Tuesday, March 21, 2006
No.18 is Prague !
hey babes and babas !! wassup folks ?? we've now come to the wonderful city of Prague .. and as i dont know it all that well either .. guess we'll discover it together !!

Prague is a great city to walk around in cos of all the cobblestones. The main sightseeing areas of Prague are separated by the Vltava River. On the left bank there is the Prague Castle area and the Lesser Town. The right bank is home to the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and the New Town. Spanning the Vltava River and connecting the Old Town and Lesser Town is the beautiful Charles Bridge.

The heart of Prague's historical center is the Old Town Square. There are many gothic spires like the spires of the Týn Church over the square and the Astronomical Clock with the famous hourly display of the 12 apostles on the Old Town Hall.The Old Town Hall tower is an amazing climb with a great view of the square and beyond. Walk around the square to check out beautiful sculptures and buildings all around and even some of the oldest synagogues in europe!!

It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the Charles Bridge. (Maybe someone shud give that idea to the bmc.. well atleast for the flyovers .. most of the roads they build are dug up by the bmc themselves.) During the day the towers on both sides of the Charles bridge are accessible to ppl. The tower on the Old Town side, gives a wonderful view especially during sunsets and sunrises.

Baroque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque) statues are placed on either side of Charles Bridge. The most popular statue is of St.John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed by being thrown into the Vltava from the bridge. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague.

Prague Castle is the largest castle area in the world. Its three courtyards and a number of magnificent buildings cover over 18 acres, most of which is amazingly beautiful...

The New Town was built 600 years ago, and today it has numerous businesses, hotels and banks, as well as department stores, boutiques, and a few malls. The New Town is also home to the Café Slavia, the National Theatre, the Dancing House, the Charles Square, the Jindřišská Tower, the State Opera and Wenceslas Square.

Czech food is not really for the die hard vegetarians ... but what i personally found most interesting is the sauerkraut, the fruit filled dumplings, and the apple strudel. It is apparently not even for the calorie conscious cos they love their butter (máslo) there !! (my kinda ppl)

and now .. on .. we go upwards the list .. next .. i shall meet u in Copenhagen !!

posted by Ipshi @ 10:37 am   4 comments
Friday, March 17, 2006
No.19 is Delhi (to ur surprise and mine!!)
Guess what this is ... its a detail from the kutub minar !! yes .. one of the many architectural delights that our country has and is sadly and badly (un)looked after!!

Havin born and grown up in bombay, i think it is pretty natural for me to HATE, LOATHE and ABHOR delhi ... and to add the hardly needed fuel to the already roaring fire... iv also had to endure the completely medieval north indian mentality !!!

but lets get to the good stuff ... i was recently sent to delhi for a 3 week training period.. and much against my better judgement ... i went !! i knew absolutely no one there and i was terrified .. i had my ears full of advice about the thugs and conmen there .. about how it was VERYY unsafe there for women and that i shud just get in and stay in after 7 in the evening !!!


and so it was .. i understood the meaning of trepidation when i was waiting for the train with my parents at mumbai central station... and then i got in for my 1st solo train journey.. and then it was that i met my mr.right!!! its been 6 months to the day that i first met Anand .. and its been so great ... god bless u for everything !! AND HAPPY MONTHAVERSARY !!!!

so anyways.. i had the best train trip of my life .. cos both of us kept chattering till 1 in the mornin (typical geminis both of us) and the next morning .. we went our separate ways ... for a while atleast!!

we had our of
fice guesthouse in one little kona(corner) of delhi .. but it was lovely ... and there started my sight seeing cos Anand joined me there soon!!!

