Cauvery Silk and More in Mysore!!

Cauvery Silk and More in Mysore

One of the most popular weekend getaways from Bangalore comes Mysore in the list. Known for the palace and the Mysore pak the city is around a 3 hour drive from Bangalore. So this weekend yours truly also decided to visit the city and its important and historical locales.

On a bright Saturday morning, we huddled up in our car and left Bangalore via the NICE road and were set for our journey after paying a toll of 90 bucks on the NICE road toll gate. We then moved forward listening to music and chatting up till we spotted something which made re-energised as it tickled the shopping bone in all of us. We spotted …DECATHLON around 30 kms in the drive and spent a full over one hour over there buying almost anything we laid eyes on and had some relevance in our lives. The place has an amazing collection at amazing prices. The place has all that u would require if you are a sports/hiking /camping freak. In short you name it and you have it.

After energizing ourselves with the shopping experience and trying out some of the merchandise immediately we continued on our journey. We reached Mysore in around 3 hours in total if we exclude the DECATHLON experience from the journey. And hence began our day.

Day 1:

Enroute Mysore one crosses the toy city , Chinnaptanam known for its wooden toys and items .after toys comes the dairy land ,Mandhya followed by the religious city of Sriranagpatnam. All have a different flavour and if you have time on your journey do try and explore the area. One thing noticeable about the path is the number of eating outlets, from CCD to road-side dhabas. Let’s put it this way, you will never go hungry to Mysore if you utilise the road properly J

Once reaching Mysore we checked in our hotel MB International in the heart of the city .Took some suggestions from the manager and we were off to our first destination. Being and Infy Employee had its perks-one being that you get to see the engineering and construction masterpiece that is Infosys Mysore. It has a multiplex inside, a floating restaurant on the side and a Vatican like structure right in the start of the building. The campus was full of proud parents who has come to visit their kids’ success.

                                           The Multiplex, Infosys Mysore

After the Infosys Campus we went to the illuminated .Mysore Palace but as luck would have had it, the palace has the light show only on Sundays and public holidays at 7 pm. Disappointed we decided to move on that’s when we were approached by the horde of guides promising us genuine  cauvery silk from a Govt of India  shop. And for all this effort all he wanted was a meagre 20 bucks. Somehow we ended saying no to the guides but little did we know that it was a dangerous trap and we finally ended up at that shop, the only difference being that we didn’t go by any self-proclaimed guides.

One has to be cautious and good on bargaining while buying anything from the shops in the main market as many of them sell high prized products which may or may not be the correct prize. We didn’t buy anything and moved to the beautiful church made on the pattern of the European churches as far as I felt. That was the end of our enjoyable first day.

Day 2:

Day 2 started with the visit to Mysore Zoo as we found the zoo has an Anaconda, gureilla and a monkey which looks just like a human. We reached the zoo by 9.00 in the morning as it was a 10 minute drive from our hotel and took one of the golf cart tour which takes you around the zoo in one hour exact.

But first we had Mysore special Idlis which is a must have for anyone visiting Mysore

On our visit we found the reviews were not wrong , they had all the normal animals that you would expect to find in a zoo . But they actually have a monkey which looks just like an old fragile human. Seeing that we realised what we would be like if we were left alone on Earth without any other humans….Don’t believe me? See for yourself..

The Mysore Zoo

Post the Zoo we visited the Mysore Palace which is a huge structure and you would be left marvelling at the architectural designs and the exquisite interiors. The place is an architectural marvel but you have to visit the whole place bare footed:D

Mysore Palace

The palace is lightened on Sundays and public holidays after 7.00 in the night….so if you are there at that time…do make sure that you see it.

Our last stop for the day was the Silk factory but as that was closed on Sunday …we took a look at the KSIC showroom and made our way back to Bangalore.

Tip for people driving down there:: Leave Early in the evening else be ready to face traffic which will double your travel time J

Hope you have a good stay there!!!

IAMSTERDAMED!!

Finally I successfully ticked off one thing from my Bucket List..Yes I did it..WOHOO!!

I successfully got a pic clicked in front of the IAMSTERDAM landmark in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. And its then I realised that its tough to get the pic with you and the entire letters in one frame.Plus you have a close to 95% chance of getting photbombed.;-)

I could manage only one decent shot in which I am there and the letters are there mostly but I did get photo bombed every time.I may have done the same to many of the pics of others myself:D

But the point is its one off the list and I have visited one city which I had planned to go for long time.The city is pretty and its a mixture of different cultures,people and the shops. You can find a Newyork pizza in the heart of the European city and right next to them would be the shop selling the super cut I love Amsterdam umbrellas.

For anyone who wants to visit Amsterdam the city has a few upfront attractions 1.The Dam Square 2.Madame Tussads 3. IAMSTERDAM 4.Canal Rides

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There is also a place nearby where the windmills are there but since we did not go there I cannot really comment ;-)

So on a bright Saturday   morning we reached the place at around noon. First on our check list was the DAM SQUARE which we wanted to see really badly, the only problem being that neither me nor my friend knew what it was, where it was and why it was.We knew it was there for us to go necessarily visit the place.We searched ,followed with google maps and then we got lost :D for those who have already been here it might seem funny but both of us were actually trying to find what this place was and where exactly was it.

