Movie marathon!!!

Hope you are all safe in home!!!
World is witnessing the COVID 2019.This has impacted our life to a greater extent that we ever imagined!
We are stay put in home and some of us are also working from home!
Hoping and praying that situation changes and the world gets free from the deadly virus!

New normal is totally different for me personally...With work,travel,home,I was literally juggling and with this new normal there is no commute or no busy mornings trying to cook/pack boxes!
I am totally occupied with professional work and house hold chores!Washing the piles of clothes,drying it,folding it and washing dishes on and on keeps me always busy in houshold fronte/Plus did a shallow cleaning of our room...The no clutter room brings so much of peace in me seriously!

People who know me personally,know very well that I seldom have any interest for movies.My husband and brother are movie buffs.I am someone who  gets marooned in my own world when others are watching movies.But this lock down changed me totally :)I finally subscribed for amazon prime and have started to slowly watch the movies,that I was meaning to watch before..Below are the movies that I watched till now..A lot mores to go..
Taking slow and steady step you see:)
1.Rakshasi-Loved Jyothika's sarees and ofcourse the concept of the movie.
2.Chandramuki-I lost the count of the times that I watched this movie.Saw it in TV again during a weekend.
3.96-One of my favourite movies.Lost the count but watched it in TV :)
4.Nayagan-I have seen bits and pieces of this movie before but not watched it completely at one go..I decided that I will watch it at one go and did it as well :)Velu Naikar character still lingers in my mind..Yet another legend of a movie from the gem KamalHasan sir.
5.Kannathil Muthamittal-Watched it in bits and pieces but this time,I sat and watched it at one go...Enjoyed watching it fully.
6.Enthiran-Watched Thalaivar's movie in TV..
7.Chinna Kavunder-In progress movie from amazon prime

So how are you all managing your days?Would like to hear from you in comments!

[Travel diaries]-Dubai-Part1

As promised in my last post,few blog posts from now on will cover lots of information about Dubai :)
We went to Dubai for our Dec 2019 vacation as a family and it was the first flight experience  as well as first international vacation experience for few of us!
Hop on and read further if you are planning for a vacation to Dubai!

As the rule of thumb goes,if you are planning for a vacation,please book in advance so that you get good offers!Booking at the last minute will lead to  soaring high ticket charges and it is a wise decision to plan your travel in advance.Since we went as a family,we had good number of people and so my husband's uncle did an excellent job of booking tickets, hotel stay,accommodation  etc.

If you are travelling to Dubai ,you have to get the tourist visa in advance,in addition to your passport.You can do all your travel booking through tour packages or all by yourself.Visa on arrival from India is not there in Dubai  and so it is essential that you get your visas prior to your travel.

The another important point to note is to ensure that you have the local currency in hand.Ensure to convert the INR into Dirham so that you have their local money for  all the expenses.The second important pointer is to avail for international roaming in your mobile.Communication is very important and mobile has become an internal part of us and so it is essential to check with your operator and avail the international roaming before you begin your travel.Whatsapp video call does not work in Dubai.BOTIM is one another app that can be installed for video calls.

The next important point is to check with your bank to ensure your credit or debit card can be used in international countries, this way if you want to swipe your card,we can do it with ease.

Now that we have seen about visa,tickets etc,we can go ahead and see what are the places that we visited.

What comes to your mind first when you think about Dubai?Malls and dates right?It is definitely a sin if you don't visit a mall there :)Though I wanted to visit IBM Batuta mall,Dubai mall and Mall of emirates,I could just visit only Dubai mall :)Reserving the rest for an another travel :)

Dubai Mall:

The word famous Burj Khalifa is near to Dubai mall and so you can cover Burj Khalifa and Dubai mall on the same day.Not to forget,Aquarium and under water zoo is also in the Dubai mall..So yes you can cover these as well..If you are a shopaholic then you can shop till you drop here!We could visit only one floor and that too not completely..I was eyeing for Caribou coffee(outlet name) but could not make it..Tasted a cookie from Ben's cookie shop..I  was also waiting for a chance to visit Burberry outlet(Burberry perfumes) but could not..Have heard about Daiso shop (Japan based retail shop in Dubai mall where most items are of 7dirhams)but could not make it.

Having said the miss,I will also jot what I saw in Dubai mall :)

1.Aquarium and under water zoo inside the mall:Under water zoo inside a shopping mall?Sounds interesting right?This place is a must if you wanted to know a lot about marine animals..I also got to see different types of fishes and marine animals.You have to get your tickets to view the aquarium and under water zoo.
2.Human waterfalls-There is a place in Dubai mall where there is a fountain with falling human sculptures in the water falls.

One other thing we missed is the dancing fountain.The fountain show happens in the evening and did hear that it would be amazing!Saving this also for yet another day.

