Free Spirited in Bulgaria

After a lot of Yes and No on the visit to Bulgaria, time flew and the day finally arrived when I would set my feet on the Bulgarian Ground in its capital city Sofia. The winter preparation had already kicked in. The city has a unique atmosphere with the feel of many different cultures in one place. It is vibrant and beautiful.

As I was picked from the Airport to check-in my beautiful Hotel room, the greenery of the place left me spell bound. If this is how the main city looked, I could only let my imagination run free spirited to see how the Bulgarian country side looked. The staff at the Hotel Vega Sofia were extremely warm and welcoming. Set at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, the view from the hotel opening to this backdrop and seeing the sun rise every morning was a treat to the eyes.

Sunrise from my hotel room

The food of Bulgaria is extremely subtle on the Indian palate and pretty cheap on your wallet. You are served with a whole Bulgarian meal for just about 20 Bulgarian Lev. For a person like me who lives to eat, every cuisine is embraced with the same level of hunger. I tried a lot of chicken dishes in combination with potatoes, cheese, quinoa rice, basil. It was a feast. To all those who enjoy some beverages, the old in-house Bulgarian drink - Arakia (a man's drink) as it is famously called, is a must try. Don't forget to say Nazdravez as you clink your glasses.

Chicken and potatoes served with a lot of cheese

The Vitosha Street is the most vibrant street of Bulgaria. To have this street dedicate to a close friend of mine was the least I could do to make the memory of this place immortal. Young and old, pet's and street performers, open restaurants and local shopping stores - this place has it all. Almost 4 hours of my time was spent at the Vitosha street and I could still stay here all night.

Open Restaurant's on Vitosha Street

One of the world's most beautiful and famous cathedral the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia adds to the beauty of the city. The Gold and Green tombs of the Cathedral over the off-white body of the building surrounded by white roads was blending so well with the quiet surrounding atmosphere.

The famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Walking down a little, you witness the Life of Fire where there is always a fire light up in the memory of all the people who sacrificed their life for Bulgaria.

Life of Fire in the memory of Bulgarian

One of the most fascinating part in Bulgaria is the Yellow City Center. No it's not a mall. It's a way to identify that you are in the center of the city. I felt that was a very intelligent concept. For all those who are globe trotting, this surely helps you from being lost.

Yellow Lane street indicating the center of the city

Many asked me if Bulgaria is safe. Yes, for a single woman or a man, Bulgaria is safe. If you are afraid of visiting Bulgaria due to the reputation it once had for corruption and organised crime, then you surely need to know that it is now a thing of past. Bulgarians are extremely warm and friendly. I can vouch on this because every Bulgarian I met very politely agreed to make a picture for me. *blush*

Le Panga - Pro Kabaddi

When this season of Pro Kabaddi kicked off, little was I aware that one day I would be sitting in a live stadium and cheering the teams. All that LIVE. Well as they say Never say never, that day did come into my life and how.

I am not a great fan of the game Kabaddi, but I dint want to loose out on the opportunity that was knocking at my doors to sense the vibe of the entire Live stadium and get a feel of the whole match played Live.

The match venue in Bangalore was at Kanteerva Indoor Stadium. After a long Friday work, getting to the venue was not difficult. Getting to the actual gate and the seating however, was like a treasure hunt game. I had a free seating ticket on the Yellow Upper stand and made it to the uppermost row.

As I got seated, the stadium or shall I say the Pro Kabaddi show had it all - disco lights, enthusiastic presenters, awesome Live TV coverage by the Star Sports Channel. At the corner of the play-field, I spotted my favorite RJ Danish Sait at his wittiest best. He looked dapper in his Brown Blazer and Beige Chinos. That man is really smart. After the initial small talks with the presenters and the sponsors, it was now time to call the two teams on the play-field.

My favorite RJ - Danish Sait

The two teams pitted against one another were the Bengal Warriors and the Patna Pirates. I was definitely rooting for the Bengal Warriors. They were supremely tall and very handsome. *wink* .

As the hooters blew and the match started, the crowd went crazy. The chanting of the tag line Le Panga followed by the Bangaloreans Full Charge Madi scream was so high in energy. It was a great start to the game.

Men in Blue - Bengal Warriors and Men in Yellow - Patna Pirates

I must confess that I had no idea on the scoring and the game rules. But thanks to my friend for helping me understand. If not all, but I for sure now can relate to the game much better.

The players are so agile. Their swiftness, tackling intelligence and physical power is commendable. Another interesting thing about Kabaddi is - absolutely no equipment is required to play this game. All you need is a small piece of ground, lines drawn and you are all set.

