Happy Thanksgiving

It’s been really long since I blogged here. I have been missing it. My being absent from the blogosphere doesn’t necessarily mean that I have not been writing at all. To be honest, I wrote quite a few. Lack of time and opportunity kept me from posting here. I will post those soon. But I am here for another reason today.
Every year on the fourth Thursday of November, the residents of USA celebrate “Thanksgiving” in a big big way. In 2012, this auspicious occasion will fall on November 22 (that is tomorrow) and it is a national holiday for them too. Yes, this is a big deal because this is the day when people appreciate and understand the meaning of having a family and the joy of eating together. Attending a real traditional Thanksgiving dinner is one of the things in my bucket list. I know I will someday!
 

My heartiest greetings to everyone celebrating Thanksgiving!
 

Let me share some factoids about Thanksgiving:

• The first Thanksgiving was a simpler event than many people think.
• In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
• For more than two centuries, the days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.
• It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the national Thanksgiving Day to be held on the last Thursday of November.
• Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October.

For more info you may also visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
http://thanksgiving.fundootimes.com/index.html
http://www.halloween-website.com/traditions.htm

Love at first sight - Australia

Sydney Opera House

Yes, I know it’s been a few days already and it’s high time I wrote about my trip to Down Under. Many of my blog readers, who are also some of my great friends, are shouting at me for not writing about my trip to Australia yet.

The road in Kangaroo Island

The reason I wasn't posting anything was just one - my confusion on where to start! When the heart is full words are few and my trip of 20 days in OZ has definitely filled my heart. More so, because we went on a well-researched trip (by my partner) minus any annoying tour agent who treats you like a herd of animals.

There cannot be a better teacher than travel itself. Traveling has enriched my life in many ways. However, this 20 days’ vacation trip to Australia has changed me as a person. In many ways, my priorities have changed. Australia has taught me how to celebrate life and celebrate being alive.

Somewhere with the guiding light

This trip to Down Under will always remain as one of my most cherished trips - also because, I have done some of the things for the first time in my life here. This has helped me tick off a few of the “to dos” from my “must do before I die” list. These include celebrating New Year Eve at Sydney Harbour, seeing Uluru, helicopter ride, taking a cruise in the Pacific Ocean and snorkelling.

Our journey started on December 31, 2011 in Sydney. New Year Eves have always been very important for me. Call me “typical” but I do believe that if you start the year well, it will go well. I was getting tired of the usual good food for dinner, some TV and bursting of crackers at midnight routine for last few years. 2012 had to be different. We wanted to go somewhere. After considering a few options, we decided to welcome the New Year by going to the New Year (read: to welcome it before it actually reaches our country) in Sydney.

The crowd at Sydney Harbour

Australia was always a mystery for me, a country that is so far away from the rest of the world and we knew so little about it, except the unbelievably strong cricket team, Uluru and kangaroos! The moment I landed in Sydney, it was a series of surprises for me. Being a country in the Southern Hemisphere, it was to be hot as hell there in December and we were prepared for the summer in OZ. But to our surprise, it was cooler than the winter in Mumbai. Thankfully we had “just in case” jackets with us and we were saved. Even though we took a thirteen hours halt in Singapore, the eight hours flight to Sydney took a toll on us. We wanted to go to the hotel and take a nap so that the body clock gets confused (or cheated) to adjust to the new time zone we were in. Moreover, we had a ballroom cruise to take on the Sydney Harbour that evening to celebrate the New Year Eve. 

Happy New Year! ;)

We had reservation at Hotel Radisson Blu in Sydney. So from the airport, we headed to the hotel and slept for some time. As the suggested cruise boarding time approached, we got ready for the evening and went to the Kingston Wharf to board the Majestic Cruise Line. The crowd, the atmosphere at the wharf and the enthusiasm of the people, especially those who were reserving seats at the bank since 12 noon were absolutely overwhelming. A little effort later, we found our ship and boarded the cruise of a lifetime!

What a great way to start the 2012! I couldn’t have asked for more!

(Click here for the next Sydney story…) 

2012

Looking forward to a new positive beginning

This thought has been brewing in my mind since the day of the earthquake and the destructive tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011. A few days prior to this, New Zealand suffered a severe earthquake too. Both these events resulted in huge loss of lives and properties. After these two devastating events, I have observed that the only obvious reaction amongst people of different age, size and genre has been “Is this the end” “the end of the world has started”, “2012 predictions are going to be true” and so on and so forth. Till recently, to be precise, till the day of release of the movie 2012 , nobody even thought in these ultimate lines. The movie has had a great impact on peoples’ minds. People are tweeting about these above-mentioned events on twitter and people are expressing their concern/fear/survival strategies on the day when the planet Earth will just crumble and vanish in the vastness of the universe. I could not believe my own eyes when I saw websites dedicated on dreams people dream about 2012 and as how everything is going to end! Are they kidding me? I am disgusted and amused at the same time.
You must have heard of the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I have read the book and have also seen the video made on that book. I totally agree with the formula and I have experienced the effects of visualising in my own life. Hence, my point here is, since many people are actually visualising the end of the world and they believe that it is going to happen in 2012; this way, these people actually want it to happen by asking for it to happen. All the negative and destructive thinking of people around the globe is actually creating the negative event in the same pace it is being imagined, talked about and feared. I believe that if you think of one thing a lot and visualise it in your head/mind repeatedly, you end up having it. My belief is not baseless I know. This belief has been quoted many times in many forms before. Some of these include, “imagination is the life’s coming attractions” and “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”.

Me at Disneyland Hotel & Resort Hong Kong

Whatever happened in Japan and New Zealand and in India in 2004 were absolute natural phenomena. If you think rationally, it does not predict the end of the world or the beginning of the end of world as well. I really pity those who are so petrified anticipating, contemplating the end of the world or are scared to die. Death is also an absolute natural phenomenon. People will die and that is the only truth, regardless of the 2012 predictions coming to reality or not. So, my point here is, why panic so much and waste our time over something so unimportant? Yes, “unimportant” because even if it was to be true, we, mere human beings cannot do anything about it. So, instead, we can resolve to live a happy and healthy life and think of wonderful things that can happen in the future. Instead of worrying on “can-happen-negatives” we all can dream/visualise about what we wish to happen and want to happen. You would love to know that when right-minded and well-balanced people together in communion and consensus think good and positive, the extremes warned about can be warded off making good things to happen instead.