Get set for Happy New Year

Here's how to wish a Happy New Year in different languages:

Chinese (Cantonese) - Sun nien fai lok
Chinese (Mandarin) - Xin nian yu kuai
Danish - Godt Nytår
Dutch - Gelukkig nieuwjaar
Farsi - Aide shoma mobarak
French - Bonne année
Gaelic - Aith-bhliain Fe Nhaise Dhuit
German - Gutes Neues Jahr
Hawaiian - Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew - Shanah tovah
Hindi (Indian) - Nav Varsh Ki Badhaai/ Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Hmong - Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab
Indonesian - Elamat Tahun Baru
Italian - Buon Capo d'Anno
Japanese - Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu
Norwegian - Godt Nyttår
Pilipino (Tagalog) - Maligayang Bagong Taon
Polish - Szczesliwego Nowego roku
Portuguese - Feliz ano novo
Romanian - La Multi Ani
Russian - S Novym Godom
Spanish - Feliz Año Nuevo
Sudanese - Wilujeng Tahun Baru
Swedish - Gott Nytt År
Turkish - Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Welsh - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

I hope this helps you to make new friends!

Thanks,

Awal

Destination Nainital - Run to the Hills

Hi Friends,

It was last day of the week. I was sitting with one of my colleagues and he said "Let's go to Nainital!". I wasn't sure how the plan would take shape, but I was sure enough about my commitment to join him, and right away, I agreed. In next few minutes, he got the cab booked, budget estimates laid out, and called up a couple of colleagues who agreed to join us.

On the way to the hill station, we stopped by at a motel for lunch. After five hours or so, we could feel the chill in the air as we neared the hilly areas. Dark thick clouds had conquered the sky. We halted our cab in the middle of nowhere and clicked pictures with us sitting on middle of the road.

We hit the destination at 9 pm. Finding a comfortable place to stay was fist thing on the Agenda, and it didn't take us long to find a perfect hotel for us. We dropped off our belongings at the hotel and rushed to a nearby restaurant to satisfy our starving bellies. Next, we came back to hotel and enjoyed the IPL cricket match!

It is usually hard for me to sleep for hours at a stretch, and especially away from my own bed. I woke up at 5 am and found a beautiful view of lake from the window. I put on shoes and took my camera to the roof of the hotel. I enjoyed those moments of my meeting with the nature - one on one.

When everybody woke up, we went for sight-seeing around Nainital. Apart from boating, we enjoyed the view of himalayas from the peak amidst of beautiful weather, fog and clouds. We drove down from Nainital to Jim Corbett national park. We had thought that we would get to see the wild safari but we couldn't get any booking for the same. We decided to head back towards home. On the way back, we witnessed the beauty of forest, heavy rain and amazing scenery. By 11 pm, I was back home!

Thanks!
Awal

Wah Taj !

Recently, I visited Agra with my colleagues over the weekend. We hired a Santro and hit the road to Agra at 11 am on Saturday. The first stop was Akbar's Tomb. Next, we visited the marvelous monument of love - The Taj Mahal. The best part was the view of Yamuna flowing behind the fort.

We departed from the Taj at 7 pm and got a hotel booked. We were so tired that we ordered the food in the room, ate and slept. Next morning, we took off for the Agra Fort at 8 am. We had our breakfast at an eatery outside the fort. We hired a guide which actually was a good idea as he helped me to click the good shots of fort and thus I could be the part of the pics.

After about an hour, we left the city and found a water park called Dolphin along the NH-2 highway (just outside the Agra city).We had loads of fun in the water. The slides were amazing, the food was good and photographs have come out fantastic.

Thanks!

Lohri - Rekindle The Holy Fire !

It was January 13 again, the time to see off the winters and welcome the summer by celebrating the holy festival of Lohri. It's a typical North Indian festival with fun and frolic.

We celebrated it outside our house with families of a couple of friends. The holy bonfire was ignited and we showered the mungfli, reowdi, makhaane, khajur in the fire. Then, we started dancing to the music being played in the car stereo and people from neighboring homes joined in. Soon, a dhol wala came in and the masti was at its best.

After the dance session, we sat around the fire for dinner. We baked pappad on the hot coals that remained off the wood used for fire.

Thanks!

Fetch a Sketch !

It was a usual dull Sunday morning and I was thinking of the options to make this day a better one. Voila! My creativity knocked at the doors of my intellect to suggest me of sketching a portrait.

Next question was - Whom I am going to sketch? Again, the decision cam quite easily. The President of the organization where I am currently working was here in India for a short visit (He is based at California, US). Without a second thought, I was ready with pencil, sheet, and the accessories to create his sketch from a photo that I had clicked at the Annual day Celebrations.
It took me around 7 hours to complete the sketch. Whenever I create a sketch or paint something, I always get skeptical of the outcome while I am right in the middle of doing it. So, I have got a solution for this problem of mine - I take a couple of breaks of 15-30 minutes each which refreshes me and gets my mind and body together again.

My President was impressed when I presented it to him and that's all an artist hopes for.

Thanks!

So Shall You Reap !

Hi Friends,

What do you call a day when your happiness is at peak? The answer is "The Annual Party" at my office. Dec 4, 2008 was marked to become one of the memorable days of my life. With a Rewards and Recognition ceremony in the afternoon, and a sizzling Dance Party in the evening, the day could have offered nothing better.

In the awards meet, I was rewarded for my performance in the sleeves of a Project Manager at my organization. I got a sweet soft toy and money!

Later in the evening, we went to Chicane, a popular pub in Spice Mall, Noida (NCR, India). It was the time to raise a toast, grab the smokin' hot servings and shake a leg with the colleagues. As we rocked the party, the delicious food offered respite to our hungry bellies and craving tastebuds.

It was all smoke, music and the tinkling of glasses. At amidst all that, we freaked out like animals showing their gimmicks at the circus. Here's my pic at the party.. I am looking like an awsome dude.. ain't I :-)

Thanks!

My Techie Santa Claus this Christmas

Friends,

Christmas has always been a busy time.. naah.. not for me but the Santa Claus. The fat old man is so occupied with delivering the gifts to the kids that he doesn't pay attention to the needy grown-ups. But hey.. I can't live anymore waiting for the gifts coz my wish-list is multiplying everyday - Plasma TV, Home Theater System, Handycam, another Car, another Cellphone, bla bla bla.

I think Santa Claus would take ages to start fulfilling my wishes. So, I have got a customized Santa Claus - a techie one.. You see the pic?

This is my desk at the workplace. I decorated it myself - the stars, bells, trees, colored paper, snow (made of cotton-wool), and the cap ofcourse on my techie Santa.

Now this "Santa" machine is gonna get me my gifts. How? The more I work on this machine - the more I earn - the more I spend - the closer I get to completing my wish-list. So now you see the logic.. right?

Wishing you a Merry Christmas 2007!