I believe in angels.
Whenever I'm really upset and I feel that I can't bear my sadness, I think God reaches out and comforts me through human contact. He sends His angels via people. It's happened so many times. People unwittingly come up and say the right words. I get instant comfort and reassurance. :)
Sometimes, all you need are those special words to make things right again.
It may seem bizarre to you, but I have experienced it many times. I choose to believe that, yes, God works in mysterious ways and sometimes He sends you a pick-me-up-er in the most unusual fashions.
:)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Outing
Finally! I made the time to write about my first weekend in Suwon.
I was quite restless on Friday evening... That's really an understatement. I was dying for 8 pm so that I could head home after work. After having my dinner, I tucked myself with a book into a warm bed and slept late (the ultimate weekend freedom).
I woke up the next day at 10 am. It was the first time in a very long time that I felt relaxed especially since I had to wake up earlier than normal during the previous week so that I could catch the first cab to the office.
It had snowed the previous day, but looking out of my room window on that Saturday morning, the snow had all but melted. The air was chilly and the skies were cloudy.
After having lunch, my colleagues decided that we would go to Suwon Fort. We reached at around 3:30 and started our ascent to one of the entry points. The plan was to walk around all over the 'ancient city' so that we could see the security posts and other structures. The walking was fun (a little exhausting initially) with good company and jokes all around. I even got a chance to ring a giant bell three times. The first toll is to honour your parents, second to wish your loved ones good health and prosperity and the third to make your wish come true. It was funny trying to ring the bell. My team mate, Rag, had to help me and in the end we somehow managed to make it chime thrice.
We visited a Buddhist shrine, posed in front of a modern statue of a famous Ruler and walked till it turned dark. The lights got switched on, and I must say that the fortress was a breath taking sight at night. I thought the entire place looked beautiful and was feeling a lil sad that I didnt have a camera to capture the magnificence of it all... Deepak & San, if you guys were there, you would have had a field day with your SLRs. :)
We visited a nearby Market (Think it's called Naemoon Market) and then returned back to the GH at 8. One of my colleagues and I decided to go to a local steak house.
DJ, you haven't really tasted steaks... Not really. Not until you've tried this particular family restaurant. :D I'm not really a soup fan, but the creamy mushroom soup was great. Had soft bread to accompany that. My main course was a chicken steak which had a slice of pork on top. It had lots of cream (and calories), the meat was succulent and the taste was simply divine.
I was distinctly reminded of the time I had visited Chillies (a good Mexican restaurant) with my sister and BIL back in Dubai. The quesadillas I had then were simply amazing (and very cheesy). Anyways, that's off the point.
After having a good (understatement yet again!) meal, my colleague & I went to a local mart (HomePlus) because he had a few items to buy and then we walked home, but NOT before buying myself an icecream- yep, you guessed it! A chocobar with a layer of chocolate cookies...
Don't worry. I keep eyeing the weighing machine propped up against the main doors of the GH ALL the time, and yes it does frighten me :)
I spent the entire following Sunday in my room. Didn't get out for breakfast or even lunch. What did I do? Sleep and watch MOVIES! It was (as usual) heavenly... Haven't spent so much time on myself for a very long time.
One of the movies I saw was "My Sassy Girl". It's a South Korean movie and it had English subtitles. I really liked it. The heroine reminded me of myself (ha!).
I did try to go out for a walk at 5pm, but it got so chilly outside that I decided that the walk just wasn't worth it. Ate dinner around 8pm and then went back to bed.
That ended my first weekend in Suwon.
:)
I was quite restless on Friday evening... That's really an understatement. I was dying for 8 pm so that I could head home after work. After having my dinner, I tucked myself with a book into a warm bed and slept late (the ultimate weekend freedom).
I woke up the next day at 10 am. It was the first time in a very long time that I felt relaxed especially since I had to wake up earlier than normal during the previous week so that I could catch the first cab to the office.
It had snowed the previous day, but looking out of my room window on that Saturday morning, the snow had all but melted. The air was chilly and the skies were cloudy.
After having lunch, my colleagues decided that we would go to Suwon Fort. We reached at around 3:30 and started our ascent to one of the entry points. The plan was to walk around all over the 'ancient city' so that we could see the security posts and other structures. The walking was fun (a little exhausting initially) with good company and jokes all around. I even got a chance to ring a giant bell three times. The first toll is to honour your parents, second to wish your loved ones good health and prosperity and the third to make your wish come true. It was funny trying to ring the bell. My team mate, Rag, had to help me and in the end we somehow managed to make it chime thrice.
