My visit to Australia and New Zealand - IV

'Good luck Maite' said the immigration officer and welcomed me to Australia. Clear blue skies, lush green landscapes, spotlessly clean and beautiful beaches, fresh breeze, surfers, filled restaurants, families in the parks and people having a great time everywhere....Australia is all this and more.

On this trip of mine I visited Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane. I found each place to be beautiful but had time to spend only in Melbourne and Sydney. I might again be biased to these cities as I had time to explore only these but I must say that they were amazing. The whole atmosphere is so vibrant, so full of life. People here truly live life to the fullest. I enjoyed my walks at the harbours, the beaches and the bustling cities (the local lingo for down town) in Sydney and Melbourne. The few places that stand out were the Melbourne Docklands, Gold Coast's beach and coast line, the beaches in all the cities, the famous Harbour bridge and last but surely not the least the iconic Opera House in Sydney.



Have compiled a few pics from the above. Enjoy !

Melbourne Docklands

Fire show at Crown Plaza Hotel - Melbourne
This hotel also has a casino, multiplex, shopping complex, restaurants and a beautiful water front location. The fire show, although simple is excellent. This runs every evening on specific schedules.

......and as if that wasn't enough, I was in Melbourne a couple of days bafore the F1 race. This gave me the opportunity to see the sexiest of Ferraris just parked on the road by the line of eateries. Here's one of them -

One of Sydney's beautiful beaches -

I did some bird watching....literally !

A view of Sydney city from the Cruise -

Gold Coast's beautiful landscape and coast line -

The Iconic Harbour bridge and Opera House !

My visit to Australia and New Zealand - III

The next morning I woke up and was amazed at the beauty of this place. Auckland is a picturesque place with a lot of greenery and fresh air. What a change from the pollution in Hyderabad.

I took a small little tour in Auckland and visited the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere - Sky Tower ! That's where the Indian cricket team did the sky walk recently. Here's the pic of the structure from close and from a distance -

......and here are the pics from the top -

Auckland also has an amazing aquarium with unique variety of fish. Sample this -














These guys also replicated Antarctica and have migrated Penguins as well. Check this out for yourself -













After a long day I stopped by at 'Bolliwood' (yes, that's the way its spelt) Indian restaurant. The food was good and so was the ambiance. Besides, its named Bolliwood...what more incentive to go have a bite.








110 Ponsonby Road,
Ponsonby, Auckland
Tel - 376 6477
http://www.bolliwood.co.nz/



I built up expectations for my next stop - Christchurch. Although, it was a nice place as well but wasn't as beautiful as Auckland. I might be wrong on this one as I really didn't have any time to look around. With another day's work at Christchurch I left New Zealand with fond memories of the beauty of the land and looked forward to my next destination - Australia !

My visit to Australia and New Zealand - II

The flight from Hyderabad to Singapore took about 3-1/2 hours and thereafter I had a halt for about 2 hours in Singapore airport before taking my connecting flight to Auckland. This was a 9-1/2 hour flight. I didn't expect such a long flight. Anyways, as luck would have it the flight was quite empty. I grabbed the opportunity and moved over to get a middle row of seats which were empty.

After a little while of the flight taking off I prepared myself to stretch and have a good nap. However, my nap was interrupted very early by a flight attendant asking if I wanted my meal. My request for serving my meal after a few hours was turned down with a answer that 'we cannot reserve the meals for so long'. I said what the heck, get me my meal right now. I scrolled on the menu options on the in-flight entertainment system and was happy to see the Hindi movie options. Me being me, I couldn't resist the urge of catching a Hindi movie and so postponed the nap by a little. The movie I saw was Dasvidaniya. I am glad that I did as it was truly a very nice movie. After that and my meal I did manage to get a nap. The cramped seats, seat belts and the partition handles didn't make my nap easy but it was certainly better than keeping myself seated on my single seat.