Burj Khalifa:

How fascinating it is to stand in the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa and view the beauty of Dubai city from there!It was a super spectacular view..The elevator reaches the 124th floor in a jiffy though we had to a wait for an hour to get into the 124th floor..Burj means tower and Khalifa is the name of the president of UAE and Burj is named after him as Burj Khalifa.
You will need to get your tickets booked prior to enter the 124th floor.

I will continue the rest of the places that I visited  in my consecutive blogs@

Travel tips :)

A hi after a very long time..

It appeared that 2020 dawned only yesterday but we are already at the fag end of January :)

My one of the goals for 2020 is to write one blog every month and I am sure to tick this goal at the end of this year :)

This post is all about my travel experiences and some novice travel tips :)

I got chances for air travel in the past but something or the other kept appearing which did hinder my travels.But whenever I saw an aeroplane,I told myself that I will travel in it pretty soon :)Sometimes,I felt,I might not get a chance at all  but many a times,I felt that I will get a chance soon!And yet another time it is proved that more you visualize a thing,the more it becomes a reality :)

My flight experience was an international flight experience:) Never in my dreams,I thought of an international travel in the immediate future but it all happened with a flow.

Like many of the first time travelers,I had many questions in mind..I checked with my close circle of people and they assured that it is going to be a super experience along with answering my queries.

Yet I was not very comfortable.The obvious thing ,that popped in my mind was,what if the plane fall down (yeah yeah I know,I was that dump).But getting out of the comfort zone and trying out new things is an important factor for one's elevation.I was armed to face the D day :)

Even on the day of travel,I kept questioning myself like,will I for sure travel or will it be similar to any of the previous attempts?But yes the almighty gave all the strength and fulfilled my first air travel experience.Now I am seriously looking forward for more of such travels:)

So we went to Dubai for our vacation.Partially enjoyed and partially not.Because my kid fell terribly sick and so we could not enjoy half the part.

Here I have jotted some of the travel tips.Please feel free to add your tips in comments!

Air travel tips:

1.If you are travelling in air for the first time,don't get scared just like me(not now anymore :)).

You can carry cotton or ear phones which you can use during take off and landing..I did not feel any discomfort.My mother-in-law said,her ears were blocked but otherwise you will not find any discomfort at all.

2.Take off and landing happens just for few minutes and you can pretty much feel it.During journey it would be pretty much similar like how we travel in bus or train but here you will be travelling inside clouds :)

3.Water bottles are not allowed in air and so do not carry the same(you can check with the airlines guidelines too).

4.Power bank to be in hand luggage always.

5,Check with your airlines about the maximum weight of the luggage that you can carry.

6.Check with your airlines for any queries and for any specific   information that you need.

7.Have your identity proofs and other documents(if any) very safe and in your hand luggage.

8.Timings in the ticket would always be the local timings of the country.

9.Check whether airline offers refreshments and food,if not you can carry the same(I guess there is no such restrictions for food).

10.If travelling internationally then post your luggage check-in,you have to undergo immigration and security checks,before you board the plane.You will get your boarding pass once you check-in.Please have it very safe as it is the main thing to board a plane.

11.Check the display screen inside the airport to understand the exact place where you have to head to board the flight.

12.You can only carry your hand luggage inside the aeroplane.The other luggage that you check-in would be in cargo and once you land your destination,you can collect the same from the destined location.

13.Clearly mark any identifiers in your luggage because the conveyor belt will have luggage of others as well and so any identifier in your luggage will help you to quickly spot the same.

Generic travel tips:

1.Before packing your luggage,draft a checklist so that post all the packings,you can cross validate against your checklist.

2.The main things to be packed are your tooth paste,brush,body wash,comb.These are the basic things.Rest all would be your add ons apart from your clothing.

3.Pack your inner wears,towels and clothes separately.Check the weather of your destination and plan it accordingly.If you are travelling to colder place,carry all the required and protective clothes.

4.Have some back up clothes along with your main clothes.

5.If travelling with kid then medicines are very important.Carry the same along with prescriptions.

6.For adults have all the basic usual generic medicines packed along with prescriptions.

7.If possible carry two additional bags.One to keep the used clothes so that once back home,you can wash/laundry it.The other can be used to fill your things from your shopping cart!

8.If travelling with kid,have a a spoon,tumbler,plate and a bowl.My son is a finicky eater.If he does not eat well,I get a curd and feed it with spoon.Comes handy.

9.I also take kettle along.A warm water is always a respite right?

10.I also carried, seasoned and roasted sooji and so I was able to make rava upma in few minutes and my son ate it with curd.Comes really handy.All you have to do is pour hot water over the ready mixture,close it with a plate for 5 mins and serve.

11.If you have space and wanted to have couple of quick home made food for a week long vacation then I would highly recommend you to carry rice cooker.