1st i went to a place called Delhi Haat .. that place rocks ... there have monthly changing stalls there ... of all kinds of handicrafts from all around india ... and amazing food stalls from all the different states too !!! MMMM .. THOSE BEAUTIFUL MOMOS !!! and those beautifuller CHAPPALS !!!


then came the turn of india gate ... which i cudnt see up close ...but then i visited the Cottage Industries Emporium. There were really beautiful things there .. but it was very obviously catering for the NRIs.. cos i cudnt really afford anything much there!!!

then we headed towards the National museum and I LOVED IT !! beautiful stuff .. beautifully presented !!

janpath also has great shops .. but theyve been spoilt by the NRIs too .. now .. simple rupee paying customers are worse than dirt !!

we also visited Lal Bahadur shastri's house and couldn't find the "smarak" or watever its called :( ... then we went to sarojini nagar .. where i shopped some more!! that place has really beautiful stuff !!! that was one of the places where the bombings took place a couple of days before divali .. i sincerely wish that none of the shop keepers i encountered there were harmed in anyway !!

then we headed onto a bit more shopping at greater kailash and general hanging out at our no.1 spot ... PVR SAKET !! god i loved that place !! be it the movie hall where i saw the supremely BAD movie "chocolate" or the tikka place or bennigan's *blush blush* ...I may not have done a lot of sight seeing .. and ppl from delhi .. plz feel free to drop in names of places i shud visit next time i go there!!!

All in all ... i loved the food there .. from the gol gappas... to the tikkas .. to the momos.. and the YUMMMMMY CHAAT !! i also loved the shopping .. i have been converted into a chappal freak .... there was so much variety there even for huge-footed ppl like me !!

and MOSTEST OF ALL ... i fell in love with the people there .. no ... not the lechy yuckos who slow down their cars to look at u .. or the horny bozos who hav to look at every female even if theres an equally DUH girl draped on their arm.

i mean the wonderful people i met there .. my amazing training buddies ... the RAPCHICK ROCKETS !!!! all of whom have enriched my life in so many ways !! im listin them here in order of class seating .. lomesh, mridu, prakash, amit, anku and poonam ... special mention for eisha .. the soul sister i met in this game of chances called life ... special mention also for A.K. .. nice guy .. thanks again for the lift !!

and specialest mention for the fruit shop of my eye, not just the apple ... who i met because of my delhi trip .. thank u for exploring this city with me .. i think i love it more cos of u .. i know v'll have many more explorations together.. both of cities and of life !! 6 months and going strong .. with lots of lub .. to anand (these are pressed flowers .. wink wink!!!!)

btw .. if anyone missed me .. im really sorry .. finally got some work at work !!
posted by Ipshi @ 10:22 am   5 comments
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Best cities in the world !! No.20 TOKYO
Hello peeps !!! after yesterday's debacle ... lemme get back on track ... starting today im gonna focus on something really cool ... well... atleast for me!!!

Have you ever seen discovery channel's travel and living channel? It completely rocks except for when they show the bloody bikes and stuff ... but they usually show amazing things like places that uv never heard of .. things u never knew could be ... once they even had a spot which showcased the top 20 ice cream joints in the us .. granted i mite never go there ... but watching it in itself was a amazing treat !!!! http://www.travelandlivingindia.com

And once there was this show which chronicled the Top 20 Best Cities of the World (BCW)... and guess what ... even Delhi made an appearance at no.19 .. cool huh? (ya ya eisha .. stop preenin so much) maybe they hadnt heard of Bombay but never mind !!

Granted that I mite not even go to even half of these places .. but im gonna dream and u can join me for the ride .... gimme feedback and temme what to add or subtract !!

So today we start with No.20 ... Tokyo !!

It has temples ... the Asakusa-Kannon Temple has been in existence since the city's foundation. It is also one of the most popular temples in Tokyo. Next is the Meiji Shrine, built in 1920, is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, it is one of the most popular Shinto places to worship. (my moms installed an aversion for temples in me ... NEXT..)

Then comes the Imperial Palace which is a huge attraction, but it is only open to the public for two days a year. It has the The Imperial Palace East Garden and The Music Room as its attractions. (hmm .. restricted entry ... I like it !!!)

Next, the Ueno Park is the largest park in Tokyo and is home the The Tokyo National Museum, an Aquarium - one of the largest in Asia and the Zoo in Ueno Park is the oldest zoological garden in Japan and is connected by a monorail. ( i love chuk chuk gaadis)

Shinjuku is the nightspot area with jazz cellars, cafés and an underground mall and department stores. ( i promise i wont shop ... too much!!)