For those going for the first time …DOnt ask passer byes as 90% of them would be tourists which means either you get no
directions or you get confused or wrong directions…one guy asked us to go straight front and after walking half a km we were told we have moved in the wrong direction all together.Ask the shopkeepers..they are brilliant at directions.

When we eventually found dam square it was pillar…a beautiful pillar ..but a pillar to the naked eye.We got our pics clicked as is the custom .

Then we saw madame tussads rt across the street.we had our lunch and then moved fwd to madame tussads queue and just then it started raining cats and dogs.We had to leave our queue and rush for shelter, and that’s the time we realised we should have relied on the weather forecast and took an umbrella..they are correct sometimes and in Europe I think always.So note to others before going check the weather.

Moving on after a long wait we got in madame tussads. We got our photo clicked with every statue and in very possible pose
…thats the only way to justify the 22 euors we spent for the tour of the place…go crazy that’s the secret for the madame tussads exploration and enjoy to the fullest.

Next in in the agenda was the IAMSTERDAM area..FYI the area is called Museumplein as far as I got to know and not IAMSTERDAM :D …Us we were actually asking people
there where IAMSTERDAM here…you need to take a tram which will take you direct to either Rijk Museum or Museum Plein. The place is easy to spot and the letters hard to miss.

Almost everyone is there and everyone is on the letters..so you cant get a clear picture but its fun to be there and everywhere around.The place has a fun feeling to it an and you can set and relax there.We chilled and relaxed there and had our share of fun.

And thats how our trip came to and end ..fun and always to be rembered it was..two girls dumb enough to be lost in the city yet who somehow managed to get their way through.So yeah…go to AMSTERDAM and ROCK ON!!!

The Incredible Connectron !!!!

#InsearchofIncredible

On the sudden parting away of my beloved old phone , i bought myself a new smart phone. The buy was followed with the updation of the phone, bringing it up to date with all the contacts and the sites.So after the whole process one day I was searching through my contacts when all of a sudden my grandmothers flashed on my screen and kept flashing on the screen. Curious as to the number flashing on my screen continuously I clicked on the number .


Next what happened u ask? I was standing at the doorstep of my grandmother's home ..how?? I dont knwo and i do not have the faintest clue.Puzzled , I ring the bell....and there I see her coming ...Whoa..is this happening in real? I pinch myself...Ouch..I am still here, must be true.

She comes close to the door and sees me and she as shell shocked as me ,maybe a wee bit more..She lets me in and instantly showers on me  a series of questions..How did you come? Why did you not inform? Why did you come alone ? Is everything ok?

I am standing there dumbfounded thinking should I tell her that a click of a button led me here? Would she believe me ? Or she would categorise me as delusional ? Not having the answers I told her that I just wanted to surprise you Nani..So I did not tell anyone and everything is as good as it can be or maybe even better ;)

We got talking , she made me drink the whole glass of milk that she always used to give us twice a day when we were kids and spending our vacations at her home. She told me how she was just making my favorite pickle and how she was thinking of me while doing that ...she said that she actually was thinking how many days it has been since we talked and years since we met . And moments later I was on the dooorway, sometimes its telepathy that works, she sighed and resumed her work.

Slowly it dawned on me ...my phone got me here as she was missing me ...I missed a step or two when i realised my phone could do this...I was still trying to figure this out but it was clear to me that my phone had a power of connecting me to the people who were missing me at the instant..My phone as I like to call it is the "CONNECTRON".

Jumping with joy that such things do exist and my phone actually had a superpower of connecting me to my loved ones who miss me without me thinking about it in our high pressure lives , I suddenly had a question .How do i go back? Does somebody have to miss me only then I would be able to go back ?Will look into it but right now its time for some poha made by my grandmother.

After having spent some time with her I finally looked into my phone and wished to go back home ...and there the message displayed "BACK HOME". I knew this was my way back...so I bid adieu to my grandmother and took her blessings ...left the home and pressed the button..and just like that I was back home.

It finally settled that I have a smart phone with a superpower which lets me connect people who miss me and gets me back too ..could life be any more awesome ? :)

The tragedy thats "Ek Villain"

To beat the Monday Blues we decided to go for a late night movie on Monday night. This in itself goes to shows how much we wanted this movie to be a kick-ass movie. It had all the right ingredients- a good cast (was gonna say great but was considering only Siddhartha ;)) , a seemingly good story and ok reviews…atleast it would be good ..that’s what we thought too.

Alas in the first five minutes of the movie we knew our hopes were shattered and badly at that. The movie begins with an over chirpy an over bubbly Shraddha Kapoor talking to an Idol of Ganesh and cracking a joke at the deity’s expense. She then like any upright lady in Bollywood tries to amend the society by telling a telephone repair guy of the mess he has created on the road. She predicts that one day someone is going to die on this very road due to the negligence. Cut to the next scene where the lady is seen using one of the applications that has sponsored the movie and leaving a long message for the hero over phone.

