Sunday, June 30, 2013

Simple pleasures of life





Different little things mean different to different people differently in different little ways. That makes it 5 differents and 2 littles? The idea is not to confuse you. I am just fighting writer's block but so want to ramble. Lately, I am having the hardest time putting my thoughts together and so chose a simple topic - Simple pleasures of life that I and most of you cherish everyday. In no particular order, here they go:

1. Waking up to a pleasant weekend morning and making spontaneous plans for the rest of the day
2. Watching the moon travel with you from work to home
3. A cuppa green tea
4. Wearing a favorite outfit to work and look forward to being complimented ;-)
5. Chopping off an item from the to-do list/bucket list
6. Hearing the right song at the right moment co-incidentally
7. Having a good laugh with friends
8. A good dream
9. Visiting the adorable cats at the Magazine Store
10. When someone appreciates your creativity
11. Watching it rain; and the smell of the rain
12. Having such a good time with someone that will make you lose track of time
13. Hot sweet corn soup on a cold day
14. Hazelnut Cappuccino and a walk down the lane
15. The first sip of water after finishing a gooseberry
16. Reading a good book on a rainy day
17. The Blue Sky lifting your mood up
17. Long drives
18. A good hair cut
19. A good movie
20. Ice-creams
21. Hugs
22. Pampering yourself at the saloon
23. The planning of a vacation and all the excitement around it. And the vacation in itself!!
24. Clothes and shoes that allow you to be comfortable yet stylish
25. Receiving a text/buzz from someone you were just thinking about
26. Cooking a meal for the family and the huge relief when everyone/most of them like it
27. Retail Therapy
28. A lunch outside especially on a friday
29. The very fact that it is friday
30. Smiling to yourself when you remember something funny/pleasant/silly
31. Reminiscing good old memories through the pictures
32. When your favorite store has a sale :D
33. Completing a DIY project
34. When you try a new recipe and the dish turns out delicious
35. The season of Ramadan
36. The Christmas season
37. A good Yoga session to start your day with.
38. Staring aimlessly at the city skylines and the architecture
39. Sunsets
40. Getting a hair massage
41. Watching the episodes of Friends/Big Bang Theory/How I met your mother/ repeatedly when you just want to laze around at home
42. Dipping your feet in the water by the beach/swimming pool
43. Finding the perfect gift for someone
44. When you have to use a public toilet and finding it to be really clean and hygienic
45. Yummy masala chats in the evening
46. When a li'l kiddo tries to copy you
47. City lights at night
48. Finding out that someone does the same weird things that you do
49. The feel-good factor on the days when you wear your eye-make up :D
50. Taking a perfect picture
51. Scented candles
52. People who smell good
53. The look of a room after you clean it
54. When the week goes by really fast
55. When someone tells that you have a lovely smile
56. When you and your friend say the same thing at the same time - has happened like a zillion of times
57. Being in a good mood for no particular reason
58. When the cricket team you're rooting for - wins
59. Gossiping with the best friends
60. The feeling of being loved and cared for
61. Driving on an empty road
62. The planning of events at work/home
63. Volunteering at events
64. The great feeling when you're rewarded for your creativity
65. When your dreams come true
66. When you don't have to wear your spectacles
67. Reading the Sunday morning newspaper in leisure
68. Sleeping on the cold side of the pillow
69. Snapping a picture at the right moment
70. Getting lost in a book store
71. Going on a photowalk
72. Stumbling upon an interesting blog and reading ALL the posts like there is no tomorrow
73. The lots of family time
74. The twitter/FB time when you're commuting to and from work everyday
75. Making a fulfilling conversation
76. When you hear a very old song and you're surprised at yourself remembering every line of it
77. Reading what your zodiac sign has in store for you on new year
78. When you get a window seat while traveling
79. The chole baturas, the masala dosas and the pizzas
80. The moti choor laddus, the kaju barfis, the pastries and the brownies
81. Biryani, the chicken kababs and the yummy sea food
82. The cooking and clicking
83. Stumbling upon the right quote at the right time
84. The water cooler moments at work
85. Moonlight - there's surely something about the moonlight
86. The feeling of being blessed
87. Coming back from a long and tiring day to hot and home-cooked food
88. The saving up of money throughout to splurge on that one big thing
89. Packing
90. Making new year resolutions and accomplishing them successfully
91. Exploring markets, fairs and exhibitions
92. Spring season and plenty of colorful Tabebuia blooming in the city
93. Catching some new movie releases at the cheapest yet happening theatre in the centre of the city
94. The Baristas and the Mc'Ds'
95. The amazing feeling of how internet and technology keeps you informed and connected
96. Catching up with the best friend by squeezing time from your busy work schedule
97. Catching up with the good old friends who fly down and make time just to meet you
98. Keeping yourself organized
99. Getting really excited about every little thing in life and believing that's what makes life interesting
100.I can go on and on but let me stop here for now - rounding this list off to 100! Phew!! I am happy! :o)