We visited a Buddhist shrine, posed in front of a modern statue of a famous Ruler and walked till it turned dark. The lights got switched on, and I must say that the fortress was a breath taking sight at night. I thought the entire place looked beautiful and was feeling a lil sad that I didnt have a camera to capture the magnificence of it all... Deepak & San, if you guys were there, you would have had a field day with your SLRs. :)
We visited a nearby Market (Think it's called Naemoon Market) and then returned back to the GH at 8. One of my colleagues and I decided to go to a local steak house.
DJ, you haven't really tasted steaks... Not really. Not until you've tried this particular family restaurant. :D I'm not really a soup fan, but the creamy mushroom soup was great. Had soft bread to accompany that. My main course was a chicken steak which had a slice of pork on top. It had lots of cream (and calories), the meat was succulent and the taste was simply divine.
I was distinctly reminded of the time I had visited Chillies (a good Mexican restaurant) with my sister and BIL back in Dubai. The quesadillas I had then were simply amazing (and very cheesy). Anyways, that's off the point.
After having a good (understatement yet again!) meal, my colleague & I went to a local mart (HomePlus) because he had a few items to buy and then we walked home, but NOT before buying myself an icecream- yep, you guessed it! A chocobar with a layer of chocolate cookies...
Don't worry. I keep eyeing the weighing machine propped up against the main doors of the GH ALL the time, and yes it does frighten me :)
I spent the entire following Sunday in my room. Didn't get out for breakfast or even lunch. What did I do? Sleep and watch MOVIES! It was (as usual) heavenly... Haven't spent so much time on myself for a very long time.
One of the movies I saw was "My Sassy Girl". It's a South Korean movie and it had English subtitles. I really liked it. The heroine reminded me of myself (ha!).
I did try to go out for a walk at 5pm, but it got so chilly outside that I decided that the walk just wasn't worth it. Ate dinner around 8pm and then went back to bed.
That ended my first weekend in Suwon.
:)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Snow
Today morning, I was deep in thought when I walked through the GH doors to get into the office cab. So I was very surprised to see the winter wonderland that had suddenly sprung up during the night before.
The roads, the cars that were parked outside had a thick layer of snow on them... and better yet, it was still snowing!!
"In India, you do not have snow?" the guest house manager asked me while he shovelled ice off the garage pathway. "No," I replied back, still marvelling at it all (Not really true, since it does snow at certain high points in India, but hey who's counting :) ).
I've never seen snow in my life and I was ecstatic... to say in the least.
The snow flakes were small but by the time I reached office, they grew larger. Unfortunately as the day wore long, thd sun came out and the temperature increased a bit; so it stopped snowing and started drizzling instead.
I don't have a digital camera so I can't take photos. I'm hoping to buy one soon so that I do not miss an opportunity like this again.
:)
The roads, the cars that were parked outside had a thick layer of snow on them... and better yet, it was still snowing!!
"In India, you do not have snow?" the guest house manager asked me while he shovelled ice off the garage pathway. "No," I replied back, still marvelling at it all (Not really true, since it does snow at certain high points in India, but hey who's counting :) ).
I've never seen snow in my life and I was ecstatic... to say in the least.
The snow flakes were small but by the time I reached office, they grew larger. Unfortunately as the day wore long, thd sun came out and the temperature increased a bit; so it stopped snowing and started drizzling instead.
I don't have a digital camera so I can't take photos. I'm hoping to buy one soon so that I do not miss an opportunity like this again.
:)
Nutshell
I had written a very long entry about Korea the other day... Unfortunately, it didn't get saved and neither did it get published. So I'll rewrite everything in short I suppose.
As I had mentioned in one of my previous blog entries, I was not feeling well on my flight from Bangalore to Singapore. I was quite apprehensive about boarding the next flight which would take around 5.5 hours to reach Korea. But thankfully, I fell asleep during take off and I woke up feeling great.
Singapore Airlines is really good. I'm a die hard Emirates fan, but I could definitely find both airlines comparable. Hospitality is great and so is the food. But entertainment wise, I find Emirates leading all the way to the top.
Singapore Changi International Airport is a big and beautiful place... Apart from a variety of shopping venues and restaurants, it offers many services to it's travellers like free Internet access, movies, games and even a free city tour (but you can't get out of the tour bus though). I would love to take a closer look on my way back to Bangalore.
