an air of joy and festivity.

In the Walt Disney Studios, there are various famous Disney characters milling about and children and adult alike line up to meet them and get photographed with them. It was thrilling to meet Goofy, Ratatouille etc. As a 25 year old adult, I may be sounding silly but people older than me were as excited as the kids there...such is the infectious atmosphere of the place. Theres also the toy train ride which takes you on a tour of the Disney Land and all the famous action scenes of famous Walt Disney Movies like Titanic, Pearl Harbor etc are depicted here....sitting on the train you can experience a bomb blast,torrential rain and fire all around...all seems so realistic that it leaves you spellbound and amazed.

Disney Village is more inspired with the Hollywood theme and there are lots of restaurants and souvenir shops here. We also bought some for friends and family although they are a bit expensive and over rated but then souvenirs always are.

On our last and final day..we went to Louvre in the morning. Louvre is one of the biggest museums in the world and is famous for the artwork it has notably Mona Lisa and Venus de milo. The entire museum is vast and is divided into sections and its easy to get lost here...though 6 hours are never enough for this place which houses so many artistic treasures of  mainly Gothic and Renaissance era, we completed the tour nevertheless and proceeded towards the famous Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame....it is well maintained and preserved and some of the best artworks of the Gothic era is visible on the church walls and the ceiling. In the end we took a cruise on the River Seine. It was very romantic sitting on the top of the boat in the breezy afternoon with the tour guide telling about the places on our left and right and about so many bridges that we passed under...it was very informative and I was surprised to find so many bridges and each had its own history.

Finally we scrambled to catch our planes as we had got very late and thought we might miss our flight. But thankfully we reached right on time and a friendly airport official got us our boarding passes very quickly than expected.
The last image I saw was from the plane after the take off was of the Eiffel tower lighting up the city and proudly adorning the Paris Skyline. It was a wonderful and an unforgettable trip...one I will cherish forever.

Majestical Paris.....

I have been meaning to write about this trip for a long time now.... Paris trip was fascinating for many reasons....this is one of the oldest cities in the world and one of the most important and major cities even today.....its a great combination of the history and modernity in the sense that there are well preserved symbols of its both glorious and tumultous past and of the present.....

Paris is like any other major city...I saw a lot of traffic and a lot of people of different colours and nationalities rushing to their work....rush in their steps....stern expressions...clipped sentences....all the typical signs of big city dwellers.....also there were lots of beggars and con men and con-women....unclean streets....overflowing garbage cans.....it will be suffice to say that it reminded me of Bombay in more than one way...but ofcourse its cleaner than bombay and the transport system is more efficient....

Our first stop was the Sacre Coeur....this big white monument of christianity reminded me of Taj Mahal and its huge from inside...after this tour we headed towards Eiffel Tower and indeed this great monument lives up to the fame it has been accoladed with....although the queue was long and it was chilly and windy but after getting to the top it was worth the wait as the view is breathtaking. The entire city of Paris stretches out in all directions. A funny incident happened while getting down....we thought of climbing one floor down by steps as there was a huge queue waiting for the elevator, and after coming down one floor which was "too down" than we had estimated we found that the elevator only started from the top and that its not available now. So gamely we decided to climb all the way down by steps and although my feet hurt a bit later...it was lot of fun. Next stop was Arc de Triomphe and this huge monument built in honor of French people who took part in the Revolution is very much like our own India Gate in Delhi or Gateway of India in Mumbai.....there was again a climb here and my darling husband had to literally drag me upstairs and again the view from the top was amazing. We finally ended our day by spending the evening roaming in Champs de Elysees..the fashion street.....I bought some clothes for myself as I couldnt resist the amazing styles offered by Zara.....the store I always wanted to shop at.

Next Day was scheduled to be spent in Disneyland and indeed even a week would be less for Disney enthusiasts because its huge......

To be Continued......

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil....

