Hey folks,
Its been a while, I know, since I last posted. ALL the usual excuses apply here... I was busy, I was sick, too much work, too little time, double-booked, etc !! :-) I'm not lying, you know.
Christmas is coming up! Yehay! I should know... I've got to get the Christmas tree, decorations, etc down from the attic, set up the tree, help decorate it AND... buy the bloody presents that go underneath it !! I mean, how fair is that?? I should be the person GETTING the presents ... if only for doing all the work ! But nooooooooooo... never me! Ummm... so when was the last time I got a Christmas present.... uuhhhmmm.... never? That's right... NEVER !
Putting the tree up is a nightmare... its so much easier (and nicer) to have a fibre-optic with LED tree! I mean... no decorations to do... no setting up... nothing! Just pull it out of the box, plug it in and... Voila! All done! Back to the storyline... so, we decided to buy one to replace this monstrous tree. But, as is usual with us, we decide to get it when everybody has already emptied the shelves! So, no matter where we try to buy it from, its gone! Being Indians, we're doing the best we can to find a deal... but looks like there's too many Indians out there or too many people pretending to be Indians... there's NO bloody fibre-optic with LED trees left !! Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh !!
Anyway, we got back home and I couldn't take the quiet questioning eyes glaring at me from Paridhi's beautiful face... so, grumbling, I got the good old tree out and set it up. But, I was smart (actually, I still am!) and I took off a segment of the tree consisting of 3 layers! That chopped off about 1.5 feet off the tree and saved me some space around the tree. And... wait for it... it took us under an hour to set it all up, including decorations !!
Moral of the story - Start buying stuff for Christmas in November!
Tomorrow : Ankit/Anjali's 1st Wedding Anniversary!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
School's out for summer !!
Last year, we'd promised Paridhi that if she got really good grades in all her subjects, she could get anything she wanted. In addition, one of the other promises we'd made to her in order to encourage her to save, was that whatever she saved in her piggy-bank, we'd add the same amount to it so that she would actually save TWICE the money.
Well, she got a minimum of 3c in all her subjects this year (average being 2b... so this was 2 levels up)!! That in itself ensured that she got a pretty good prize. Additionally, she had saved about £60 in her piggy bank. So, adding our contribution to her savings brought her total savings to £120... almost enough to buy her whatever she wanted.
So, she's got herself a brand new Wii + Mario Kart + Wii Play + Wii Sports + 2 wheels + extra controller.
As you can imagine, its a big craze at the moment... and quite interesting too. But, you won't see me giving up my PS3 anytime soon :).
Laters gang.
Ankur
Well, she got a minimum of 3c in all her subjects this year (average being 2b... so this was 2 levels up)!! That in itself ensured that she got a pretty good prize. Additionally, she had saved about £60 in her piggy bank. So, adding our contribution to her savings brought her total savings to £120... almost enough to buy her whatever she wanted.
So, she's got herself a brand new Wii + Mario Kart + Wii Play + Wii Sports + 2 wheels + extra controller.
As you can imagine, its a big craze at the moment... and quite interesting too. But, you won't see me giving up my PS3 anytime soon :).
Laters gang.
Ankur
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Some magical stuff !
Wheyhey!! I did some magical stuff (well... not really magical!) recently. Got a 3 USB Broadband modem, unlocked it and put an iPhone PAYG SIMM in it. Free broadband for a year !! Woohoo!! Been trying it on the train and not really getting a constant connection... so not really very useful. But hey... it'll help checking my emails, etc.
Just a quick hullo to Pete... hey mate! Congratulations on the Nomuro deal !! Good stuff. Another excuse for us to drown our happiness in some freely flowing lager, eh !?! As if we ever need one lol !
Long day ahead... loads of stuff to do. Laters all...
Just a quick hullo to Pete... hey mate! Congratulations on the Nomuro deal !! Good stuff. Another excuse for us to drown our happiness in some freely flowing lager, eh !?! As if we ever need one lol !
