If wishes were horses...

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/20/2013 3:09:00 AM

'This was taken at Dakshin Chitra on ECR nearly a year or more ago. A lamp inside one of the model houses.. :-)Submitting this for Wordless Wednesday theme by Chennai Bloggers Club'

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Skywatch Friday... Going back in time

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/15/2013 4:52:00 PM

'There we were in the crowded area in Hyderabad, Charminar. After walking around the monument, we spent about half an hour in the Choodi Bazaar [ my friend even convinced me to buy a few pairs of glass bangles, some that wore with the help of moisturiser]. Proud of herself, we walked away from the jam packed alley towards the car park but not before picking up a glass of chai and some boiled peanuts from a street side vendor. She then suggested we visit Chowmahalla Palace, which was (...)'

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White walls of St. Teresa’s Church, Chennai

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/13/2013 7:04:00 AM

'The three images were taken a few seconds within each other. The skies changed, the tempo changed and the chapel looked so different.This is St. Teresa’s Church in Nungambakkam, Chennai, bang opp Ispahani Center.  It has been a landmark of sorts from my college days and recently got a face-lift. The St. Teresa’s Church was established in 1912, houses a school within the walls helping the underprivileged  A few years ago, I also noticed a small prayer spot come up near(...)'

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Salty Saturday... Battle for survival

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/9/2013 3:06:00 PM

'During the Mylapore Food walk, we were walking along a narrow street, more like those alleys you see in English Cop shows and movies. It was quite narrow, and there were bikes and cycles parked along one side of the road. The other side had vendors, most of who were gypsies, selling necklaces, earrings, bracelets made from beads of all possible colours. There was one woman bang opposite the Maami's Mess and there was a little girl beside her. They spoke in a funny language, which I (...)'

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Flower Friday...You are a survivor!

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/8/2013 6:34:00 PM

'Today is Friday, Today is also International Women's Day! And today was Flower Friday theme on Chennai Bloggers Club! Here are a few flowers that I came upon, that I think represent a Woman beautifully! Naga Pushpam- uncle brought it from the temple today. It has so many layers, the outer petals so thick protecting the delicate center from harm. The center too has multiple layers. just like a woman who has all these layers, an exterior that helps her deal with life and peo(...)'

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Thirsty Thursday.... Salud ~

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/7/2013 7:37:00 AM

'It was 2006, no wait was it 2007? The year is fuzzy.. but i do remember it was Oct 1st week and I was in Delhi with friends. We had just returned from our whirlwind trip to Ajmer- Pushkar and Jaipur and were staying at a lawyer friend's house, and were all headed to another friend's place for lunch and drinks. And I must mention that I was meeting most of them for the 1st time. I knew them all through Ryze, but hadn't met most of them [for obvious reasons, I lived in Chennai, t(...)'

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Celebrating Chennai..Wordless Wednesday... Life

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/6/2013 5:56:00 AM

'Putting this post a day early. Why? Because it seems apt for the Wordless Wednesday theme from Chennai Bloggers Club.This photograph was taken during the Chindatripet Photowalk..'

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Serene Sunday... Fluffy clouds

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/3/2013 3:17:00 PM

'If there is one thing that gets me smiling and happy, it has to be the sight of the white fluffy clouds up in the sky. I can sit and stare at them for hours together. I just stare, no thoughts, nothing in my head. And whenever i am travelling, I am always looking up to see if there are some interesting movements, or formations. I remember how when I was small I used to try to guess the shape, it could be a bear, or a heart, or a man holding a stick and walking along.These clouds see(...)'

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Skywatch Friday.. Flower Friday.... Roses Galore

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 3/1/2013 4:23:00 PM

'We were in the Blue hills, the Nilgiris and this trip was with my dear darling friend and her family [who are as good as mine]. Since it was my friend's 1st time in Ooty, we decided to do all the touristy things. One of them was a visit to the Rose gardens[also called Centenary Rose Park], situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram area. Luring the kids with a promise of a park, we piled into the car and drove down to the place. Upon parking the car, I ran ahe(...)'

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Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kerala

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 2/28/2013 5:38:00 AM

'The other day a bunch of us were talking about travel, and the conversation steered towards Kerala. All of us were sharing our experiences to different destinations and finally we all ended up discussing the Padmanabhapuram Palace. Iit is about 50kms from Trivandrum, infact closer to Nagercoil. So, anyways, the meet ended and as I was heading back home, my thoughts lingered in the palace. The first thing that comes to my mind is the trip we took through Dad's office- The India cemen(...)'

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Skywatch Friday- Walk amidst the trees

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 2/15/2013 6:38:00 AM

'A text from a friend "Girl, we are planning a tree walk on saturday with a few of my friends and our kids, coming? It is from 4-5pm in the Tree park in Kotturpuram" I instantly replied "Yep, will be there"Armed with a bottle of water, I headed out towards the park, only to find the lot of them already out and about. I spotted them near the water pump, and a small make shift shed of sorts. My friend asked me to pull out the buckets and pot from the shed, while she took charge of pump(...)'