 Minutes later she is dead, how is something you should try and watch yourselves (as Shakira says “I Dare You”). The distraught Guru (Siddhartha Malhotra) lays his beloved wife to rest and there out of nowhere a CBI officer turns up who is scared that now Guru will take revenge , read he is no bothered about the murder or what happened , he is worried that the anger and vengeance of Guru will prove devastating. J

The film then rallies back and forth in the memory lane innumerable times and just when you start getting the hang of it, the mystery is solved .Just like that, it is game over. He finds the killer and he finds the reason of the killings.But does he lay down innumerable bodies as the CBI inspector had predicted ? Uh, NO.

Instead he has some intense dialogue delivery to do and say sentences which revolve around the same sentence so many times that after a time you just simply lose interest. He wants the killer to die everyday and then when he is close to dying our hero injects life in him (Literally he injects some magic fluid right in the chest ;)). Why ? Because it has to be a long enduring torture. Yes the torture is there …but for the audience and it continues till the very end.

The film has so many loose ends no body has thought of doing anything about .The lady is about to die..how may I ask? God or the director knows. It’s a disease so fatal that the major doctors wife is dying because of it but our heroine is miraculously safe after just one song. She has a wishlist …sorry  but after #Awalktoremember this just looks Cliché.

The only salvaging factor is the music of the film and Riteish’s performance which should have been more explored.

The movie’s title says “Every love story has one “ …well not true folks. J

For the love of "Football" :-)

The FIFA Fever

As a layman and someone who has never touched the football in my life, the World Cup is as interesting as it gets. The world cup is not just the best countries coming together to play and win, it’s about the fans, the emotions and the pride of the nations. Saw a wallpaper on my friend’s desktop saying ”Every four years the world has one time zone”, honestly didn’t understand it the first time around. It took me a couple of minutes to understand the gravity and the passion in Football for its fans.

I have always followed the world cup with limited interests with the exception of 2002 where I was following each and every match that Brazil played. But with the advent of internet and the reach of the social media in our lives, it is annoyingly impossible to stay out of it. And once you start watching you just can’t stop it.

Each match is better than the other, each more interesting and gripping. For a person who is not much interested in sports overall, football is a game that holds you. It’s a game that changes in a minute and then again is changed in the next. 

The game sees big stalwart teams getting kicked in the opening round. Defending champions knocked out in the first round and underdogs coming and playing like champions. It’s a game that is fast, that is always on the edge and can always go either ways. 

While I don’t understand the fine nuances of the game, the off sides and the goal line technologies I am hooked to it ..I am starting late but as they say better late than never.

May the best team Win J

THE "QUEEN" EFFECTS!!!

“Queen” the story of Rani from India to Paris has been cheered all over by people and has girls identifying themselves with the protagonist at many times in the movie.The young naive girl’s journey beautifully framed in the movie is the kind that would linger on your mind for a while and leaves you with some precious lessons. To each his won but these are the things I learnt-  

1.Friends make life better- Whether Rani was at her hometown with her college buddy or she was in a new world with the new friend “Vijayalakshmi” or the three roommates she accidentally met..life always gives you a chance to meet new people and have friends for life..So next time if you are on a trip alone..dont worry you will meet someone on the way and who knows they become your buddies too.

2. Sometimes “Hungama” is required-  ”Let go” of things, emotions , barriers and once in a while just enjoy your own company.Enjoy to the most possible and don’t have any inhibitions and do something out of your routine self. Who knows what you might discover about yourself just by doing that .

3. “Siyappas” are not the end always- Whether its failing an exam or being dumped…tragedies happen to one and all at some points in their life…take a breath and believe that there would be a way out , a better way out of the darkness.

4. Travel Solo- Though I have never taken a solo vacation till now but queen made me think about the idea for quite a while and then i thought “why not”..So next time pack your bags and take the risk of foraying into the unknown on your own !!!

5.Believe in yourself- She is a small town girl who has followed all the rules and all the guidance given to her but she goes on to become a confident lady who believes in herself and knows when to say “No”.

So this was i enjoyed and learnt while watching the movie. All in all loved it , liked it . :-)

The Tangy Tongue Twisters!!!

Midway in a conference call today while i was reporting something serious ...i entered an array of tongue twisters with errors being the keyword and as expected my tongue twisted on the twister and ended up in people in my team having a good morning ;)

That made me go back to the time when saying the most number of tongue twisters without getting twisted made you a champion. Here's a list of the Hindi and English tongue twisters which I can think of, feel free to add the ones you remember-

1. Chandu ke Chacha ne Chandu ki Chachi ko Chandani Raat mein Chandi ki chamach se chutney Chatai

2. Khadak singh ke khadakne se khadakti hain khidkiyan, Khidkiyon ke khadakne se khadakta hain khadal Singh

3.Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? 

4.She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure.For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore,Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells.

5. Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter,And made her batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter makes better batter.So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.Making Betty Botter's bitter batter better.

Care to add some more? ;-)