Friday, December 25, 2009

The best part of the year!!

It’s finally here! Its December, it’s the time of joy and celebration!! It’s Christmas!!! The time when we thank for a great year we had and wish for even great year ahead!! Cookies, gifts and the lovely carols… it’s all lovely!! But what is the best part of this season?? For me... it’s always been Santa and the Gifts!! Yes, the plump, jolly, white-bearded loveable old man giving gifts to the kids!! Writing the wish list, putting it under the pillow and hoping that Santa picks it up and showers all of those lovely gifts on the Christmas day!! God Santa must be one Richie rich to get all those gifts (thank god grownups don’t write wish lists!! Else Santa would have to take huge loan to fulfill all of it!! ) .

And in week from now... it’s going to be a new year!! Another year to live our lives, another chance to be what we want to be, another great gift from God!! Brand NEW 365 days!! Another reason to celebrate life!! Come 31st and we all will be ready to embrace the New Year and bid good bye to 2009!! The year we lived out - the year we got it all. It’s been quite a year to say. From acute economical depression to “unexpected” 8% growth, we’ve seen it all. We had Rahman and Rasool Pookutty charming the world at one end and Leander Paes making us proud at the other end! We had Sachin smashing records after records and Vishwanathan Anand walking away to glory!! From average playing team to the top cricket team, we have seen success in all fields. India has grown from being a ‘Slumdog’ to being a “Millionaire”! WE are the Biggest Emerging markets of the world! When Uncle Sam (read US of A!) was hitting up bad and leaking up mad, we were right there steady and trotting just fine. I don’t say we never had any hiccups. But then who doesn’t have!! The greatest thing is that we’ve grown from what we were, learnt from what we’ve done wrong.

Personally, it’s been a terrific year!! From the Big Satyam Fiasco in January to a great appraisal in December, life has come a full circle. My first abroad trip and great time at work, finding some amazing friends at work - it has been massive fun!! One year of blogging (yes the first post has been on Oct 2008!) and some amazing Blog friends. I have been lucky to read some amazing blogs and fortunate to have some great comments for mine!! I’ve met some wonderful people made some amazing friends. What a year it has been! The love of friends and family has made me happy all through. Nieces and nephews being born and grand mom leaving for eternal peace, I’ve been through sorrow and bliss. I could not have asked for anything more!! What a year it has been!!! Thanks to all of you who’ve kept reading my posts and inspired me with some amazing posts of yours. Kudos to A.S for following her dream and making it - God Bless you my dear! Congrats to Diva for flying away to London. !! I hope that all of you had the best time of your life and wish you have even better in the coming year!!

Ring Out the Old,
Usher in the NEW,
See the world in a new way,
Live your life in a greater way,
Laugh and play all the way,
I wish you get whatever you say!!


I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Fantastic NEW YEAR!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!

Cheers
Rammy

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Of Cold country, beautiful people and great fun!

Helu people!! Its been a while since i was out of the Blog world. and all for right reasons... I was having the time of my life!! I was at one of the happiest countries of the world - Denmark (Copenhagen).
So heres an account of my experience during my stay at Copenhagen. Beware though, it can be long and boring. The author is not responsible for your headache!!

It was that time of the year when i was planning about the probable places to visit for winter with my friends. November - December is generally the time i take a break from my mundane work and go out to a small trip with my friends. I thought this will be the same until my Manager informed me that i would be travelling to Copenhagen for a month on a project purpose. Having worked my back side off for two and half years this came to me as a happy surprise! My first travel abroad full paid by the company .. WOW!! I thought!!

The hoopla at home (arrey, beta pehli baar vilayat jaa rahan hai!! itna to hoga hi :P ) and the mad shopping spree accompanied by the viral fever gave me panic attacks!! I kept wondering if i could actually make it to the airport with all the fever and cough ( With all the h1n1 thing u never know !! ). But my dear mom took the best care and made me fit enough to travel. SO... there i was.. on the wee hours of November 2 , 2009 . On board The Lufthansa flight to Copenhagen - All set to rule the next few weeks of my life.

