Showing posts with label rakshita. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rakshita. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Zoned Out

Its 14/11/13 1.00 o’clock in the afternoon | I am in the office, listening to “Moves Like Jagger”


Juggling, sorting my way through tons of excels listing Telcom Spends data, I’ve got a hell lot to do today, so I shall come back once I have something interesting enough to talk about. Meanwhile all those who are travelling in winters, check out my post on must keeps for winter travel called “7Keeps for WinterTravel - {China Calling }" 

 

Winter Fashion and Accessories

Maybe I should write about how to dress up for Office in winters.


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Saturday, 2 November 2013

Project I :: Thanks to him, I am a drug addict!

Title is so, because I couldn’t think of anything better without making it sound cheesy.

It’s 2.33 am, 3rd Nov 2013. I am listening to Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men. Not liking the rushed and hurried feeling it’s giving me with its pacey beats.

I got engaged yesterday, actually, day before yesterday, on 1/11. What a fab number to get hooked, hitched, knotted or whatever on.  

It wasn’t a very special day. I mean, it was all special for its occasion, its grandeur, with all my loved and the most important people in it. But there wasn’t anything particularly distinctive about it. It could have been any other day of the year or any other year, at any other festival, function or wedding, with the same people and I would have dressed up the same or maybe a little different and I would have been fine with it.

I am in absolute love with the date though.

1/11 didn’t lack any of the awesomeness the engagements days are supposed to hold. Maybe because it wasn’t “that” particular day (don’t remember, exactly which one) when I fell in love (don’t really know, but I think love is the rightful word for the feeling) with him, it simply felt like just another chapter to our story. I am not one big gooey, lovey and mushy kinds but I do want all the romance. Admittedly, I am one of the confused, hard to read or understand female lot.

So what’s the special day then?

The day when I sat next to him crying over some work politics and he said nothing, the day when he laughed out loud when I called out my boss a “dog” (it was my boss’s Chinese sunsign), the days when we didn’t care about the entire freaking world and made fun of it like was no body’s business, the days when he stood by my side, enrolled himself with me and then took self-forced classes for French and then GMAT, the day he first cooked for me, the day when he got me my first designer cake and my first LV bag, the day when he learnt driving to take me out, the days when he looks at me and reads me like an open book, the days when he is a bigger spendthrift than I am, the days when he tells my mom the exact reason (without any prior knowledge of it) of what’s upsetting me, all those days when he manages to irritate me to the core and make me laugh, both at the same time, the days when he books a couple air tickets to the fanciest of travel destinations, the days (almost all of them) when he loves me for all that I am; little sane and mucho INSANE. 

All these days are special, special because I remember them, very special because I cherish them and super extra special because they have you in them. I couldn’t have found a better “my kind of crazy” than you. You are perfect for me. Pinch me all you want for this is my reality and you are my drug that has gotten me addicted to life.

(To anyone like me reading this blog: I am allowed to be all cheesy today and tomorrow and maybe dayafter) 

Quick note: All those trips wouldn’t have been even half bit fun without you!

Quicker note: I still have more international Visa Stamps on my passport than you :p And I do intend to maintain this position by going with you, everywhere you go… HAHA!

P.S: even with lesser Visa stamps, I love you. :*

Maldives GypsyFly with Ashish & Rakshita
Maldives Sep'13  - Ashish and Rakshita 
To many and many more couple shots, holiday tan and fat and all savings spent on travel. 

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Saturday, 26 October 2013

Project I :: { The Third Person }

Many a times I feel it’s not me in the mirror. Have you ever got this feeling? I think it’s great that I am in a position to look at myself from a different point of view apart from my own. I know (or I think I know) what my actions, my words, my expressions look like. Spooky! 

23nd Oct’13, it’s already midnight 12.52 am and I’ve just stepped out of a wonderful hot shower after a long drive…

It's now that I’ve realized that I don’t like to mince words anymore. I either speak or shut the hell up completely. I would initially think almost about a billion times (at a speed of light) before uttering a word or putting anything up on a public platform. I was worried about “what would people think of me” or “in what light will I be seen by my classmates or colleagues etc.”. Maybe, I was not in a comfortable state of mind that I am in now;  maybe I just cared way too much about everything; maybe I wasn’t sure if I will be accepted; maybe I didn’t know that it’s just me who has to accept me.


Now I stand outside my body, looking at me as a third person. 

Though I come across as a confident (maybe overconfident for some) every time I step outside my door, but I’ve had my share of identity crisis, the times when I was not comfortable in my own skin. It might be the age factor (late 20s do bring their magic in calming you down) or witnessing too much of good and bad of life in a short span of time or just taking lessons from my own mistakes, whatever else it might be, I don’t see myself in the same light as I used you until almost couple of years back. I am not as possessive about me as I was 5 years back and I try to not take myself seriously the way I used to maybe a decade back.

Blah! Blah!
Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah!

Are you still with me? You have all my love but seriously! Do better things than reading these rants of yet another blogger born out of nowhere.