Again a wonderful read...this book by John Berendt amuses, scandalizes and captivates. A mesmerising account of the writer's stay in Savaanah and his description of the people and places there is fascinating.....

A gripping story of a decadent society,its people and how they anyhow want to maintain their ties with the past and their resistance to change.... the social parties...scandals and the old world charm keeps you thoroughly entertained.....the amazing part was how learned people still believe in voodoo and black magic and inspite of the integration,there is a thin line of demarcation between the blacks and the whites and theres segregation between blacks themselves where the lighter skinned are getting more preferences....guess black isnt so beautiful afterall and then there is the interesting murder trial of antique dealer Jim Williams which again goes on to show the way of life in Savannahians where money and social status means everything....homosexuality and aany other free world thinking is abhorred and gossip and scandals rule....

Its an interesting read which will keep you turning the pages till you get to the end.....

Scotoma for Marketing Intelligence.....

Scotoma.....mind sees what it chooses to see....dont believe it???...but its true.....when I first heard it I thought it was some kind of disease but this phenomenon is true for every human being and plays an important part in Marketing Intelligence.....

Consider the portrait of Mona Lisa...some say she is smiling some say she is not a she but a female version of Leonardo himself....consider the controversy behind the famous painting of Leonardo "The Last Supper"....whether the person on left of Jesus is a male or female..and if she is a female and Mary Magdelene herself is she and Jesus making a shape of chalice together symbolozing the holy grail....why there are 13 glasses of wine when there should be one.....all of this....Scotoma....mind sees what it chooses to see....

One would say this is only applicable to art...music and religious beliefs but its not....this phenomenon plays an important part for marketers and creation of product image in the minds of consumers which ultimately not only decides the product performance but also shapes the consumer perception on the whole genre of product line, brand identity and the product life. One very interesting example in this context would be the QWERTY keyboards (named so after the first six alphabets on the keyboard)....it was first designed by Christopher Sholes in 1870s for typewriters and the alphabets were placed haphazardly to actually slowdown the process of typing as fast typing stuck the keys!!!......they are used to this date and inspite of ll other revolutions in personal computer, QWERTY is still the preferred keyboard and what more majority of people dont find anything odd about the placement of alphabets!!!....again mind sees what it chooses to see..... this phenomenon plays an important role for the marketers in terms of packaging and presentation because even though different brands may boast of superiority in majority of features but there are some basic components which need to be kept consistent and that is why even though Apple, Dell, Compq etc may boast of differences in their computer models but QWERTY lives on :)

Veronika decides to die!!!.....

Read this mind boggling book by Paulo Coelho....Veronika is this good looking girl who is living a decent life and has nothing to complain about and yet she decides to end her life, she takes sleeping pills and survives but she is told by the doctors that her heart is irreparably damaged and that she only has 7 days to live.....she spends these 7 days in this mental institution where she re-discovers herself ,falls in love with another schizophrenic guy,elopes with him and wants to live again counting everyday as a miracle where actually the doctor has lied to her and she can actually live as there is nothing wrong with her heart.....Doctor hs lied to her because he is experimenting on her and wants to see the effect of this news on her.....

Well...all of the above sounds like a whole lot of crapola and thats what I thought when I began reading this book...I was bored and couldnt sleep one sunday night...but when I started reading it, I couldnt put it down...
For one, everything in this book has been described in a very matter-of-factly way as is the style of Paulo Coelho....plus its also a true story and presented in such a vivid fashion that one can actually understand the madness which leads a person to commit suicide....Nowhere in this book the author has made any attempt to create sympathy for Veronika or any other character......its a must read for those who are really interested in understanding the human psyche.....

Innsbruck....

This beautiful alpine city is the capital of Tyrol in western Austria. The breathtaking beauty of this city made me fall in love with europe all over again.

