Christmas in New Zealand

The best part about Christmas is time spent with the family and ofcourse the delicious food prepared. 2011 Christmas and New Year was spent with my sister Tiana and brother-in-law Giles in Auckland. The highlights of the trip are...............

• Christmas lunch with Mum, Tiana and Giles.
• The awesome Kiwi and Indian cuisine - Ham on the bone, pork vindaloo, roasted kumara, trifle pudding, mince pies.
• Visiting family and friends.
• The presents under the Christmas tree.
• Checking out the Christmas lights at Skillgate avenue.
• Planning the trip to the Coromandel and Waiheke Island.
• The day spent at the wave pool.
• The yummy food consumed - yum char, Nando's, Chinese from Flourishing Cafe, butter chicken at Masala (though I dont think highly of their service)
  
  
  

Love conquers all……………… Happy Valentine’s Day

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu

Today is Valentine’s Day and it is a time to remember all whom we love. Love is a lot about understanding, giving, sharing and accepting unconditionally. Love is a 2 way process and you love as much as you are loved.

I am loved and I love……………. Thanks for being in my life. I am using this blog to thank the people I love and who love me.

My parents – without whose love, support and care, I would not be the person I am.

My siblings - Tina and Floyd – who will always be there for me and I for them. They are both wonderful and I cherish the time I spend with them.

Their spouses – Giles and Cheryl – who are wonderful human beings and we are lucky to have them in our family.

My grandma – who is a true gem.

My aunts, uncles, cousins and their families – who are scattered all over the world. No matter what the ups and downs, guess blood is always thicker than water.

My friends – over the years am lucky to have made some really lovely friends. They keep me going every day in their own way. Some are old and some are new, some are distant and some are near. But each one special in their own way.

My team – who are my extended family at work.

My colleagues – who you cannot help but accept and love.

Through all the above relationships, I am grounded in reality, conscious of the peace and harmony in my life. They truly make my world a better place.

Do all things with love. – Og Mandino
A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. – Thomas Carlyle

A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love. – Henri B Stendhal

7th Feb.......

On 7th Feb 2010 I will complete 16 years in aviation. And what a flight it has been!

I still remember myself 16 years ago. Recent out of college, unsure of myself (but sure of my career path - aviation), timid, nervous and fairly sheltered. However, I was smart, hardworking, ever willing to change and adapt and diligent in the discharge of my duties. Guess, these are qualities which ensured my path to my current position.

I was lucky.................had some great colleagues who mentored me, shielded and sheltered me and guided me. I slowly blossomed from a shy teenager into a mature woman. Lucky to have great teams to work with. They have helped me be a better manager, colleague and team mate and I do hope they feel the same about me.

I was lucky..................to have had opportunities to travel the world both on work and leisure. I have not only experienced a few things that people dream about but also learned along the way. From the very first trip where we were bumped off in far-off, hostile Tel Aviv, I have become stronger and more adventurous. I am no longer afraid to explore the unknown or travel to a new destination. In fact, I thrive on the expectation of the unknown and look forward to discovering the place, culture, its people, food, etc and in the process creating memories.

I was lucky.................I made some great friends along the way, who have stood by me, who are proud of my achievements and who enjoy my travels through my photographs and blogs. Also have been blessed by the presence of many people, some of whom have been in my life for a short time, some for a season and some for a reason. I have made friends for life and have accumulated innumerable memories that bring me lots of joy.

I was lucky…………to achieve quite a few things on my list. Have tried to use every opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills both professionally and personally.

I was lucky..............without leaving aviation, I managed to work in various diverse roles thereby expanding my horizons and enriching my portfolio. It has given me tremendous confidence and boosted my self-esteem. I am no longer afraid to speak my mind.

Most of all, I was lucky.............to have the family I have. Without their unfailing support, encouragement and faith, I could not have achieved whatever I have. 

I am lucky and I hope and pray the next 16 years will be as exciting as the last. Am certainly looking forward to the flight path ahead.

The Christmas Holidays

Well have been on leave from work for the Christmas and New year holidays. I went to Germany to visit a friend and experience the Christmas Markets but was back in Bombay by the 24th to spend the festive season with my family.

It has been a wonderful few days just relaxing, eating, drinking and talking with my brother and his wife Cheryl, mum, dad and grandma. We went for a movie Paa and all enjoyed it. Yesterday we went for mass to the Basilica of Mount Mary, Bandra and on the way back visited some relatives.

Today, Floyd and Cheryl took us out for dinner to celebrate their first wedding anniversary (which is tomorrow). Our favourite restaurant, Don Giovanni has reopened in this part of town and so there was no hesitation in picking it for the meal. As usual, whatever one picks, one can never go wrong at Don Giovanni and we had a scrumptious dinner.

Overall a great few days.

Grandma

My grandma turned 87 years today!

She is a sweet little lady who is still active. She is quite independent and does a bit of cooking, reads the newspapers and goes once a week for Mass (though she has to be helped across the road). She is beginning to lose her memory and it makes me very sad. We of course have to be patient with her and remind ourselves that one day we will be in exactly the state she is in, if not worse.

She loves me dearly and I am her favourite grandchild as I am the oldest. Everyday she looks forward to my returning from work and immediately is concerned about my dinner and if I had a tough day, etc. In the picture above, I finally managed to get her to smile! She very rarely smiles for photographs because she is afraid that others will see her false teeth!! Oh she is so cute.

I have many happy memories of her..........

- making the best coconut cake.

- always taking my side even if I probably was in the wrong.

- sewing beautiful dresses for my sister and me when we were children.

- looking after us when my mum dropped us off at her place for the weekend or the holidays.

I am grateful to be able to spend the time I have with her.

Last evening at The Blue Ginger

Floyd (my brother) and I happened to be in Delhi on work at the same time. He invited me to stay back so that he could treat me to the new Vietnamese restaurant - The Blue Ginger - at the Taj Palace. The foodie that I am, of course I took up the offer and am glad that I did.

For one, it is always good to spend time with your loved ones especially nowadays when life is so hectic. And secondly, it is always good to try a different cuisine and one can never go wrong with the Taj!

The ambiance was great. The ceiling is a replica of a Buddhist temple. Besides there is a dramatic waterfall of light from a fibre optic chandelier.

The food - everything looked interesting and we could not quite make up our minds what to order. Finally we settled on crabmeat on sugarcane batons and shrimp rolls as starters, grilled fish Hanoi style, sticky rice with chicken and mushrooms and lamb shanks in oyster sauce for the mains. Everything was to die for except the sticky rice which we could have skipped! And for dessert we had the lemon grass tiramisu which was unusual!

The drinks - Floyd had the Belgian beer and I had a mocktail. But honestly, the signature drinks listed were very tempting.

Overall it was a great experience and you should try it out.