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)
  
  
  

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012

Once again it is time to say Goodbye to 2011................thank you for all the experiences and learning. Some of the memorable ones are.........

• Visits to the Phillipines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives and the Czech Republic.
• Walking amongst the mystical temples of Angkor.
• India winning the Cricket World Cup.
• The first Indian Formula One Grand Prix turning out to be so successful and well organised.
• Experiencing the Eurovision Finals contest in Dusseldorf.
• Meeting Sebastian Vettel, the Formula One World Champion unexpectedly at Agra.
• Being part of my friends Martin and Hasna's wedding in France.
• Taking them around Agra and Jaipur which was absolutely beautiful.
• Reconnecting with old friends, making new friends and spending time with family.
• Spending time with my cousin John on a trip to Canterbury.
• Numerous trips to Singapore to spend time with Floyd and Cheryl and taking in the arts and culture scene - Lion King, Swan Lake on Ice, Elton John live, etc, etc.
• A helicopter ride over the city of Berlin.
• Visiting the beautiful Chamonix and Mont Blanc and the awesome Montreaux.
• Walking the streets of Paris during Fete de la Musique.
• Enjoying the KLM Golf Open with my friends.
• Spending time with Jan and Irena in Prague.
• The announcement of the impending birth in our family filled us all with hope and excitement.
• The horrific bomb blast in DEL that injured my dearest friend Ron made me appreciate my friends and family even more.
• The brutal murder of my friend's mother made me realise life is all too short.
• The realisation that I have many many friends and well wishers who truly share my joys and success
• And ofcourse conceiving and executing the Fun@Work initiative which reinforces the fact that we have some amazing people who need an environment to blossom.

2012 ............am sure you will have a lot of surprises in store for me. Please be kind...........to me and my family and friends. Shower us with love, joy, peace, good health, excitement and prosperity.

On my wish list........

• Continue with the Fun@Work initiative and make it more fun for those at work.
• Learn Spanish to be able to converse fluently.
• Travel as much as I can to new places.
• Participate in the Dream run of the Standard Chartered Marathon.
• Participate in the Lavasa Women's Rally.
• Spend more time with my family and friends.
• A coast to coast drive across the USA.
• Hone my photography skills.
• And of course, work on my blog.

"20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” ~ Mark Twain

Goodbye 2010....................Welcome 2011

A continuation from my last year's post........

http://elsasviewoftheworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/bye-2009welcome-2010.html

2010 was a super year. I cannot complain again. I visited both the Andamans and Ladakh. Crossed a few things off my bucket list - an African safari, a sky dive, a river rafting experience and the Passion Play. Visited 3 new countries - Hungary, Norway and South Africa. Got promoted yet again. Worked on strengthening my team at work. Spent some serious time with my family.

What would I like for 2011?? I honestly don't know. But I hope and pray that I will be able to take anything and everything in my stride and have the courage to be the person I am meant to be.

So once again, Goodbye 2010 and Welcome 2011.

Bye 2009...........Welcome 2010

2009 was a good year...................cannot complain. I got promoted, enhanced my team at work, completed the system implementation, went for the carnival in Goa, visited some amazing museums, visited ancient historical sites like Petra, Jerash, Hampi, Dholavira, went to the Golden Temple, walked on the Great Wall in Beijing, started Portuguese classes, spent some serious time with family and friends, maintained my weight, joined Bikram Hot Yoga, started Salsa classes, saw some amazing airplanes at Geneva and Dubai, started the Thursday Club, witnessed my first snowfall and experienced the German Christmas Markets. Finished the year with some wonderful people, amazing food and yummy mulled wine under the Blue Moon!!

What does 2010 have in store for me? No idea...........but am ready to face it and enjoy it.

I would like to be able to:
- continue with my Bikram Yoga practice
- travel around India a bit and discover this amazing country
- ensure Thursday Club continues with the same enthusiasm
- continue with Portuguese classes
- concentrate on being healthy in mind and body
- find happiness in the little things in life which we take for granted
- accept people for who they are and not for who I want them to be

In the bargain I am sure, I will be richer for the experience. Welcome 2010.