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a botanical garden and can be divided into two main sections, Japanese and European. The Japanese section has influences from China, while the European section is influenced by the landscaped English garden and French parks. Depending on when you go either cherry blossoms (April) or chrysanthemums (November) may be in bloom. (always wanted to see them cherry blossom thingies)

The most famous shopping district in Tokyo is Ginza. which also has the Kabukiza Theater where performances of Kabuki are held. (i wanna see make up wala plays !!)

With over 100 secondhand shops Kanda is one of the largest bookshop districts in the world. (will be my most favorite place i bet!!)

The most beautiful park is the Korakuen Park which includes a lake, the Kantokutei teahouse and a sports center.

And if culture is getting a bit too much for you ... head down to Disneyland with its standardized and copyrighted fairytale princesses !!!

p.s. plz gimme feedback on the images !!!

posted by Ipshi @ 10:33 am   3 comments
Monday, March 06, 2006
Warning - Depression Ahead


Hey there people ... looong time no hear eh? well.. last week was a very very bad one for me ... in one fell swoop i hav lost on 2 counts ... my health and my family .. want more gory details? delve in !!

i have been diagnosed with spondilitis ... apparently my ribs r tryin to get on my nerves - and while that mite sound funny lemme add ITS NOT- i hav been walkin around with an arched back and even sneezing hurts!!!

and iv also had a horrific fight with my one and only sister because of the person shes chosen to spend her life with and since i dont do things exactly how he thinks they shud be done .. i am the devil itself. Therefore ... viva marriages and down with sisterhood !!

after u let go of someone u care about ... wat do u do ... these are the following options that i see..

1. wallow in self pity
2. think of all the hurtful things u cud do to get back
3. keep wallowing in the afore mentioned pity
4. cry
5. let go of the one person uv ever looked up to just because their worse halves think u dont amount to shit !!

o well ... lemme end on a positiver note ...

i saw crash .. and its won the oscar for best picture !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAAAAAAYYYYYYYY

I KNEW IT !!!
that movie rules !!! its really very well made !! and i definitely recommend it to everybody ... and lemme know ur feelings ... tho i must say .. if ur looking for a fun filled time .. then its not for u !!
posted by Ipshi @ 10:28 am   2 comments
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
When, Why, How

When I was just a little girl, I was boring… terribly so!! I might as well admit it now, and it wasn't that I was a geek; I was average even on that count. So, I was the most boring specimen of girlhood ever. But I was good at talking and boy did I use that skill well!!
When I was in the second standard or so, my teacher caught me while I was chatting away. I was then told to stand with my back to the classroom next to the teacher’s desk … but what are such obstacles to the champion chatterer?
I kept turning around and chatting to the people around me and it was then that I noticed the horrible thing Mona, my “friend” was doing.
She was using my Pencil, even though she knew how important IT was to me. It was an imported pencil that came with a colorful eraser that actually erased really well; and everybody knows that combination is such a rarity.
And so, as soon as I got the chance of getting back to my seat, I – and I’m not proud of this- pounced on her and scratched her on her arms. She started bawling – obviously- and looking at her, I started bawling too!!
We were taken to the principal’s office where I was given a lovely dressing down. I still remember Sister Thelma’s face… she looked so disappointed. And when my mom came during lunch time, she rushed to that girl first and apologized so tearfully that Mona’s mom has been a great friend of my mom’s ever since!!
O well, all’s well that ends well I guess… I learnt quite a few lessons that day.
I learnt violence doesn’t pay and I learnt this pretty early in life.
I also learnt that not having a pencil is better than having a pencil and making my mom cry. Basically... nothing is more important than the feelings of those who care about you.And oh yes, I made a new best friend!!
posted by Ipshi @ 11:08 am   4 comments
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It is only in my 30s that I have realised I will never be the elegant lady who can wear white without spilling something on it. I recognise my blessings like my family, my friends & my job & I am letting go of my fears of writing & just jumping in. I love my job. It has given me the opportunity to live in a city where I am surrounded by the most amazing friends in the world & the most surreal experiences. It also gives me the opportunity to read great books & travel to fascinating new countries. Join me as I share these with the world.

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