I manager to get a couple of hours rest and got up to realise that we had another 4-5 hours left. So it was movie time yet again. I watched Quantum of solace this time after which it was the Hindi movie EMI. I almost manager to finish this movie bu the flight attendant asked for the head sets prior to our landing. They even turned off the in-flight entertainment systems about 15mins.to landing. Wonder why the have to do such things. Can't we be entertained until we reach the gate after landing. I think it is Emirates that even takes the blankets away before landing. To hell with the cold!

Anyways, we touched down New Zealand soil pretty much on time. I was expecting a very posh looking airport but was surprised that it was a very ordinary looking simple airport. Guys coming from Auckland into Hyderabad would be expecting an ordinary airport and would be taken aback at the beauty of our airport. Well....getting back to New Zealand, the immigration was quick. However, there was a little delay in the customs as they wanted to check my sample box. This damn box always gets me delayed. Unfortunately, it is a must to carry this everywhere. I exited the airport in search of the hotel shuttle but found none and therefore took a taxi (with an Indian driver) and headed for my hotel.

My visit to Australia and New Zealand

Its travel time yet again !

Travel seems very exciting to many and for quite sometime it was for me too. However, those who travel for work would know what it really is after a while. I have been travelling for over 7 years and have had the privilege of visiting the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, UK, Greece, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia and China. However, I never got the opportunity to visit Australia and New Zealand. This trip of mine would fulfil my desire to visit these countries as well.

I am once again at the beautiful Hyderabad International Airport awaiting my departure call on Singapore Airlines (yes, once again !). I look forward to a fruitful trip work wise and also to enjoy the scenic countries. I had some difficulties with my camera and hope the same gets sorted out so I could take a lot of pictures as forever memories. I will obviously fill you in on my trip as and when I can. Until then.....CHEERS MAITE !

Promises are meant to be borken...at least in Indian Politics !

The tamasha has begun.

Every time the elections are announced each party tries to make bigger promises than the other with the sole objective to come to power. None really care of the consequence of such promises if they are actually elected. Unfortunately, it is the largely uneducated electorate that fall prey to such promises and elect such parties to power.

The last elections in our state had the Congress party offer free power to the agriculture sector. After coming to power the first thing the Chief Minister did was sign the free power scheme into affect. However, gradually the Govt.realised that this was a blunder and made amendments. Now its election time again and with it comes the promises galore. This time the main opposition to the Congress in the state, the TDP has promised cash compensation to all poor families, subsidised food grains, free electricity and hold your breath - color TVs ! Yes, you got that right - color TVs. Cheap food, money and TV (that too no charge for electricity) - the poor have nothing to work for!

From where will the Govt.get the money to offer such extravagant deals? It is obviously going to be from the tax collected off the people who work hard to feed themselves and their families with their own money. This is just one of the many unbelievable promises that are made by all political parties these days. The educated understand this and surely would not like to vote for such people. However, when one looks around, no one is different. Whom to vote for?

This election has brought a new face in the politics of our state in the form of actor Chiranjeevi. The actor has had a fabulous career in movies and shows potential to be a leader with a difference. Will he actually be any different, only time will tell.

LOL - Its Pink Panther 2 !

If laughter is the best medicine, Pink Panther 2 is one of the best among the medicines.

Inspector Jacques Clouseau, portrayed by the inimitable Steve Martin is a treat for movie goers. The movie has the usual plot - precious artifacts get stolen from different countries and inspector Clouseau is asked to lead an international dream team to crack the case. The journey of the team in cracking the case is the crux of the movie.

The 1 and a half hour movie is filled with laughs from the word go. Steve Martin's French accent itself is so funny that it makes a plain dialogue seem funny. There are many superb comic scenes all through. The scene with the Pope takes the cake though. I must warn you to take some pills for a stomach ache as this scene in particular and the whole movie in general is going to make you laugh real hard till your stomach pains. It is unbelievable. Steve Martin rocks.