A game of Kabaddi is so native and represents the soul of India. A country where Cricket is religiously worshiped as a sport, Kabaddi definitely needs the support from the government to raise the bar of the sport if not better but at least get its due credibility.

And finally.. 10-Kabaddi, 9-Kabaddi, 8-Kabaddi, 7-Kabaddi, 6-Kabaddi, 5-Kabaddi, 4-Kabaddi, 3-Kabaddi, 2-Kabaddi, 1-Kabaddi ------- Le Panga!!    

Corporate Dress Code

If this sounds like an extremely serious topic, well I completely beg to differ. Not because I don't respect the policies of a corporate organization that has a well defined dress code in place for all its employee's but because, the more I try to think of it, the hilarious it gets.

I was given this responsibility by my boss to put up a dress-code presentation together with an intention that everyone at work looks presentable. I am not saying people in my office come in their pyjama's, but some of them quite seriously need a reality check. Because I am not a person who heavily policed for a dress-code due to the organization I worked for previously,  I took over a week's time understanding what should be the bare minimum clothing attire that fits "my organization" and finally had a draft version. What I wasn't aware of was the laugh riot that it would bring along while I got it reviewed by my boss.

People who type-cast dress-code for women, think again. dress-code just doesn't end with dressing well, it also brings along the grooming part which most of us tend to forget and is not gender specific. If the intent is to foster an environment conducive to working, then being appropriately dressed to let everyone focus on WORK than anything else when in business is of prime importance.

It's important to understand and respect the foray of colors that you wear to work. If you don't like someone at workplace, deal with it at a personal level, do not blind everyone else with a fearful reign of colors.

Dressing to work is not mood-dressing. You just cannot come to work with baby-you-look-gorgeous-when-you-wake-up look. That's a moment to save for your partner or spouse in the bedroom. You don't have to think too much to wear to work, a simple thumb rule, just don't look dumb.

The next thing to keep in mind is your body odour. Deo/perfume is not an option for heaven's sake. Now when I say it's an absolute necessity to have a good pleasant body odour, some people take this advice too seriously and bathe in perfumes. You don't want causalities at workplace. Just give a whiff of the perfume in a laid back manner.

Most of the corporate companies these day's are quite lenient when it comes to dress code. They have moved from the 100% formal dressing to business casuals which is pretty easy going and at the same time gives the employees a benefit of  doubt which will enable and help them to dress and behave like adults.

Life without make-up

I met a make-up artist at one of the most visited malls in Bangalore showing off his make-up skills with strokes from different brushes moving seamlessly from one palate of colors to another. I asked him, what do you think is the latest or the evolving trend in make-up today? Without even a blink, comes the reply "Less is more".

This might be a bit of an understatement for a make-up artiste, but the indication it gives to life is larger than that three words. Look closely and you will realize, Life - is without make-up. It gets more vivid and more impactful as one grows over the years. Sometimes you put it to test and many other times it tests you. Whatever the case, its like a white light in a prism that comes out with colors exuding a different personality of you at every single second.

Style is your ticket to expression, make-up is the quirkiness on a dreary day. Take-off all this, its just the real you -  as free, or as discreet, as subdued or as flamboyant you want to be.

The technology available today allows us to integrate life and its many facets, but remember to integrate yourself with life and create a balance. Keep life moving and it will allow you to flow and let you count on the comfort it brings along the way. Don't always focus on the goal, instead take stock of how far you've come and cherish.

As much success allows you to celebrate in open, failure shapes you that much more and teaches you to be humble. It makes you realize you're very much human and connected to your emotions. Don't dread failure. It is as real as your success.

Colors make you chirpy, but be the monochromatic natural human as well.

Bas 2 minute - Maggi

From the time Maggi has grabbed the limelight and is on the front-page of all the leading newspapers in India, I was thinking how Maggi has helped me survive through all my growing up years. Still continues to do so. I am not a nutrition expert, so I am not here to judge the righteous nutrition or health hazard Maggi is causing. I leave the job to the experts. I am here only to bring back my good old days with Maggi. I am sure most of us who would read this blog will vouch on that.

To begin with, during my school days, I rarely packed Maggi in my dabba. Every time we had our lunch breaks, I would ponder curiously to see which of my classmates' got Maggi in their dabba's. All my classmates who got Maggi, I always segregated them as a class apart people. Yeah the naive school girl I was, I always thought Maggi belonged to the richie rich. I went back home and cried endlessly complaining how I looked forward to have Maggi in my lunch box as a surprise one day. I completed my schooling, but having Maggi in my lunch box remained a wish for ever!