Friday, June 28, 2013

Malaysia Diaries - The beach haven - Langkawi


     After strolling the streets, enjoying the food, exploring markets, interacting with the locals, understanding the history, culture, art, going in awe of the architecture and the skyline, bridges, metros, trams and all things that give cities a face - walking all the time with a 'what next plan' - all we wanted to do was to sit back, relax and unwind. You are smart if you have figured our final destination of the Malaysia Diaries. If you're still thinking - it is Langkawi!!

How to get there:
Langkawi is undoubtedly a perfect beach holiday destination in the country. We traveled from Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia (dirt cheap if you're lucky to grab a deal) to reach Langkawi International Airport in less than 1.5 hrs. To get around, one can rent a car or use the taxis (to my surprise taxi rates were way too cheaper than in the KL city, well it is a duty-free island you see).

Where to stay:
The Pantai Cenang Beach area is the perfect central location that houses plenty of lodging options from hostel, hotel, motel and resorts. I used  www.agoda.com to book a place to stay as they provide you with plenty of options ranging from budget hotels to luxury resorts at reasonable rates and some freebies/coupons to plan your next holidays.
I booked the Landcons Hotels & Resorts in Pantai Cenang - situated right opposite the Underwater World - Malaysia's largest Aquarium and the duty free shopping centre. Walkable distance to the Pantai Cenang beach with plenty of eating/dining options.

My list of things to do in this gorgeous island are:

1. Langkawi Cable Car Ride

We headed directly to the Oriental village in the wee hours of morning to enjoy the Cable Car ride which is just 15 minutes drive from the Langkawi International Airport.
The ride was breath-taking as you're taken to the top of the second highest peak in Langkawi -  the Mt Cinang. From the base station you're dropped to the second station that offers a splendid view of the surrounding forests, mountains and the wilderness. The third and the final station is at 700 meters above sea level. You're treated to an even higher view of the island's skyline, seas, skybridge and the wilderness. We spent more than an hour at the final station admiring the nature at it's best. Oh and did I mention we could not stop raving about the excellent mechanism of the cable cars. Kudos to the brains behind this brilliant accomplishment.

Cable Bridge



Topmost point of the peak


Sky Bridge

An awesome view of the mountains and the sea

700 meters above the sea level!!


2. Island Hopping

Ask your hotel reception for packages/deals for Island Hopping. We managed an excellent deal on the Island Hopping package inclusive of hotel transfer at just RM 30. The tour included boat ride to a couple of Islands - Island of Beras Basah and Dayang Bunting along with a stopover at the Lake of Pregnant Maiden, Eagle Feeding and some beach activities. The highlight of the tour was the Lake of Pregnant Maiden - there are several stories one of which holds that a certain princess (I cannot recollect the name) burried her dead child by the lake and the locals believe that the lake water possess some mystical powers and many childless couples have been able to conceive with a dip in the lake waters.
Personal tip: Beware of the ferocious monkeys at the Beras Basah Island stopover. One of them even snatched away my coke can.