The rest of the cast is wonderful as well. Among them is our own Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Unlike popular belief, she does have a good role, which she plays very well. She obviously looks gorgeous as well. I am sure we are going to see a lot more of her in Hollywood.

This is a MUST WATCH and deservedly gets 8.5/10.

The state of our state

Last week I was surprised to see the sudden repair work being carried out on the road to my son's school. I was happy that the municipal corporation is doing this work as the road was in desparate need of repairs. The speed of work was also terrific. An entire stretch was repaired in flat two days. The side walls were painted white as were the boundaries of the roads. I have always been very critical of the way the government and its machinery works. Although this was a welcome change.

Then came the day after the work was completed. The morning drive to the school answered the question of how come such fast work on this road. Our honorable Chief Minister was scheduled to inaugurate some project on that road that evening. This is unfortunately, the sad fact in our country. The roads are repaired for the ministers to ensure a smooth ride wherever they pass. The ordinary citizens can go thru the same pathetic road throughout their life and no one would care. But when any big minister passes by the road has to become perfect. People have become wise these days. When the roads in the locality becomes unbearable they just invite the CM or any big minister and 'voila' you have a great road in a matter of days.

These ministers give a pat on the back on the people responsible for the 'great' roads while being fully aware of the ground reality. We citizens pay taxes for the improvement of the roads, water, power, security, etc. But our hard earned money goes into the pockets of unscrupulous bureaucrats who couldn't care less about what is going on.

I don't see this changing for at least the next two generations as corruption is so deeply rooted in our system that it will take this much time for it to slowly get drained out. India can easily grow at more than 10% per annum if only our govt.put a check on corruption. It is not enough for a party to simply raise the slogan of 'Aam Aadmi' but actually focus on the aam aadmi by ensuring that development reaches the people it is meant for. I also know that this blog wouldn't make any difference to anything but I just had to bring this out and share my frustration with this pathetic system that we are forced to live with day in and day out.

Going from family pack to 6 pack !

Workout n me have never gelled very well in my adult life.

I have been a regularly irregular visitor to gyms over the years. Initially, in the good olden days when I was thin I went to get some doley sholey. Over the last few years in a poor attempt to get a 6 pack I ended up with a family pack ! This led me to the gym to get those extra kilos off. I had never been regular which therefore never yielded any results.

I have, however, been very regular this time around. I have been so regular that the number of visits to the gym in my entire earlier life has been less than the number of visits in the last two months. I have now got hooked to the gym. The ambiance in the gym is very lively - fast beat music, pretty girls, etc. It inspires me to be regular and try and achieve more in each visit.

Now, the gym I go to has mirrors all over the wall. This gives the gym a larger feel. It also gives a seem less view of everybody in the gym. One common aspect of all gym goers is the way they look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone is fascinated with themselves. Seeing the muscles pop up each time a weight is lifted is the driver to go for another. The pouring sweat at the end of the workout makes me feel good about myself. The funny thing is that after each workout I try to see if my muscles have increased. Unconsciously, I think everyone does that.

The glass of fresh lime (sweet and salt) after my workout is just a fantastic way to wrap things up for the day.

Billu Bhayankar !

Don't judge a book by its cover and a movie by its trailer !

Billu, the new name for Billu Barber, came out with fast paced trailers with super hit songs and gorgeous actresses. The movie on the other hand hardly has Shah Rukh Khan. His cannot be termed as a full role and is nothing but a cameo. It is an out an out Irfan Khan movie. You can't project it to be an SRK movie and then give him a long dialogue in the climax with a few songs in between and hope to deliver a hit.

Billu revolves around a village barber, played by Irfan Khan. He is a simple, honest and very poor guy. The entire village goes into a tizzy with the grand arrival of super star Sahir Khan, played by SRK, for a shooting. Now, Sahir Khan was an old friend of Billu. This word spreads throughout the village. For most part of the movie, the villagers try to persuade Billu to make them meet Sahir Khan. But Billu, doesn't want to meet the super star as he is very poor and isn't sure if the star remembered him. Finally, to no ones amazement SRK and Irfan meet.