Although very small, the city has a long history dating back to the 11th century. We took a direct train from Munich to Innsbruck and completed the journey in about 5 hours. The ICE Trains of Germany are another example of this country's amazing automobile supremacy with trains travelling for about 300 km/hr,the journey as smooth and fast as it can get. While going our train was full of the Oktober fest revelers and everyone was having an amazing time.

We reached there on saturday night and stayed in this hostel which we had booked earlier. On sunday morning we started our day with the breakfast and getting the necessary directions and passes from the information center.

The main city area is very small and can be covered by foot. We saw the Golden roof which is as the name suggests is a roof made of gold plated copper plates. Some  steps away is the Imperial palace of Hofburg and the museum. We took the bus to the Ambras Castle which is located on top of the Innsbruck valley and was the summer seat of the royalty. This palace is vast and beautiful with large hunting grounds and priceless paintings,furnitures and other artifacts.

From there we went to the Swarovsky Museum where there are some 40 rooms displaying amazing crystal works and in the end of which there is the shop and although the jewellery is very expensive I couldnt resist buying a ring and pair of earrings.

After swarovsky we took the cable car to Nordpark which presents the awesome view of the entire innsbruck valley and the alps. We had our dinner at Sher-e- Punjab (yes an indian restro even here!!!) and took the train back.

 It was a memorable and enjoying trip and the pristine beauty of the Alps is forever engraved in my heart. Anyone would say that the maker was biased when he was making this world for the enchanting and mesmerising beauty he gave to europe,nevertheless,I will be forever grateful for being able to see and appreciate it :))

Kudos to Gursher :))

Heres congratulating my husband,best friend and sweetheart on completing his half marathon of 21 kms in 1 hour 50 minutes which means he ran with an average of 15 kms per hour!!!.....

An astounding achievement especially because although he is a superb athlete and sportsman, he had never run so much before and the fact that he completed this marathon within this time frame is a great achievement in itself.

Congratulations sweetheart :))

Little Heathens...

Read this wonderful book by Mildred Kalish which describes her childhood years in an Iowa farm during the Great Depression....its wonderful the way in which she has described those times,traditions,recipes and life in general then....makes me nostalgic and reminds me of my own childhood.......

For mostly everyone childhood years are the best..those carefree years full of love,care,mischief,games and innocence are the best in a persons life. oh I would trade my childhood years anytime for anything :))

I would love to go back and make those paper boats again during monsoons...play in heaps of sand....talking to dolls....playing kitchen....games with friends....fights with my sisters...sitting on papas lap in evening and showing him all sorts of weird drawings and getting his appreciation no matter how ludicrous it is :))....

and with Mummy....oh sitting in her lap....telling her stories and every little incident of school...pestering her to make my favourite dishes....letting her bathe me and dress me...wiping my mouth after eating on the corner of her saree....

with friends....talking...playing....fighting...oh those fun days....can relive  them anytime....Oh my Happy Childhood Days :)))

The Perfect Guy

This is the question most females ask themselves and others....this is the question which intrigues the masculine sex too and they are more eager than the females to know the answer for obvious reasons.

Every girl has her own definition of perfection that she looks for in a guy but there are some common traits....
1. A guy has to be attractive...that doesnt necessarily mean his features...he has to be well dressed...well groomed....well mannered and whatever other well he can manage to enhance the package.

 Trust me if facial features were the real attraction then Shahrukh Khan would not have so many female admirers...they love the Raj who helps Simran and finally comes all the way to get her and wins everyones heart in DDLJ.......they love the Rahul who is a perfect gentleman throughout in DTPH and the sensitive and emotional guy in KKHH.....

2. The guy has to be smart and by that I mean he has to be smart in every way...he should know what to do when and not only grab the attention of the lady but keep it for the rest of the evening...

