The weather is fantastic and what better way than to spend it outdoors. If you are heading to the Avenues Mall, check out their outdoor Food Market during weekend at Phase I. The sound of flowing water stream is music to the ears. The breath of freshness exuded by the beautiful green landscape and colorful flowers is a treat you wouldn't want to miss. There are a lot of restaurant food stalls outside with seating arrangement. I think it extends up to phase 3. I was there around noon. If you have a late lunch and wait around until sunset, I am sure you'd enjoy a totally different experience when all the lights come on.
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself - George Bernard Shaw
Monday, 11 January 2016
HELLO AND WELCOME 2016
Hello 2016, you are a mystery yet to unfold. I do wonder what you have in store for me? Are you an empty field for me to plant seeds of my choice and water and watch it grow or are you an empty book of 365 pages waiting for me to create and write my own story? I have not come armed with any resolutions but I have come with a few positive intentions, few good ideas, few secret wishes, prayers for my loved ones, my pen and my camera.
And the journey begins....
2015 A COMBO OF GOOD, BAD, CHALLENGING AND ZENFUL
Happy New Year and thank you for visiting my blog.
When my favorite aunt wished me Happy New year, I told her thank you, good riddens to 2015 and we laughed. Concealed in my laughter was a sense of relief. After the call, I actually thought of what I said and it reminded me of something I read. Don't say the first thing that comes into your head. Say the second or third thing that comes to you which actually would be the right thing. Those of you who read my October posts would know why I wasn't blogging for nearly a year. 2015 will forever be a year to remember for both rough seas and the joyous times. 2015 started off with celebrating new year and exploring amazing Sydney, Australia, and a fabulous trip to Malaysia and Singapore. This was my birthday gift from my husband.
A stark or should I say dark detour in events to follow was a fall that dislocated the ulnar bone in my right wrist, wrong diagnosis, failed surgery and months of seemingly endless agonising pain. My shoulder, arm and fingers had turned stiff being in a cast for overly prolonged periods of time. It freaked me out that I couldn't use my right hand. I was out of commision for a good nine months. It took a while to train myself to use my left hand instead. With clumsy yet persistent attempts I got better at it. Incessant help from my husband helped me pull through those trying months. He was my savior.
It was a snail paced slow progress. Each day that seemed like a 100 hours. However as slow as it was, today when I think back, I am thankful for all the progress, grateful for the love, prayers and emotional support from some of my absolutely loving friends, my children and two wonderful young physiotherapists who helped me with restoring mobility in my arm and hand. I stayed with my ever loving aunt and uncle during post surgery. My aunt who took such care of me. She would call me almost daily to check on my progress when I got home. There was this one friend who prayed for me everyday, checked on me everyday, she felt my pain and cried along with me. She was a pillar of support I leaned on. It was so touching.I am thankful to each and everyone who was there for me, be it daily or even once during this crisis. And for their inspiring words when I was at my lowest. Sometimes people come into our lives as angels. And I am surrounded by few wonderful angelic people. And we wonder how could we have managed without them.
The most beautiful and joyous part during recovery was I traveled to UK in October for our daughter's engagement and to U.S. to meet our son. It was indeed a celebration of life being with them. When I spent time with my beautiful children, I was so happy, I felt myself healing even more. That's what love does. I began to type, take photographs, chop soft vegetables and hold light objects. In the past two weeks, I sketched two pictures sent to me by a dear friend. A few days back, I even sculpted a small figure with clay. All this with my right hand. Difficult chores are entrusted to my left hand.
So should I complain about 2015?. No I shouldn't. 2015 felt like the slowest paced year of my life teaching me what is truly important. You see, the good and the bad take turns, they come and go. Some of the bad has hidden lessons that teaches us what we need to know for our soul growth and our personal life journey. At times, it leads us to discover indomitable strength we didn't know we had. Sometimes it shows us through a filtered lens what we need to see perhaps about our own selves or even others. Certain lessons come in guise of adversities forcing us to cast off or let go what does not serve us any good, what we needlessly cling to. No words can console those who lost their precious ones. It's only time alone that can heal the pain of loss. Every good that follows gently wipe away the residues of upleasant experiences, bringing us blessings and reasons to celebrate life, ever subtely reminding us to trust the process. To choose to be a victor and not a victim.
Have you noticed, the most spectacular photographs of the stars are captured in the night when its totally dark devoid of city lights. Something good is working in your favor when you feel trapped in the dark. Every rainbow is breathtaking after the rain. Like changing seasons, or the tides, nothing is ever constant, not even the bad. Change is the only thing that's constant. I learnt never ever give up hope and faith. The moment you do, you cease to live. Faith and hope are the most important and endearing twin components in the belief system manifesting the extraorindary in life.