The movie is devoid of any storyline. The entire movie is just the villagers trying to get to meet the super star. Brilliant actors like Om Puri, Asrani and even SRK as totally wasted. The longest comic scene in the movie, when the lodge manager takes a shot at acting, is terrible. The actors are loud and jarring. The scene where SRK clarifies the Khan vs.Khan, filmi bhaichara, etc.is bakwaas and boring. Not everything is bad with the movie though. Irfan Khan comes up with a very nice performance. The music is also one of the strong points of the movie. However, even the presence of SRK cannot salvage this blunder.

I would give it 4/10.

Anurag Kashyap ka Atyachar !

I am on the look out for the guy who posted the review on Times of India last Sunday. The guy gave Dev D 5 stars. I was shocked to read the review and thought that 5 stars would probably be over rated but at least the movie would be good.

I then eagerly took the tickets for the same night. The first few scenes into the movie and I started to get a feel of things to come. However, the movie surpassed all my expectations. Scene after scene it went from trash to trashier. All through this "Modern Devdas" attempt I felt like I was being cheated. It was an unbearable movie. The only thing good about the movie was - "The End". Forget the story, the performances, everything else about this piece of crap. The movie sucks.

Please do yourselves a favour and stay miles away from any theatre that plays this movie. It is an insult to even rate this movie so I have decided not to give any rating. It deserves below a minus rating.

My Sunday

There goes another Sunday !

I don't hate anything more than a lousily spent Sunday. In fact, I genuinely get a head ache if I end up doing nothing on this day. Its the way the big guy up there made me.

Unlike most companies in the west and the software companies in India, most companies in India work 6 day weeks. As for me, I do put in a lot of hard work during those 6 days and look forward to making the most on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the last two Sundays have had me going to work for some reason or the other. The last one for half a day the the previous one for one full day. Needless to say, I become rather grumpy when such things happen.

Then there are other Sundays when I do not have any work but somehow no other plan materializes. This is the type of day I would hope no one messes with me. I can really be nasty. I enjoy a fun filled Sunday which could comprise a movie, dinner or lunch out at a nice restaurant, some workout at the gym, maybe a swim, some shopping, a visit to the temple, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary but basic little things that keep me busy thru the day. With the kind of pace most of our lives have these days, Sunday comes as a much needed breather. I know I need this break and I need to make the most of it.

However, Sunday's gone and its Monday today. So let me get back to work with the hope that the next Sunday is different.

Luck...by chance - Go watch this flick !

Farhan Akhtar's performance in Rock on was spell bounding. I looked forward to another smashing performance from Farhan and went for Luck..by chance solely for him.

Unfortunately, luck......is no Rock on. Without a comparison it is a movie worth watching. Its got good performances by the entire cast. Special mention to the wonderful portrayal of Romy Rolly by Rishi Kapoor. He excels in his part. While Farhan does justice to the role, he does not cast the spell that he did with Rock on. The small little cameo by Hrithik Roshan is fun. By the way, this is the first movie to star Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan together, even though not in the same frame. The movie has its moments. The scene in the acting school is hilarious. A comic scene here and there keeps the movie alive all through. The story is different and good. Almost like a toned down Madhur Bhandarkar movie. Music is ok.

This movie would not run forever in the multiplex near you. Until its there please go, grab your pop corn n drink and enjoy this flick. I would give it a 7/10.

At the cross roads of life

Many a time I find myself at a cross road having to pause and think which road to take. Of course, I don't mean roads literally but about the different paths in life.

The decision made to travel on anyone of these roads is a decision that one has to live with for life. In my case, the first time I was faced with such a situation was after my graduation. I had an option to pursue my MBA or join my relative's granite firm in Chennai. At that point my family and I had taken the decision to join the company in Chennai. Even today, after about 10 years of that decision, I cannot tell for sure if that decision was right or wrong. It could have been right for I got my present job as a result of my stint in the company in Chennai. It could have been wrong cause I am not in the best industry and could have been in a much better position had I pursued my MBA. Ifs and buts are not of any consequence when talking of the past. But they can surely be the guiding factor when planning for the future.