Copenhagen is a small, cozy and an amazing city. My first reaction coming out of the airport was a WOW !! They had Mercedes Taxis - I was awestruck!! I had to wait for 3 hours at the airport as i had to be picked up by a friend who was stuck at office. That gave me a great chance to see the entire Copenhagen airport.. So literally my city tour started with the tour around the airport, checking out all the outlets in the lobby, troubling the Information Helpdesk guys with tons of queries!

The city is a character in itself. Being a part of Europe it comes as no surprise to see the royal buildings and the aristocratic approach to life. The most intriguing part is the seamless amalgamation of heritage with the advanced world of today. One can see the the perfect synergy between old and the new. On one side you have the 18th century royal queens palace and there is the state of art Opera house a man made marvel standing right opposite to it. If you have the new age multi brand malls stretching across lanes, you also find the oldest amusement park TIVOLI right in the vicinity. Dont be amused if you see a sweet violin melody playing in the corner of the walking street and at the turn of the lane you suddenly encounter a loud metal music. They love to mix and match! Talk about having best of both the worlds... the Danes are great in that.


Copenhagen winters though are a little tricky, the sun never rises and it gets dark by 3 in the afternoon. There is wind and sometimes rain with the biting cold. But being a lover of cold weather i was living my life under sunless times!! The upside is that you dont feel overworked and tired. The downside though is at times it gets a little depressing with all the gloom and darkness around. But nevertheless, Its a great experience in itself. If you have the right clothes and good company, the cold will be a bliss too :) . The pace of life is as gentle as the people there. Nice and easy - you would never have to fret about anything. Denmark is said to be the happiest country in the world and you can see that there. You always see smiles around you. Whether or not you know the person, you get a warm smile when you see each other. Ask for help and you are sure to get clear, precise and perfect advice. The people there are such warm that i felt at home right from the day one at work.

Copenhagen has something to offer to everyone. If you are a history freak, this is heaven for you. Places like the national museum, Amalienborg Palace, Rosenborg Castle and Kronborg Castle can keep you mesmerized with their amazing history. Shopping seems a never ending process with Huge malls spread across the walking street. If you are a beer lover carlsberg brewery is a must visit! If you are a random traveler like me, you can walk almost half the city with ease!! trust me its fun!! If you are an amusement park goer, you have a history here.. The tivoli park is the oldest amusement park in the history of mankind ! ( they say, Walt Disney built Disneyland after visiting this ).

If you think its all work and no play there, you are terribly mistaken. Works starts at 8.30 in the morning Sharp and ontime everytime. Come hell down or heaven down there is no late turn in to work and the output is flawless. The concept of quality over quantity is highly valued there ( something that we should start believing too). Family is always the first and most important priority. In a world where competition is the only Buzz word, it was refreshing to see "collaboration" in full force there. Understanding each other abilities, accepting each others limits and achieving a common goal is the keyword there ( Again something we can learn, instead for the blame game we play).

The city is so lovely for one most important reason. It has least pollution levels.. all thanks to awareness about climate change and the increased cycling that people have taken up. It is wonderful to see each citizen trying their own bit to contribute to the common cause.

The greatest learning that i had from this trip was that it does not need rocket science to keep yourself and others happy!! All we need is an intent and effort!!

All in all .. they do not call it the HAPPIEST COUNTRY for no reason!! They say " Jab bhagvaan deta hai to cheppar phaad ke deta hai!". I never believed it till it happened to me. Damn!! i had the best time ever!!

P.S : I know i have not put up the pics like the coorg trip. I have put'em up in FB and am trying to post them on orkut too. So all of you can see them on FB. The Picasa though seems not liking the photos.. i cannot upload them!! will see if i can post some here ( there are too many to select from!).

All is all ... The time of my life!!

cheers!
rammy