Beras Basah Island


Do you see the Pregnant Maiden lying within the mountains? Look closely at the shape of the mountains

Stopover at the Dayang Bunting Island


3. Lazing around
Lazing around watching the sunset and bonfire by the Pantai Cenang Beach, and shopping and more shopping at the plenty duty free shops in the Pantai Cenang area.

4. Underwater World
Malaysia's largest aquarium houses more than 200 species of marine life including seals, penguins, sharks and the biggest freshwater fish in the world!! A must visit!!

5. Mangrove Tour - Day2 in Langkawi
We urged the hotel receptionist to help us connect with the local Mangrove tour dealers and managed a deal of just RM 50 (there was a discount offer during the Chinese New Year holidays). The rates I am told are usually between RM 80-120 during normal days.

Arrived at the Jetty terminal


Heading off to the Bat Cave - our first destination


There were innumerous bats hanging up there. Bats sleep in this cave during the day and use one of the exits to head out in the night whilst birds use the other entrance to get inside to rest during the night. An amazing example of effective 'traffic' management & communication between these speechless creatures. Oh and did I say the cave was stinking?



Do you see a crab there?

Towards the exit of the Bat cave

Deeper into the Mangroves

Crocodile Cave

Crocodile Cave

The tree that caught my attention ;-)

A monkey that swims with a baby latched to it's stomach tightly sprung into our boat from nowhere and was offered some bread

A Fish Farm for a unique fish feeding experience

A horse-shoe crab

A tiger snail


Different species of marine life

Fish feeding

This beauty is named Marina. She entertains her guests by popping out of the water and smiling every now and then

Lunch at the Floating restaurant - yet another incredible experience of life 

The floating restuarant

A stopover at a crystal clear beach for some water sports and chilling out

On our way to the hidden Island

And there it is!

A Mangrove tree dissected!!

A gorgeous view from the hidden island

As our boat sped across the KILIM GEOFOREST PARK




Yet another splendid postcard from Mangrove Tour


A Mangrove tree in all it's glory and do you notice the crystal clear water?!

Mangrove Tour is a unique experience - provided you are a fan of wilderness and the nature.

As I conclude this post - I am yearning for yet another funfilled, adventurous, educational and an awesome experience - so the question is when and where next?! For now, I will 'keluar' the blog and get some sleep!




Friday, June 7, 2013

And the mountains echoed

After a considerable amount of thinking, browsing, searching and contemplation; I found this book looking right back at me. #Happiness #nowreading #bliss


Sunday, June 2, 2013

Comic Con comes home

Introduced to the Comic Con event by one of my favorite sitcoms The Big Bang Theory, I was thrilled about the first annual Comic Con event taking place in Bangalore 1-2 June 2013. Yes....Comic Con has now debuted in Bangalore as an annual event and how!

Comics, Comics, Comics, Merchandise, Merchandise, and more Merchandise, Masks, Posters, funky Wigs, spread across 70 stalls, Cosplayers going wild (Iron Man, Batman, Joker, the Hulk and the Pirates were favorite among the crowd), Books/Comic launches, the highly enthusiastic crowd young and old and the Wolver Anna as the Mascot (aptly created to appeal the South Indian crowd largely), loads of freebies and discounts and last but not the least - the enthusiastic volunteers who've tirelessly entertained and guided the crowd thronging in numbers - summed up the event on Day 1. Oh and did I mention fellow photography enthusiasts' presence?

The Tinkle Comics at the Amar Chitra Katha stall took me down the memory lane as I glanced through the tales of Suppandi, Raja Hodja, Birbal the witty, Kalia the crow, Shikari shambu, Chacha Choudary to mention a few. Archie is another favorite. Enjoyed flipping through the marvel comics section too. Here's my list of exhibitors you should not miss: Amar Chitra Katha, Chumbak, Hysteria, Harper Collins, Wear your Opinion, Pyare Toons for the vintage comics, Cafe Dhiskyon for quick refreshments and Party Mania for some super crazy masks and wigs.

As a first timer, Comic Con is an experience I will cherish. Go visit! Bring out the child in you!!


It all started with a Big Bang!!

The sweet Wolver Anna








The wolfpack

















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