Explore the world, start with your neighborhood.  Travel! If you don’t have a company, go alone.

Party and look at people! All kinds! It’s actually a lot of fun.

Laugh! Goof around! Be silly! Not everyone can be silly and it takes some special awesomeness to be insane.

And most important: treat yourself as third person and this world wouldn’t be such a burden.

Still reading? Well! Then I have an obligation to continue.



As I said before, in my previous blog post, “I” is important and needs to be given the first, but not all 
the attention. I try to look at myself as someone who either loves me or hates me. It’s an interesting exercise, just because it lets you understand the wrong in you and the right in others.

Not that, I bother to change much per others expectations (remember: you can’t make the entire world like or appreciate you), but it does help in getting a better perspective of me as a person and ease whatever bitterness, malice and maybe even jealousy looking to crop in the head.

World is an all Happy Place, you just got to change your perspective! It’s an easier thing to say, than to practice, especially when you are so scared that you decide not to share your thoughts, feelings and shy away from sharing your struggles at the risk of being judged at the hands of many and the unknown audience.


Like most others, I’ve too had my fair share of bad times. From family and personal losses, to witnessing good amount of criticism/ sarcasm (or maybe I was a tad bit extra sensitive) at every step of the way, I’ve gone through it all. Among all that, what hurts just a bit more is the statement like “I don’t consider you a competition”. You are forced to think and believe that you are not worthy enough and the person saying it is too good to even consider your presence. However, what you fail to understand is the fact that very same person might just simply be insecure or even jealous to acknowledge your existence.

I Accept: I am no saint but I am no liar either, so I don’t mind admitting that I do get a tad bit of sadistic pleasure when I see the person, who once didn’t consider me worthy her stature, still trying to figure out life in some corner of the developed world. Karma has its ways to make good with you and you got to enjoy the spectacle without trying to be a part of the deeds drama.



Feeling scared is easy; to not speak up is the easiest but waking up with a bunch of regrets is the toughest thing to go through. It’s when you risk everything, it’s then you stand nothing to lose and nothing can match that sans burden BLISS. After all, a homeless can only be this poor, what worse can happen to his home? What assists in having zero regrets is a promise to not treat you as ‘you’, but as a third person. To enjoy that extra freedom, you ought to be little less careful with ‘you’.

I am not suggesting to practice selflessness and I am not at all saying that it will get you a bunch of lifelong or hip friends to party with or will ease your zits or will make your daily job better; all it will do is, let you rise above the meager materialism and will get you extra serendipitous moments of happiness. You will be in a better place to admire yourself in the mirror (without obsessing about you) and amuse yourself with your antics and relish the offerings of the world and love of its people without feeling judged at every step of the way.

Being a Third Person in your own existence is ‘The Supreme Power’ that renders you fearless. I have met a very few ‘The Third Person’ powered people in my life. Did you get to practice the power yet? 

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Monday, 30 September 2013

The Dreamy Edition - Maldivian Escapade with Sun, Tan, Beaches, Green Apples & Free Flowing Drinks