So what lies in store in 2016? Life is a mystery constantly unfolding to reveal a new day to create, to explore, to work, to contribute, to help, to love, to, to forgive, to have compassion, to make empowering choices, to pursue your passion, to embrace life with it's challenges and joys.
Here's wishing you a fabulous 2016
Monday, 12 October 2015
OUR NEW YEAR'S EVE AND SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
My husband surprised me with an enchanting birthday gift last December 2014. A trip to Sydney, Australia, followed by a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. I love to travel, a passion I share with my husband. I know this is a delayed post but it's something I very much wanted to share in my blog. We flew first to Sydney to see the New Year's eve fireworks and stayed for a week exploring amazing Sydney. The weather in Sydney was summery and sunny in January with the weather turning very pleasant in the evenings.
Sydney is known as the New year's eve capital of the world with the world's largest and technologically advanced, visually incredible display of fireworks. The famous Sydney fireworks was held above the Harbour Bridge and Opera house. Sydney has an excellent network of transport system with trains, buses and, ferry you can use to commute anywhere. After breakfast, we took a train from near our hotel to Circular Quay and then took a ferry to McMahons vantage point. We reached at 11 am and managed to find a spot amid thousands of people all seated so close to each other. A lot of people were camping in their tents with food and water from the previous day and even two days earlier to get the best spot possible in advance. There are various vantage points you can choose to be at. Apart from that, fireworks can be enjoyed on special cruises with New year's eve dinner. Opera house celebrates new year's eve with a dinner as well and you can watch the fireworks . A family was so kind enough to have us share with them a great spot right where we had the perfect view of the Harbor bridge and Opera house, above which the fireworks takes place. Food, water and make shift toilets were arranged at every vantage point for the public. McMahons is a vast beautiful place to take walks every now instead of remaining seated for hours on end. Photographers and tourists come from all across the world to Sydney to see the fireworks.
Being surrounded by a sea of people, children and the grand scenic beauty, there was not a moment of boredom nor did we realize time fly by. At 9 pm there was a small display of fireworks for children. And then at midnight was the much awaited breath taking display of spectacular fireworks that lit up the sky. The continuous burst of plethora of colors and designs created such magic for the 1.5 million people witnessing it and to the entire world though various media. We were awe struck and I was so excited that we got to experience the most magnificent fireworks in person. I can't thank my husband enough for this fabulous experience. Sydney celebrates new year's eve a day before rest of the world! The city council spends 7.2 million AU dollars on the fireworks each year.
If you love travelling, how about visiting Australia? New year is just two months away and it's worth visiting Sydney and experience a spectacular new year's eve fire works followed by exploring all the interesting places during the rest of your holiday. Be sure to come back to my blog to check about all the places to visit in Sydney. If you plan on visiting around new year's eve, be sure to book your hotels and flight by end of October or early November. Other wise it's difficult to get hotel rooms and prices would sky rocket too. Should you require a visitors visa, approach the VFS office to get information on application, fees and documents to submit. Usually you should get an e-visa within 10 to 15 days after applying. We got our e-visa within a week.
Being surrounded by a sea of people, children and the grand scenic beauty, there was not a moment of boredom nor did we realize time fly by. At 9 pm there was a small display of fireworks for children. And then at midnight was the much awaited breath taking display of spectacular fireworks that lit up the sky. The continuous burst of plethora of colors and designs created such magic for the 1.5 million people witnessing it and to the entire world though various media. We were awe struck and I was so excited that we got to experience the most magnificent fireworks in person. I can't thank my husband enough for this fabulous experience. Sydney celebrates new year's eve a day before rest of the world! The city council spends 7.2 million AU dollars on the fireworks each year.
If you love travelling, how about visiting Australia? New year is just two months away and it's worth visiting Sydney and experience a spectacular new year's eve fire works followed by exploring all the interesting places during the rest of your holiday. Be sure to come back to my blog to check about all the places to visit in Sydney. If you plan on visiting around new year's eve, be sure to book your hotels and flight by end of October or early November. Other wise it's difficult to get hotel rooms and prices would sky rocket too. Should you require a visitors visa, approach the VFS office to get information on application, fees and documents to submit. Usually you should get an e-visa within 10 to 15 days after applying. We got our e-visa within a week.
Sunday, 11 October 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


