3. He should know when to clip his tongue and shut up because contrary to what most guys think girls really dont get impressed by braggadocios...and even if you are helt bent upon revealing what model of car you drive....what a sportsman you are...how much money you have...how intelligent you are considered etc etc please be subtle and try to keep it short

4.Respect women as a general rule beacuse if you are making fun of some other female in front of your girl then your image is on a downslide but also remember to agree with her when she has to say some nasty things about some female she is pissed with

5.Try to listen more and talk less beacuse even though she might be laughing at all your jokes...she is seething inside because you are not letting her talk and girls as a general rule want to talk and talk......

6. Try to be understanding and sensitive because girls are just not different from guys they are like chalk and cheese....they think ,act and do things differently and if you are sensitive enough they will not only confide in you but also let you be in charge and thats the way to win over a woman.

Now why do I know all these things???....because I am a girl too and luckily have found all these things and more in my darling husband who has everything that takes to be perfect.

God Bless you sweetheart...Remain the same and I will love you forever....Touchwood!!! :)))

Is he for Real???

What is it about this guy Sachin Tendulkar...I have been watching him play since forever, so much so that I cant imagine cricket without him....his 44th ODI today against Sri lanka just proved that the little master is still a blaster....

A legend in the truest sense....dignity...honor..talent..you name it and the guy has it...Well I would say cheers to you Sir and go on dazzling me with more performances like that because I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that this legend was for true :)

Garmische...Found the Neverland !!!

This was a totally awesome experience...Garmische has one of germany's highest peaks...Zugspitze summit at 2962 meters...

From Herzogenaurach its a 5 hour jouney and we had to change the trains at Nuremburg and Munich but when you finaly reach the promised land its worth all the trouble and maybe more....

on the first day, we took a cogwheel train that takes you right till the summit, we were still marvelling at the german auto technology which has made a train that takes you almost 3000 meters above sea level when the train started....

The cogwheel train travels very slowly and stops at several places so tourists can get down and take in the scenery and even click pictures.....we also saw a lot of hikers on our way but for lesser mortals like me thankfully train was available...the first stop was the Grainau region....there were these fairytale cottages amongst the panoramic view of the german alps with a few cows grazing here and there....all the fairytales that I have read about the beautiful meadows and neverland came true in my mind....the next stop showed us the aerial view of the Ibsee lake and finally after crossing several long tunnels we reached the final station which is at 2600 meters.....Germany's highest church is here and the view of the alps is just breath taking....theres also an open air restaurant here...from here we took a cable car till the summit...after coming out of that car it feels you are in a different world....there were hundreds of tourists at the summit and you could hear about as many languages...

There are about 3 restaurants at the summit and you can get almost everything from a hamburger to extended italian cuisine and from coca-cola to the rarest wines....we had our lunch here which was an extended italian meal and we boarded the last train down at 6 pm.....after refreshing we explored the city which is very modern and well laid out.....after having a delicious meal we finally called it a night....

Next day we took a bus till the Ibsee lake which we couldnt cover on saturday and the view is just amazing....we did boating....shopped for souveniers and took the cogwheel again on our way back....

I spoke to a lot of europeans here and to them Switzerland is over rated unlike indians who thanks to Yash Chopra movies always think of Swiss as the dream destination....these people find Garmische almost as beautiful as any other place and during winters its the skiing paradise.....

Actually if you ask me then the entire europe is very beautiful.....long blue mountains in the distance with their peaks covered with snow.....lush green meadows....small fairytale houses.....streams with cold and transparent blue water.....its a paradise....

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Read this amazing story by Khalid Hosseini the other day...its very touching and thought provoking story of two afghani women and their struggle for survival and freedom under the savage rule of taliban....
its really difficult for someone like me to fathom the senseless cruelty that they were subjected to and why...but its a story of bravery,courage and survival in that unforgiving land which will inspire the women in similar situations to dig their heels and fight back and generate compassion in the rest of us...

Blogging Away!!!

This is my first blog ever...have been planning to write for quite sometime now....so many ideas and abstract thoughts whirl in my mind that i thought that it was necessary to find a place to dump them....so here i am happily blogging away :)