The Maldivian Escapade 
The Dreamland
The Dreamland
You know you are about to witness something magical when the plane glides through the beautiful formation of clouds to reveal ring like sea formations called Atolls…
Ariel View of Maldivian Atolls
Ariel View of Maldivian Atolls
{ Before I go about describing the magical feeling called Maldives, please note that this blog will be all about indulgence and happiness and day dreams and how it makes you feel utterly blessed by the end of it all. Hence, I’ve refrained from keeping it technical without any to-dos and don’ts list.}
 … As the plane glides down the sky, the brilliance of blue underneath makes you wonder if it is all you see or is there something more mystical waiting for you. You remember the delicate, angelic beauty of jelly fish and then within a flash you are under the sea swimming amongst them, trying to reach out but refrain as to not harm them. You see the exuberance of bright red and orange corals with a hidden purple octopus, sitting snuggly right in the middle of the coral garden. And then you look up, you look up to the shining sea; you see a big whale shark is out for the evening swim and it is right above your head. You try and try to swim, swim really fast to touch it. And just when you are this close to touch it, just then the captain of the plane announces your landing.
Sigh! The magic has shown its glimpse and has left me wanting more out of this trip.
Male, Maldives
Male, Maldives
We land in Male and after checkout as we head towards the gates, we see a guy holding our hotel placard with our names on it. As we commence our trip, one thing that stands out is the crystal clear light and dark blue waters till the horizon.
Hotel arranged for a speed boat for our pickup. It’s a bumpy and fast ride to the resort as speed boat gushes at a blazing fast speed tearing across the calm water between various Maldivian atolls. On our ride to the resort, we saw small birds, coming in and out of the sea for (what we guessed), fishing for food. On a closer look, there were many of them.
“Wait a minute, are these birds?”
“They do have small wings. OMG! These are not birds, these are small flying fishes” And there wasn’t just a handful of them, but a big group who one after another, sometimes together were jumping and flying  in and out of the sea.
Our boat slowed down and driver asked us if we liked Dolphins. We walked towards the deck as we saw a dolphin swimming right in front of our boat. Within 10 secs or something there was an entire school of dolphins all around us. With our mouth open wide in sheer awe, we were immersed in the moment so much so that it didn’t strike us to take our gadgets out to capture the moment.
Quick Note: If you are staying in South Male, travel time with a speed boat from Airport to any resort is between 30 minutes – 1 hour.
Day 1: We stayed at Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort, read its detailed review here: http://gypsyflyblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/kandooma-maldives-review/
Kandooma Resort, Maldives
Kandooma Resort, Maldives
Day 2&3 - Anantara: We reached Anantara where its staff clad in all white, welcomed us. Standing right at the entrance, against the backdrop of sophisticated beach resort and palm trees, they bowed and assisted us to the reception and then to our rooms.
A great example of excellent hospitality, Anantara welcomed us with refreshing welcome drinks while we waited at the reception. It’s in no doubt, one of the best places to stay in Maldives. After relaxing and easing out, we headed to the pool next to the main restaurant and bar.
Outdoor Restaurant at Anantara
Outdoor Restaurant at Anantara
There it was! The Oh so WOW moment! Infinity pool overlooking the serene blue ocean waters with a hammock in middle of the sea, it was indeed the love at first site. Dropping the idea of early lunch we headed to the pool for a quick swim which turned out to be approx. 2 hours long. 
Infinity Pool at Anantara
Infinity Pool at Anantara
In the infinity pool were the high stools for guests to enjoy drinks and food while chilling in the pool and as expected, we gulped down our share of drinks.
Pool side assistance for apple lovers (not the iApple, but apple, the fruit) like me included a bountiful tray with a bottle of water for hydration after swim in the sun, two green apples, one pear and one fresh hand towel. Bliss! 
Welcome drinks and other beverages at Maldives
Welcome drinks and other beverages at Maldives
Food: I prefer vegetarian food; hence always try to scout for some delicious vegetarian delicacies to keep me satiated on trips. Without any surprise, restaurants at Anantara offer great mix of all types of food and cuisines. We devoured one of the best Vietnamese rolls along with the pizza that was heavenly, Cappuccino after swim and some simple well-made pasta with green olives and sundried tomatoes in arrabbiata sauce. Rest of the day included more food, drinks and sun bathing.
Welcome Drinks & Other Beverages at Maldives
Welcome Drinks & Other Beverages at Maldives
Water sports: Little bit of snorkeling with a bit of trying to touch medium size silver fishes leaves you all exhausted and that’s when beach chairs outside villa come in handy. Pristine blue waters with different light and dark shades of blue and hammock in the middle of the sea makes it all worthwhile and leaves you with nothing more to be asked for.
Quick Note: Snorkeling kit is free for the guests. There are no water scooters available.  
Scuba: Next day instead of taking scuba diving course at any of the resorts, we took a speedboat to a small local island called Maafushi. A Padi certified professional scuba diving course for 2 day in a village will cost anywhere between INR 10,000 – 15000 vs. 30,000 – 35,000 at any resort.
Unfortunately, after 1 day of scuba, I couldn’t complete the course as I was all exhausted playing mermaid in the sea because of which I caught Hypothermia and fever on the main diving day. I was very disappointed considering the fact that I spent almost entire evening of the previous day in the training session and almost all night reading the Diving book (Yes, I was laughed at and was called a geek). Did the sad part last long? No ways, it gave me the opportunity to indulge, eat, drink and go for spa.
Later in the day, we kept the dinner light. I had veg. clear soup with tones of pepper and garlic along with raw papaya salad. End of the day included some chilled white wine and gazing at the setting sun.   
Sunset in Maldives
Sunset in Maldives
 Water Villa: I will say nothing and will leave you with the pictures to imagine how dreamy it was for us.  
Water Villas at Anantara
Water Villas at Anantara
Sunset View from Water Villa
Sunset view from our Water Villa
If you are still reading this post, thanks for being with me (and hats off to you). To sum it all up, this trip was a sheer warm indulgence. 
* In addition to the luxurious, dreamy part of the trip described above, there was bit more realistic side to the next couple of days. Shall leave it for a later post. 

Cheers! 

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Thursday, 12 September 2013

The Start of a Travelogue

I ‘will’ maintain a travel diary from today onwards. And because I am at home, sitting on my bum to write this, I shall better plan a trip before it {this Travel Diary of Mine} gets out of my short attention & memory span.

I hope to be consistent with the posts as much so, as I plan to travel every couple of months. With this travelogue, I will try to document all the little serendipitous travel moments and discoveries that I make during my trips with friends, family or alone. 

This post had to start with "I". Not because I am self-obsessed but because of all the love and support of the adorable people in my life and around me, that have made me so proud of me ;) I would have never traveled even to an alien city without your constant support to my crazy and ridiculous ideas and tolerance for my impatient nature. I love you so much!

That’s that! I mean, I am done with my thank you and love you speech. Now, let’s get back to the topic. I have applied for leaves starting 25th Dec – 2nd Jan. Any place worth considering? No Ice! Please!

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