Long day ahead... loads of stuff to do. Laters all...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Been a while...
I know its been a while since I last posted on the blog. But, I've been busy! And things are about to go mental in the coming 6-9 weeks. So, my apologies in advance...
Right... what's new? Umm... nothing much, besides re-doing the house a bit (again!).
Am moving my data-storage (read Drobo/Droboshare & the D-Link FTP server) to my study and on to a 200 Mbps network-over-mains solution. Additionally, I'm moving the PS3, the Mediaserver & the cable box on to the same ringnet instead of the 802.11n wi-fi they are currently on.
Very convenient!! I'll be able to do funny things from my iPhone heh heh heh !!
What am I waiting for? ... for the network-over-mains adapters to arrive :)
Watch this space for some more nerd action.
Right... what's new? Umm... nothing much, besides re-doing the house a bit (again!).
Am moving my data-storage (read Drobo/Droboshare & the D-Link FTP server) to my study and on to a 200 Mbps network-over-mains solution. Additionally, I'm moving the PS3, the Mediaserver & the cable box on to the same ringnet instead of the 802.11n wi-fi they are currently on.
Very convenient!! I'll be able to do funny things from my iPhone heh heh heh !!
What am I waiting for? ... for the network-over-mains adapters to arrive :)
Watch this space for some more nerd action.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Some choice photographs from Paris...
Sainte ChappelNice pic with everyone (but me) in it... that's probably why it turned out good!
The Louvre
Napolean's TombAnother great landmark in the city extensively littered with monument after monument of phenomenal beauty & heritage. Monica & Pari do justice to the surroundings.
En route to the Eiffel TowerMonica & Pari stopping at the Zebra crossing to wait up for us 'old people' !!
En route to the Eiffel TowerMonica & Pari... legging it! Way out ahead of us! They got on like a house on fire... but then again, being the same mental age does help ;p!
Eiffel Tower ArchClassmates in arms... under the Eiffel Tower Arch
Eiffel TowerInitially, people just stared at us as if we were crazy... then, when they realised what we were doing, there was a whole crowd of people doing the same thing ! Nice idea though... think Sukhad/Pinti came up with that one.
Cafe de l'HommeRekha & I at the gorgeous restaurant. Terrific wine, brilliant food and great company!
Cafe de l'HommeRoll Call (from the top) - Me :), Sukhad, Pinti & Monica
Arc de TriompheRight next door to our apartment, we managed to visit it just before we left for Chateau de Versailles.
Chateau De VersaillesRekha & Pari strike a pose in front of the beautiful chateau.
Chateau De VersaillesThe Pande Family gets to strike a pose in front of the chateau now!
Chateau De VersaillesBeauty, as far as the eye could see. The pond at the top is actually a huge lake.. and the dots are people boating in it! The distance to the very end is a good few miles!!
Chateau De VersaillesPari, in front of the 'musical' fountains! Great pic... she's really photogenic, even if I say so myself!
Chateau De VersaillesPari & Rekha - striking yet another pose, with the blissful fountains as a backdrop.
Parking in Paris!This wasn't the only one too !! We saw loads of cars parked like this! Thank god we got the VW instead of the Merc... Rekha would've killed me! Good call Rekha... you're right yet again :).
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Paris Encounter !
The weekend was spent in Paris meeting some close friends - Prashant, Monica & Sukhad. Prashant, I had met about 2.5 years back. Monica/Sukhad... well, the last time I met Monica was in St Xavier's College and the last time I met Sukhad was perhaps in St Xavier's Loyola Hall ! The whole idea of meeting them again after such a long time was phenomenally enticing. So, how did it all go? Well, here's a snippet, in my own words ;p.