Since the past several months I find myself contemplating about my future. I have a family to support, which makes any decision all the more complicated. The question that keeps popping up all the time now is whether my family's future would be better in the United States or in India. I am reasonably happy with my job but off late there have been difficulties on certain aspects. I know from deep within that these would not be overcome and I'd have to live with the same issue in this company. On the other hand, a world of uncertainties await us had we to move to the US. I am also very attached to the company I work for and find it extremely awkward to even think of any other option.

I am waiting for the balance to tilt one way or the other and hope the clouds of uncertainty pass sooner than later for me to take my journey forward.

Slumdog....lives up to the hype

Although I was eager to catch the earliest show possible of the much anticipated movie Slumdog Millionaire, I was able to finally get to watch it only a couple of days back.

Not many movies in the past have lived up to the expectations or hype generated prior to its release. Case in point being the movies of Indian movie super stars SRK and Akshay Kumar's Rab ne..., Singh is king and the recent Chandni Chowk...etc. However, Danny Boyle's Slumdog is a wonderful tale of the journey of a boy from the slums of Mumbai. There was a lot of hue and cry over the manner in which India is depicted in the movie. Although I felt sad with this portrayal, it was real. The entire episode of the slum kids can shake any person up. But, it would be more appropriate to take up this cause with our governament than criticize the makers of the movie.

The real life experiences coming to help the protagonist in answering the questions on the game show is well presented. However, on a few questions one feels the real life reference seems unreal. Such minor shortcomings are pardoned. The entire cast comes up with very nice performances. The award winning music by Rehman is nice as well. Anil Kapoor has done justice to his part and excels in the final scene. The credit however, to keep us all glued to the seats until the very end of the credits MUST go solely to its director - DANNY BOYLE ! Hats off to him.

I would give the Slumdog 8/10.

My visit to the United States - VI

During my visit I had the opportunity to take a few pics which I have shared with you below -

Christmas tree in Pearson airport, Toronto, Canada.

Bellevue downtown, near Seattle.

The beauty of the snow.

Christmas deco in Changi airport, Singapore !

My visit to the United States - V

Its been a while since I encountered snow. Well, this time I did and this time the snow more than made up for the separation.

The backdrop was the picturesque Seattle. It snowed for a couple of days before I arrived. After half a day's break it continued to snow overnight and then again the next evening and the next as well. I was informed that the last it snowed like this was about 10 years back. It was a punishment to go out in this weather. However, I had my flight to the windy city and had to leave. My poor brother in laws Pratik and Vikas were the guys to bear the brunt and had to drive me to the airport. The roads were filled with ice and snow. The trees had a white cover. It was as if the whole city had turned white. It was an over whelming sight. Driving on ice was a dangerous task but was handled very well by Vikas.

After an hour's drive we managed to reach the airport around 7.30 in the morning. The scene inside was something like I'd never seen before. I was scheduled to take the Alaskan airlines flight bound for Chicago via Reno departing Seattle at 8.45. There were hundreds of people queued up to check in at Alaskan. The que went on for what seemed like miles. People were in the que since as early as 4 ! Most of them had already missed their flights and were in the que to get re-booked. I realised that there was no way that I would make it in time and so went from one airline to another seeking seats for any possible connection to Chicago. "No seats until the 24th" said one rep. A few airlines had cancelled all their flights out of Seattle that day. The snow took its toll on everyone. As for me, I had no other option but to cancel my trip to Chicago and take the hour long drive back home with Pratik and Vikas.

My visit to the United States - IV

I realised today that this series from my blog is running into several parts. Now that's not the problem. The problem is that I started using the Roman numerals which are now becoming problematic. Until 3 it was a cake walk but thereafter ?