When I thought it was safe for me to go near the stove and make Maggi myself, I knew for a fact that this would be my companion for those hungry days back from college. I ensured there was a Maggi packet available in the kitchen for my groaning stomach. On many occasions, when there wasn't any good food, Maggi came to my rescue as a substitute for "good and healthy" food. I savored till my hearts content, slurping and laughing all by myself.

The after-school or after-college Maggi did more than just suppressing my hunger. It still continues to be my one-stop solution when I have fights at home with my parents.

Having said all that and more, what I fail to understand is why Maggi has this tag line - "bas 2 minute". In no way have I been able to prepare Maggi in 2 minutes. It takes at least 150 seconds for the water to boil. And then cooking Maggi with the veggie's and the taste-maker takes easily 6-8 minutes.

I am sure Nestle, the brand that is, they'll have some stringent tests to pass Maggi as a safe product. I don't want to sound like I am writing a eulogy for Maggi, but one thing is for sure Maggi definitely holds a special place in every Indian's home. The only change I would like to see obviously is to change the "Bas 2 Minute mein Maggi ready!" tagline. It's so not true. :)

Welcome to The Sin City

When you talk of Las Vegas, the first image of the city that runs through your mind is the lights, exuberance and a lot of Sin. No doubt it's famously called The Sin City. I had a chat with a friend who had been to Las Vegas recently and back. I usually don't blog unless I visit the place and experience it myself first hand. But this time I had to make an exception. Come on its Las Vegas. I have no idea how soon will I be able to visit the place myself and I really can't wait until then.

As you land in Vegas, the first thing you notice is the vibrant airport. True to the city's definition. It instantly charges you up for the anticipated gala trip.

Welcome to Las Vegas

From the pictures I got from my friend, I was not sure to decide on what Vegas is trying to communicate with me. Do I see her as a wide-open book or a mysterious lady who wants to be explored?

What best place to have your work bring you there for some serious discussion with the who's who of the organization. Having said that, you still squeeze in time to take a stroll on the gorgeously lit streets, you still manage to do what you want to do in the Sin City on a budget.

Lovely streets

Spotting a Harley Davidson showroom on the high street makes the trip all the more memorable for a die-hard Harley Davidson biker.

For the biker in you - Harley Davidson

You can spot the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower at the center of the city which is one of the city views.

Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower

Casino is almost synonymous to Las Vegas. If you don't blow money in a casino at Vegas, you surely have missed the fun. Of course you don't win., but you get free drinks on the casino floor if you're gambling. I am sure it will be worth the money gambled.

The Sin City - Las Vegas is everything from entertainment to transport to food and an unforgettable night life. As they famously quote "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Ahem ahem!

P.S: The blog will be revisited soon.

Finding my heart and my voice

Like many girls who dreamed to be grown up into a strong-minded woman, I felt the same urge from when I realized the physical, emotional and psychological changes in me started to seep in. I couldn't do much about it back then. Cut to present time, well, not that I am able to do much about it now either, but certainly there seems to be a good start for sure.

To have been born and raised in a family of strict disciplinary parents, where perfection was the prime factor of my upbringing, puts a perpetual pressure and challenge of living up to it. Mind you, I did (well at least I can get a few genuine people who will vouch on this for me). But as time passed by, I realized being drawn into a shell.

A lot of instances in my life, which I would not like to share on a public platform, have drained me so much that I was emotional and mentally exhausted. There were days I woke up only to go back to sleep unconsciously with a wish to never be woken up the following day. Things were disoriented and there was always a feeling of isolation even when surrounded by people I know have the best in class humor. My mind would always veer towards losing out on people who I thought were my emotional anchors. Sometimes in the process, I did lose out on them. If not completely, but partially for sure.

The concept of "honor" seemed to be gripping through the gaps of my hand like sand. Does it constitute to the most terrible experiences I have had till date or does it mean how I surpassed this experiences and still stand strong with very little or sometimes no hope or help?

I have had this feeling many a times to be the odd one out, ridiculed for speaking my mind, banished for having shed my inhibitions to not accept any form of idol worship yet have full faith in the supreme ( yes I still call myself his favorite child), to have been called a rebel for not having accepted the norms of the otherwise normal doing in the society, for the faults in my past. I'm sure I am not the first and the only one. But this has not made me wistful of my past. It has only exposed me to people who would stick around me even if I dint agree with what they said.

No matter how painful my experiences have been in the past, those innumerable sleepless nights, those tears I have shed hidden behind the noise of a running water tap in my bathroom - they've shaped me being the person I'm today and will continue to do so in the days to come.

As I start to talk to myself more, I find time to listen to my heart...