Saturday
The route from Nottingham to our apartment in Paris - >>> Click Here For Route <<<
Slept at 3.00am after finishing packing, etc. Had to wake up at 4.00am in order to catch the 6.20am Channel Tunnel Train (or the Chunnel Train, as some would rather call it) from Folkestone. Yep, as usual, woke up late at 4:15am and then ensued a mad scramble to get ready and leave ASAP ! Eventually left at 5:00am and reached Folkestone at 7:40-ish. So, caught the 8:06 "Chunnel" to Calais.
Stopped at Calais to pick up a bottle of whisky - something forgotten during the mad rush in the morning. Got lost on the way trying to find an "Auchan" or a local wine-shop. Stopped at a local "Fleurs" shop to get directions and met a lovely lady who knew not a single word of English! Oh what a great sight it was - two people who didn't understand a single word of the other's language :). But we made it ! Finally managed to understand that there were a few big shops selling wine nearby, got directions, thanked the gorgeous lady profusely and left.
Reached Paris about 12:30am and dropped out luggage at the Rue De Berri apartment. Took a cab to Sainte Chappell to meet up with Pinti/Monica/Sukhi. After a huge bunch of back slapping and hugging we finally decided to get through the security checks and saw some awesome coloured glass-work at the Chapel. Beautiful and equisite as it was, I think it was perhaps a bit over-rated.
Then we decided to take a train to the west-most part of Paris and take a bus which went along "the tourist route" to the east-most part of the town... only we'd get off near the Eiffel Tower. Got off at "Pere Lachaise" and walked into a nice cafe to wait for the next bus (incidentally, the bus number was - "69"... go figure!). Anyway, this gave everybody a chance to freshen up and have a nice cocktail.
Finally boarded the bus only to find Monica chatting up a nice old lady who turned out to be an art historian (or something!). Meanwhile, we chatted away during the entire ride to the Eiffel Tower. We got off at Napolean's tomb and walked across to the Eiffel Tower... taking in a few choice pictures!
Nothing really prepares you for the Eiffel Tower... you know its big... you can see it from miles away... but when you get up close and personal to it... it just blows you away! Took loads of pictures at the Eiffel Tower... some quite unique - or so we think... and kinda set a trend which dozens of people unashamedly copied!
The line to get atop the tower was just too long to bear, so we decided to skip that and move right on to dinner at Trocadero. Found the restaurant and used my charms (!) to request the beautiful Maître d' to give us a table for 6 with the Eiffel Tower as the background. The restaurant was crowded and we had not booked in advance. So, we were kinda prepared to be disappointed. But, hey presto! She turned up a few minutes later with a huge beaming smile and led us to one of the best tables in the courtyard! We had unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower lighting up the pleasant Paris evening.
Perhaps the only disappointment of the evening was that the wine took too long to arrive. But, when it did, boy oh boy... one of the very nicest I've had so far. The food was exceptional as well. So, in all, the evening turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip.
It was too late by the time we left, and Pari had dozed off to sleep. So, I picked her up and we all took a cab back to our apartment. With Rekha and Pari safely tucked into bed, I was now free to party! We went back to Monica's apartment and had some nice wine and broke open the bottle of the 18yo scotch I'd picked up earlier. We talked and drank late into the night... some moments were a bit embarrassing (;p) and some positively hilarious ! 6am and I felt light-headed with sleep. So, trudged back to main road to catch a cab back for my apartment.
Sunday
Crept into the bed by about 7.15am, to be rudely awoken by a naughty girl bouncing on an imaginary trampolin which turned out to be my back - yelling "Daddy! Wake Up!". So, what do you do? You grab her and tickle her till she yells for help... that'll learn her !
Anyway, we packed and signed out of the apartment. Pinti/Monica/Sukhi were running late (as usual!) and so we decided to head off for Chateau de Versailles ourselves. First though... some unfinished business! Arc de Triomphe! We were right next to it, but hadn't visited it! So, we took the extra hour we had to do exactly that!