We reached Korea on Sunday afternoon around 4 pm. Then we took a limosuine bus from Incheon to Suwon (we had to get off at a bus stop called Hotel Castle). The ride was very comfortable. In fact, I liked it better than both the flights! :D
The Guest House people drove us from Hotel Castle till Park-22. I found myself sharing a room with another lady due to the unavailability of single rooms at that moment. But my room mate was fun and so I made a lady friend. In fact, on the same night we even went on a walk to a nearby mart called HomePlus.
I really like Suwon. The roads are wide. The streets are clean. Since it's winter, the trees have shed their leaves but they still have a quiet elegance about them. The Koreans seem nice and friendly. But most of them do not know English. So it can be a laugh for them and for us when we try to communicate.
On Monday evening, two of my colleagues and I went to a nearby store to buy icecream. It was bitterly cold and I could barely distinguish between my fingers and the icecream, but hey it was delish! The ice cream I had was a choco bar with a layer of chocolate cookies. Yum!!
The Samsung Campus is HUGE. A lot of the buildings have 20+ floors and all have very good facilities... The elevators are super fast, the security is tight... I was (and still am) impressed.
It's Friday and I'm hoping to explore during the next couple of days. I love walking. So me looking forward to a great weekend. :)
As I had mentioned in one of my previous blog entries, I was not feeling well on my flight from Bangalore to Singapore. I was quite apprehensive about boarding the next flight which would take around 5.5 hours to reach Korea. But thankfully, I fell asleep during take off and I woke up feeling great.
Singapore Airlines is really good. I'm a die hard Emirates fan, but I could definitely find both airlines comparable. Hospitality is great and so is the food. But entertainment wise, I find Emirates leading all the way to the top.
Singapore Changi International Airport is a big and beautiful place... Apart from a variety of shopping venues and restaurants, it offers many services to it's travellers like free Internet access, movies, games and even a free city tour (but you can't get out of the tour bus though). I would love to take a closer look on my way back to Bangalore.
We reached Korea on Sunday afternoon around 4 pm. Then we took a limosuine bus from Incheon to Suwon (we had to get off at a bus stop called Hotel Castle). The ride was very comfortable. In fact, I liked it better than both the flights! :D
The Guest House people drove us from Hotel Castle till Park-22. I found myself sharing a room with another lady due to the unavailability of single rooms at that moment. But my room mate was fun and so I made a lady friend. In fact, on the same night we even went on a walk to a nearby mart called HomePlus.
I really like Suwon. The roads are wide. The streets are clean. Since it's winter, the trees have shed their leaves but they still have a quiet elegance about them. The Koreans seem nice and friendly. But most of them do not know English. So it can be a laugh for them and for us when we try to communicate.
On Monday evening, two of my colleagues and I went to a nearby store to buy icecream. It was bitterly cold and I could barely distinguish between my fingers and the icecream, but hey it was delish! The ice cream I had was a choco bar with a layer of chocolate cookies. Yum!!
The Samsung Campus is HUGE. A lot of the buildings have 20+ floors and all have very good facilities... The elevators are super fast, the security is tight... I was (and still am) impressed.
It's Friday and I'm hoping to explore during the next couple of days. I love walking. So me looking forward to a great weekend. :)
Lunch!
I looovvveedd today's lunch. I have GOT to write about it.
For the past 3-4 days, I have been having Indian food (which can be good but I was getting a little tired of it). As it was so cold outside today, my team mates and I decided to have our lunch from the basement of our office building.
I opted for the Continental menu... and wow oh wow! I got the spaghetti (with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese on it), a slice of garlic bread and a green salad on the side. Then I had a peek at the Indian menu, and (yay!) there were chicken pakodas (boneless too!) and big, wonderfully soft cupcakes. Yumm...
I usually don't eat much during lunch since I have a tendency of dozing off afterward but I threw caution to the wind today and I indulged. And I felt happy... silly happy really.
:D
For the past 3-4 days, I have been having Indian food (which can be good but I was getting a little tired of it). As it was so cold outside today, my team mates and I decided to have our lunch from the basement of our office building.
I opted for the Continental menu... and wow oh wow! I got the spaghetti (with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese on it), a slice of garlic bread and a green salad on the side. Then I had a peek at the Indian menu, and (yay!) there were chicken pakodas (boneless too!) and big, wonderfully soft cupcakes. Yumm...