While I keep mentioning visit to the United States I must also add that I did also visit Toronto for a day. So, technically it is my visit to North America. Anyways, this particular trip is my shortest US trip till date. In almost all my trips there is a day when my checked baggage does not arrive with me. Wonder why this NEVER happens in India. With all the sophisticated technology and all you'd wonder how come such things happen and that to so frequently.

Well, on this instance the scene of crime was Seattle Tacoma airport. Due to my frequent travel on the Star Alliance network of airlines my bag was tagged as a priority. I was always under the impression that "priority" meant that the bags would be taken care of and would arrive before everyone else's on the carousal. However, Air Canada and United Airlines have sworn to crush my beliefs. They keep trying and trying until one day I stop expecting the bag to come at all. This way when the odd day the bag does turn up I feel highly about them !

Getting back to the carousal waiting for my bag to come. I waited and waited and finally the bags from our flight were being sent on the carousal. The rounds went on for about half hour before a group of us accepted the fact that today was our turn to face the music. It turned out that the entire "priority" group's bags didn't arrive. We all stood in line to file the claim. After another 10 or 15 mins.the rep at the counter asked the baggage handlers to re-check if there were any bags left and sure enough the guy replied (after the re-check) that there was indeed a trolley full of bags that were missed out. Finally, after the two hour trauma I got my bag.

The worst part of all this is you can't even take out your anger on the reps in the United States. You can't shout at the people and lighten up from within. At least in India you shout a few abuses at the person at fault and feel light from within !

My visit to the United States - Part III

Most times on arrival into the States I keep awake for a few hours and then go to bed around 7 or 8. This way I have no jet lag etc.and get back on track immediately.

However, this time I was very sleepy and took a nap in the evening. It was dark at 5 in the evening ! This little nap messed up the start of my trip and I felt sleepy the next day as well. From then on things were fine though. There was a lot of gloom all over which was aggravated by the dull weather. I expected to see a very vibrant US around this time of the year, being Christmas but it was not to be.

I wonder what is it with the sun and how one feels from within. I feel very energetic and active when the sun is around during the day. The day the sun isn't there is an instant dullness. I pity the places where the sun doesn't shine for 6 months. What the heck would I do were I to go there !

My visit to the United States - Part II

Hey there !

On this trip I took Singapore Airlines, which according to me is the finest. I always try to get to fly on this rather than the rest. There are a number of reasons to do so. I think the service all through, be it on the ground and in air is absolutely fantastic. The food is good and the in flight entertainment is very good. The seats also seem to be a bit more spacious vs the other airlines. Of course, the icing on the cake are the air hostesses. There is just no match in this category !

How much ever I try to convince my wife otherwise, she firmly believes that I opt for Singapore Airlines because of the air hostesses ;)

I've had the opportunity to travel in several airlines and truly believe that Singapore airlines is a class apart.

My visit to the United States

Off I am to yet another trip to the United States.

As I await my boarding announcement I got a few moments to post this blog from the wonderful lounge at the majestic Hyderabad International Airport. It is truly a fascinating airport at par with the best in the world with regard to style and amenities. It is a totally different world in comparison to the old airport. Although the journey to the new one is significantly longer than to the old one, which was basically in the heart of the city.

However, once at the airport, at every point there is a marked difference to the old one. To start with, there are a large number of brand new trolleys waiting by the 'drop off' zone. Once in the terminal, there are several counters for every airline with the most courteous staff guiding anyone needing assistance. After checking in the immigration is also a pleasant surprise as the 10 odd counters (against 3-4 of the old airport) make people breeze by in no time. The well stocked duty free welcomes every passenger after which there is a long isle with eateries and shops on one side and a seating area on the other. The lounge is very well done and has a good selection of food and drinks; a few lap tops for those wishing to browse the net (from where I type presently) and also a shower area.

Well.......that was just my boarding call. So got to go. Will keep you on track with the rest along my journey.