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

The Spectacular Coromandel Peninsula

I wanted a relaxed holiday in New Zealand and the time spent on the Coromandel Peninsula was exactly what I wanted..........

- Pristine golden sandy beaches
- Deserted coves
- The gorgeous Thames coastline framed by the beautiful Pohutukawa trees
- The dramatic scenery - mountains, rainforests, native bush with the sea and surf nearby
- The romantic (or maybe not) gold mining history
- The quaint colonial towns
- The scrumptious seafood

We stayed at a cute town named Thames which is the gateway to the Coromandel. It makes a great base to explore the many interesting sights. Thames is also one of the historic gold mining towns. You can actually check out a gold mine (defunct one though).

The town of Coromandel is a beauty and is the centre of arts and crafts. The main highlight is the Driving Creek Railway which was built by one man - Barry Brickell on a 60 acre plot of land along the mountain. He not only built the railway but is also an active and accomplished potter. He is also involved in conservation of the kauri trees which once dominated the landscape but were cut down for timber by the English.

To the north is the beautiful New Chums Beach at Whangapoua which is rated as one of the Top 20 beaches of the world. Reason - isolated, framed by pohutukawa trees and bordered by rainforests. It makes for a pretty picture for sure.

We stopped at many interesting beaches during the days we were there. Each more picturesque than the other. We also wanted to do the cruise to the Cathedral Cove from Whitianga but the sea was rough so instead we were directed to go to Hahei beach and walk to the cove taking in the Gemstone cove and Stingray cove on the way. I must say the walk was very interesting, spectacular and very rewarding.

And not to be missed is the Hot water beach at Hahei where one can dig a spa for oneself in the sand during the low tide. I can guarantee the water is piping hot and very soothing.

Don't miss the 309 Road which is the shortest route from Whitianga to Coromandel. The drive is quite pleasant and is an interesting trip on its own with numerous sights along the way. We did the Kauri Grove where we saw the Siamese Kauri and the Waiau Falls. We ended the drive at the Mussel Kitchen where we had an assortment of mussels prepared in different ways.

Most of the sights in the Coromandel are free as intended by the Maker. One just needs to have the patience to drive and a sense of adventure to discover.

The Driving Creek Railway and Potteries

The pottery and sculpture garden

Amazing that he laid this track on the mountainous terrain.

He has used bottles to shore up the side walls. Very creative.

The new Chums Beach

The beach at Matarangi

Spectacular - a stream running through the beach.

I love the Pohutukawa trees lining the beach

The cliffs at the Cathedral Cove.

Stingray cove

The beach at Cathedral Cove

The dramatic Cathedral Cove

Soaking up at the Hot Water Beach

The Siamese Kauri

The Waiau Falls

The mussels..........yummy

The Goldmine at the Thames

Fun @ work

I truly learned to have fun and enjoy life when I joined Kingfisher Airlines. This is a fun organisation and full of amazing, talented, young people. Therefore when the airline was going through a crisis I decided to do something that would keep people engaged, motivated, connected and involved.

It’s the synergy that comes from people working together and gathering creative ideas that leads to long-term organization wealth creation. That synergy and “above and beyond” behavior is evidence of employee engagement.

 

Employees are in a highly engaged state when they are doing the nonjob roles. In general, we find that most employees have a sense of fairness, and even if their employer treats them poorly, most will show up to work and do the job role. But having employees show up at work simply doing their jobs gets an employer nowhere in terms of long-term competitiveness. If all of your employees show up and only do their jobs, then you are not building organizational strength and long-term competitiveness through people because anyone can hire those same employees and duplicate what you are doing.

Source: http://www.eepulse.com/

 

Some of the results I hope to see are:

- Breakdown of barriers - work related and personal related.

- Open communication at all levels.

- A positive environment at work.

- Continuous learning through sharing of ideas and experiences.

- A sense of team work so that there is less politics and more action.

- Happiness and Joy.

 

Some of the initiatives are:  

• The Library @ Qube where employees can avail of both management and fiction books.
• A staff recreation area where they can relax, take a break, chat with other colleagues and destress.
• Movie Fridays as this is a great opportunity to interact and make friends in a relaxed environment.
• The KF Book Club to exchange ideas and thoughts centred around a book theme.
• The Joy of Giving week where we spread the joy, love, care, concern and some of our fortune to those who need it more than we do.
• The KF trek club for the "fitness" and "not so fit" freaks. Great opportunity to promote team work.
• The intranet message board to encourage communication and breaking down of invisible barriers.
• The photography contest where we showcase our talent and encourage the artistic side in us.