Reason to Smile :)

Reason to Smile: Let us all come together and be thankful for the year that gave us so much and feel immensely blessed as some of us couldn't even make it to the year end ! This Christmas "Lets learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want."  I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished. Both the years and the experiences have brought me here to where I stand today, but it is the thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, of blessings, of unique experiences to flow my way.  My gratitude starts with my family who gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years and continues with the friends that I've met along the way who absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, thereby affecting my income, my bank account, my future. :P  ;) I am also very thankful for the people, the associa...

Reason to Smile: My weekends for the past 5 yrs have always been happening. But this time it was madness. It all started with just one conversation with a friend in Dubai that he would have holidays and I should book my tickets if I really wish to see that country. Not for a second did I have any doubts about not going there and exploring it on my own. And then Boom ! Tickets booked and I know I am flying to Dubai !! :) As we would all know Dubai has this magnificent aura of richness when we think of the country / city. Even the thought of just having a slight glance from an airplane made me feel so rich already :P Dubai indeed is all about - Lights; Camera; and Action !! :D Take 1 - Friday it was (28th November) with all the excitement of finally experiencing Dubai with its Islamic culture, cuisine and state of the art infrastructure. True to all the adjectives one can name, Dubai in real is a beauty ! So went home with all the to do list and checklist and I get a call f...

Reason to Smile: As the name suggests The"Joy of Giving" Weekend is all about the idea to celebrate 'Giving' :) It brings together all the people from all walks of life to give their time, money, resources, skills back to the society by creating or participating in events to ensure this festival makes it own mark. Such events are generally organised by individuals, social groups, schools, colleges, NGOs, corporates, media houses and many others. I was fortunate enough to get myself associated with one such event organised by Treks and Trails and Offbeat Sahyadris on the weekend of November 14th. It was an adoption of the villages in and around Kumshet near Nasik. I was pleasingly surprised to see the kind of donations that were made from hundreds of people around Mumbai itself. The contributions were in the form of clothes, stationary, toys, food, shoes, lanterns, money, shawls, warmers, utensils, games, and many more things alike. The entire event was a huge...

Reason to Smile:The festival of Diwali has its own charm in our hearts. It is the time to celebrate colours, lights, food, sweets, music and dance with great energy and enthusiasm. It is actually during this time that the entire country is filled with lights, humor, passion and a zeal on celebrations ! It is so beautiful to look around town and get amazed by the creativity that each one comes out with. The so called Victoria Terminus wears an adobe full of colorful lights to its fantasy ! A photographers delight that Mumbai can be at this time, it is also about good food and low work pressures to spend quality time with friends and family :) I was no exception to witness the above :) Some group gatherings with Tattva (Marine Drive) and TMI (Shivaji Park) made the entire festival worth the celebrations for me. With some old friends and new, and lost friends of few, this diwali brings together a series of memories to be cherished forever :) I have thoroughly enjoyed it as a surpris...

Reason to Smile: This is my 40th blog post and what will make this one special is that its gonna be on the birthday weekend that we just spent 24 hrs back ! :P My birthday has been so much fun and happening since the last 3-4  that I have really forgotten the count of 'growing up' to these years ;) If you don't believe it, the pictures and videos uploaded on FB will say it all. Ofcourse, needless to mention, it is all because of my friends and family members. I am indeed blessed :) Special Thanks to Prasad, Mayuri, Arghya, Rohan, Thomas, Mehul, Jeanette, Rajith, Jigar, Monish, Yoshita, Aditya who made it to celebrate my birthday ! I cant tell you how much all this means to me :) Love you guys ! Our plan was to check out some food joints in Mumbai that serves something different and has a unique ambiance. Sure it happened and got a part of the celebrations this weekend. The link that we referred to had 15 such restaurants in Mumbai that became our checklist. One of th...

Reason to Smile: Navratri is a festival full of colours and dance. Specifically known for Gujaratis to cherish this season, these 9 days are their religion to enjoy every evening dancing their feet out ! ;) Decked up in the colours that several websites deliver for each day, we Gujjus cannot forget to hog on to special delicacies prepared for Navratris. Not to forget, there are people who fast, some who remain barefoot for all 9 days, some who survive only on fruits or milk and then there are some who eat their guts out too !! :D Every night the colours each fabric glamours and the energy each person shows under their skin is a treat to watch especially at Gujarat and Maharastra. I have not been an exception to the dance part of it :P My all time true friends - Niraj and Snehal never forget to remind me - this is 'my time' for them to enjoy with me :P Needless to mention, they are very good dancers too ;) I have not been able to yet reach a stage where I haven't enjo...

Reason to Smile: Life isn't meant to be thought of. Its meant to be lived :) One more fun filled weekend at my favorite destination gets planned and I have packed my bags to grab it. This year its the second time I got a chance to visit the most scenic place in Maharashtra. Konkan it is again ! :) Saturday morning - a generally lazy day becomes up and running to hit the highways towards Konkan. We decide to cover Dapoli. That is - Suvarnadurg, Kanakdurg, Goa Fort, Fattegad and probably some hot water springs and caves nearby. So with this plan on the mind, the wheels hit the roads early morning and start towards NH 17. Looks like a 4 to 5 hrs drive. On the curves and the bends of the roads post crossing the highways, inside the villages are boards that guide us on the directions to reach the final destination - Harne Beach, Ratnagiri. So all the way through driving, we reach a Tri-juncture where the board reads - Harne left; Mandangad straight and Shriwardhan right. The car ...

Reason to Smile: Life is all about journeys from the time I realized that I don't want people to control my life. I took one step and decided that I shall stop giving people the power to control my life. This was a couple of years back. Now, things have only become better and wiser. I have only grown and grown for good - more so personally. They say that some unfortunate incidents in your life ideally should only make you better not bitter. I surely saw this and felt this deep down within me when I was informed that my friends 'all' have backed out on the plan (that we long decided) to go to Ladakh ! Nothing moved me. Even when this news broke at the nth hour of my journey to begin. My beginnings dint change. Whether 8 feet or two, I was very adamant or rather determined to attend to my calling - my super favorite destination - Ladakh !:) This was my second visit but my first ever solo trip to Ladakh ! An exotic location that it is Ladakh will never stop to amaze peop...