I usually don't eat much during lunch since I have a tendency of dozing off afterward but I threw caution to the wind today and I indulged. And I felt happy... silly happy really.
:D
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Friends
Something I have been meaning to post for a long time...
Book for November 3rd week was the novel 'How To Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)' by Kathy Lette. Don't get shocked! It's a chick-lit book (gifted to me by DJ but that's another story altogether!) about three girlfriends who stick by each other even when their spouses are adulterous(??)/inattentive/con-men. The gist is that if you have true girlfriends (or friends in general), you can survive life no matter what.
To an extent that is so right.
In November, I was having some personal problems, and I was dealing with it in a very Me-way... by procrastinating. DJ and JJ knew about it and they wanted to make me feel better. One day, when DJ was in the vicinity of my office, she stayed back till I got out. On our way to her place, we spoke of serious topics and other matters not relating to my problems as the whole point was to avoid them altogether. :D
We reached DJ's home where JJ had already started making a very simple but a sumptuous meal. I guess it was more delish because of the fun we were having. Our dinner lasted around 1 hour! We talked of old stories and laughed at the same things that used to make us laugh years ago. I had a wonderful time. When it was late, and I couldn't postpone leaving, I walked my way home.
I didn't want solutions to my problems. Just needed an outlet, and my friends gave me what I needed. DJ & JJ, thanks for being there. :)
Book for November 3rd week was the novel 'How To Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)' by Kathy Lette. Don't get shocked! It's a chick-lit book (gifted to me by DJ but that's another story altogether!) about three girlfriends who stick by each other even when their spouses are adulterous(??)/inattentive/con-men. The gist is that if you have true girlfriends (or friends in general), you can survive life no matter what.
To an extent that is so right.
In November, I was having some personal problems, and I was dealing with it in a very Me-way... by procrastinating. DJ and JJ knew about it and they wanted to make me feel better. One day, when DJ was in the vicinity of my office, she stayed back till I got out. On our way to her place, we spoke of serious topics and other matters not relating to my problems as the whole point was to avoid them altogether. :D
We reached DJ's home where JJ had already started making a very simple but a sumptuous meal. I guess it was more delish because of the fun we were having. Our dinner lasted around 1 hour! We talked of old stories and laughed at the same things that used to make us laugh years ago. I had a wonderful time. When it was late, and I couldn't postpone leaving, I walked my way home.
I didn't want solutions to my problems. Just needed an outlet, and my friends gave me what I needed. DJ & JJ, thanks for being there. :)
Co-passenger
My flight from Bangalore to Singapore during Saturday night was not very comfortable. It was a night flight but I couldn't sleep because I was so sick. I could almost imagine myself running towards the cockpit, banging on the door and demanding to be taken back to India so that i could go back to my home remedies. But then I would think, 'Take a U-turn?? That would take even longer!' So I would quietly settle back in my seat, willing my discomfort to go away. That and the fact that if I had attempted my antics, I would have been caught by the police after being labelled a hijacker also helped me to settle down. :D
The seats next to me were occupied by an Indian father and his daughter. His daughter was around 3 years old and it was quite evident that she had a Singaporean mother.
The girl was absolutely gorgeous. She had jet black, silky straight hair and her black almond shaped eyes were enormous. She kept persistenly asking her 'Daddy-ia' to show her 'pictures' on his Blackberry, while he was in a frantic hurry to tap away the last email before the plane took off. 'Sweetheart, let Daddy finish typing this email,' the man kept telling his daughter.
I'm a woman with least maternal instincts (I'm more of a pets person rather than a mother), but something made me want to give the little girl a big bear hug and hold her rosy cheeks against mine.
Obviously I had to refrain from doing so. I didn't want her father to think that I was weird. :)
The seats next to me were occupied by an Indian father and his daughter. His daughter was around 3 years old and it was quite evident that she had a Singaporean mother.
The girl was absolutely gorgeous. She had jet black, silky straight hair and her black almond shaped eyes were enormous. She kept persistenly asking her 'Daddy-ia' to show her 'pictures' on his Blackberry, while he was in a frantic hurry to tap away the last email before the plane took off. 'Sweetheart, let Daddy finish typing this email,' the man kept telling his daughter.
I'm a woman with least maternal instincts (I'm more of a pets person rather than a mother), but something made me want to give the little girl a big bear hug and hold her rosy cheeks against mine.
Obviously I had to refrain from doing so. I didn't want her father to think that I was weird. :)
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