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My date with Vista D90

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 2/1/2013 7:26:00 PM

'Out of the blue, well, not really out of the blue, one day about a week ago I spotted a tweet from @Blogadda saying “one more slot available for anyone who wishes to review the Indica vista D90” and the sneaky me clicked on reply and sent “me”, and the rest as you know is what happened. Oh, you don’t know? Well, I received a mail from Blog Adda and the dates were fixed. I would have the “yet to be launched” TataIndica Vista D90 for 3days, 28th through to 30th Jan.. Wow, this was yet(...)'

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Art and Artists - Chitra Santhe, Bangalore

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/27/2013 6:07:00 AM

'It is that time of the year again, the day, the Sunday when  Chitra Santhe happens in Bangalore. It is a celebration of every possible form of art you could think of.. It happens just once a year and is quite an event... When? Today, 27th January 2013. ONLY TODAY....Where does it happen? All through Kumara Krupa Road, all the way into Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) and beyond [near golf course, Windsor Manor Hotel and Ashoka hotel]What is so special about C(...)'

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Skywatch Friday... Grandeur Galore

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/18/2013 2:40:00 AM

'I couldnt believe myself. I was actually there, a place I had been wanting to visit for quite sometime now. This was such an impulse trip, and I was loving every minute of it. Where was I? I was in the temple town of Kumbakonam, more importantly I was standing at the entrance to the infamous temple complex- "Gangai konda Cholapuram" A man who was watering the plants came over and asked where I was from and what I was doing there.  When I told him I was from Chennai and her(...)'

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Pretty Pansy in Ooty

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/16/2013 10:56:00 AM

'During my visits to Ooty, spending a few hours at the Botanical Garden has become a routine of sorts. This time too i was there with friends, mainly cos it was my friend's 1st time in Ooty and because the gardens provided the kids open space to run and have some fun. I noticed this peculiar flower during my earlier visits as well. This time, i went up to a lady sitting nearby [who  had a bucket and a broomstick, and looked like someone who took care of the place] and enqui(...)'

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Skywatch Friday- Lord Krishna stands tall

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/11/2013 11:01:00 AM

'While  we were walking around the Baha'i temple, i spotted a tall gopuram not so far off. Pointed it out to mom and within minutes she was asking the guys near the gate what it was and how far it was. We were told it was the ISCKON temple, and less than 5mins away. Called our cabbie and asked him to take us there. Instead of dropping us at the main entrance, he drove ahead to the parking lot. As we made our way to the temple, i saw a lorry load of men hop off yakking away and c(...)'

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Vintage Cars, Women and Mahabalipuram

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/7/2013 1:55:00 PM

'I love cars, I also love bikes, older the better... Yep, that is me. So, when Tas Aunty posted about The Redline Automotives Vintage Car Rally, I immediately said yes and was all set to maybe ride in one of them beauties or atleast spend time exploring them. The former dint happen, but atleast the latter did.   All the 5 cars in this rally were restored by legendary racer Mr. Ayub Khan - 2 times National Champion - JK Tyres National Champion. His son,  Feroz Khan, the re(...)'

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Skywatch Friday... Uniting the world- Baha'i House of worship, Delhi

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/4/2013 10:32:00 AM

'And we had finally landed, we were in Delhi, couldnt believe it. It had been nearly 4-5yrs since my last visit and mom was here after eons. We were there for a wedding, but were also looking forward to spending time with my Uncle and family. The day after we landed, uncle was off to work, kiddo to school and others were busy with their routine. Since i was with mom i had told myself this was going to be a laid back trip, and i would have to take mom around... She asked "can we(...)'

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Celebrating Chennai.... Grandeur

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 1/3/2013 5:32:00 AM

'December of 2012 has been a month that had the most positives and a few negatives as well. The highest point was a bit of Self indulgence, something I've not done ever and something am not really comfortable doing... So, what did I do? I used the vouchers I won during the Indiblogger meet held in Oct'12.   I had won a 1N/2D stay and also had a Lunch for 2 at Madras Pavilion... Got back from Ooty, checked the vouchers, gasped upon reading they expire on 31st Dec, called and(...)'

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Skywatch Friday and 275th post... Welcome to the Blue Hills

Author : Aarti      Blog : Wandering Soul!!      Date : 12/28/2012 11:01:00 AM

'It is not often that you take a holiday that leaves you wanting more. I had one such experience recently. Even though it was a trip to a familiar destination, it was with friend and her family, which made a world of difference. I enjoyed myself, visited familiar sites, saw new things, explored unseen sites, spent nights playing card games and word games. Must also mention that this was my 1st time at a Club Mahindra property. :-) We stayed at Club Mahindra's Derby Green in Ooty...&n(...)'

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