12.Some kakras with tea or pickle is a great saviour.I made kakras as well for the vacation.

13.Whenever you do shopping during your vacation,shop for fruits so that they come handy when kid gets hungry.

13.Most importantly carry snacks :)You will never know,how much it helps when you are hungry and it will take time to reach a hotel.

I will keep updating this post as and when something  flashes in my mind and that is also missed in the above pointers :)

My next blog post is all going to be about Dubai and so please stay tuned :)

[Madras 380]Triplicane walk-Photo blog

I have been living in Madras for 9 years now but not once did I take efforts to visit the heritage buildings or tried to understand the histories behind the city.

Thank god this year,I pushed myself beyond my limits and attended couple of walks that was organized for Madras day.Thanks a trillion to people who took us through the walk and shared us the histories ,which I was not aware of  before.

This blog is going to be completely photo based!

The Aaandal mandapam near Parthasarathy swami temple

The 100 plus year old bommai chathiram.See different types of Bapa.

The glass windows.These are from the first floor in bommai chathiram.One could see the view of ground floor through these windows!

Loft seen in bommai chathiram.

The most common portrait of the great freedom fighter cum poet Bharathiyar.

Some more pictures of Bharathiyar from Bharathiyar yillam!

Metallic pillar seen in Bharathiyar yillam!

Courtyard of Bharathiyar yillam!

Flower motif seen in the ceiling @ Bharathiyar yillam.

Whirlwind January!!!

It appeared that the new year 2019 happened just yesterday but we are already in the month end.
What better way to end the month than to reminisce things happened in the month..With no further ado here you go!

January to me in synonymous with Chennai's BAPASI's book fair..I make it a point to visit atleast twice every year and this year is also not an exception.The only change this time is,I was very mindful in selecting only a select few as we wanted to read all those that is resting in our shelf!
I will do a separate post on what books I got from the fair soon..a photo blog might be :)

Once I was done with book fair,I was waiting for Mylapore festival for the sole reason of visiting the food street:)As always the food street was crowded but we cared the least...Tried the usual delicacies and shopped couple of hand bags :)

I have started to journal my day to day happenings..It was something new for me and I am sure I will maintain the momentum! It brings lots of satisfaction to jot the happenings.Every page carries my happiness,emotions and what not?

I have started to drink a bit more of water..Yes my water intake is low and I truly wish to improvise.
Going to complete one book (Life's amazing secret by Gaur Gopal Das ji).This is a major win as it was long time,since I completed reading a book.

I have started to use Alicia Souza's planner..This needs a separate post!

That is all for now guys...will do a next post soon :)

Adieu 2018 and welcome 2019!

Hello all,

It has been really long that I penned something.
My one of the goals for 2019 is to write atleast one blog post per month.I am sure,I will keep up with  the goal and post it regularly :)

The curtain for 2018 is coming down.Adieu to  2018.
A year of mixed happenings(good and bad),a year of learnings and mistakes,a year of happiness and sadness.A right mix of both!

With the hope that 2019 is going to give all of us a healthy and happy life,let us bade good bye to 2018 and welcome 2019 with all the happiness.

Wishing each and every one of you a very happy new year 2019!
Stay blessed!

Movie review-Kadaikutti Singam

Directed by Pandiraj, the film starts with Sathyaraj(Ranasingam) a patriarch eagerly waiting for his male heir..His justification for wanting a male kid sounds feeble.. Four daughters in a row and he remarries his wife's sister with the hope for a male child,unfortunately she delivers a female baby.. Finally his first wife delivers a male kid(Gunasingam,ie Karthik)..

Gunasingam is portrayed as a revolutionary agriculturalist..It feels so nice to see lush green, organic fields, the fresh produce, chemical less pests etc. The eco friendly tumblers in which the hibiscus tea was served for visitors in Gunasingam 's house takes a big thumbs up..The idea of giving saplings to the visitors from their house also adds browny points to the movie..

The first half of the movie just runs fast and the highlights are Sivagamiyin Selvan's(Suri) comedy and also the portrayal of five sisters,their family and the only brother. I really liked the way ,how Karthik had done justice to Gunasingam's character.. The way he shuttled and juggled from one sister's place to the other and trying to keep them all united is aplaudable.

Kannukiniyal(Seyyesha) plays the role of the heroine..I felt very difficult to remember each character's name but  really glad to see each character having an unique tamil name.Especially the five sisters name(Mangamma Rani, Padmavati Rani, Samyuktha Rani, Velunachiar Rani and Jansi Rani).

The second part is nothing short of dramas and cryings.. You could easily predict the usual ending of the movie..

Imman's music is good and refreshing too..

Kadaikutti singam, a family story with lots of love,cries,dramas and emotions..Also it is one of the movies that tries to showcase multiple messages like patriarchy, polygamy and importance of agriculture all at one shot..