We reached the Chateau and called up the moppets (Pinti/Monica/Sukhi)... only to find out that their train took a wrong turn (or so they say! hah! ;p) and it'd be a while before they got to the Chateau. So, we decided to have a picnic in the parking lot and wait for them. Almost 2 hours later, they were still lost ;p. By this time we'd moved from the parking lot to the humongous ticket line at the entrance! Decided to take in the musical mountain show instead and went in. "Musical fountains" my foot !! If you ever plan to go to the Chateau for the musical fountains, boy... you're in for a really nasty surprise. If you're going there for the gardens, the chateau itself, etc... lord... what a gorgeous sight it is! After the initial shock of the non-musical fountains, we decided not to waste time and take in the sights of the gardens instead. As far as your eye can see from the top of the stairs of the porch of the Chateau, there are just gardens after gardens after gardens. There's a huge lake where you can do a bit of boating as well. But, the sight is absolutely stunning! There just isn't another word to describe it any better... or perhaps, my vocabulary suddenly feels severely stunted.
Anyway, it was getting chilly and so we decided to call it a day and leave for England. Called up Pinti only to find out that they were finally on their way :) and should be there in about 45 min. Decided to meet up one last time at the station to bid our good-byes. Amidst promises to meet up again and some wet eyes (Paridhi... who else!) we dropped them at the Chateau to take in the last few minutes of the day and we drove off towards Calais.
The ride back was uneventful. Picked up a few cases of wine at the duty-free in Calais. Reached Folkestone at about 9pm. Stopped at a services to grab a bite and drove non-stop to Nottingham. Crashed into bed about 1am... completely bushed out.
Boy... what a trip. Will I do it again, hell, yeah! Did we like it? For sure! Any surprises? Some of Monica's stories LOL !!
Saturday
The route from Nottingham to our apartment in Paris - >>> Click Here For Route <<<
Slept at 3.00am after finishing packing, etc. Had to wake up at 4.00am in order to catch the 6.20am Channel Tunnel Train (or the Chunnel Train, as some would rather call it) from Folkestone. Yep, as usual, woke up late at 4:15am and then ensued a mad scramble to get ready and leave ASAP ! Eventually left at 5:00am and reached Folkestone at 7:40-ish. So, caught the 8:06 "Chunnel" to Calais.
Stopped at Calais to pick up a bottle of whisky - something forgotten during the mad rush in the morning. Got lost on the way trying to find an "Auchan" or a local wine-shop. Stopped at a local "Fleurs" shop to get directions and met a lovely lady who knew not a single word of English! Oh what a great sight it was - two people who didn't understand a single word of the other's language :). But we made it ! Finally managed to understand that there were a few big shops selling wine nearby, got directions, thanked the gorgeous lady profusely and left.
Reached Paris about 12:30am and dropped out luggage at the Rue De Berri apartment. Took a cab to Sainte Chappell to meet up with Pinti/Monica/Sukhi. After a huge bunch of back slapping and hugging we finally decided to get through the security checks and saw some awesome coloured glass-work at the Chapel. Beautiful and equisite as it was, I think it was perhaps a bit over-rated.
Then we decided to take a train to the west-most part of Paris and take a bus which went along "the tourist route" to the east-most part of the town... only we'd get off near the Eiffel Tower. Got off at "Pere Lachaise" and walked into a nice cafe to wait for the next bus (incidentally, the bus number was - "69"... go figure!). Anyway, this gave everybody a chance to freshen up and have a nice cocktail.
Finally boarded the bus only to find Monica chatting up a nice old lady who turned out to be an art historian (or something!). Meanwhile, we chatted away during the entire ride to the Eiffel Tower. We got off at Napolean's tomb and walked across to the Eiffel Tower... taking in a few choice pictures!
Nothing really prepares you for the Eiffel Tower... you know its big... you can see it from miles away... but when you get up close and personal to it... it just blows you away! Took loads of pictures at the Eiffel Tower... some quite unique - or so we think... and kinda set a trend which dozens of people unashamedly copied!
The line to get atop the tower was just too long to bear, so we decided to skip that and move right on to dinner at Trocadero. Found the restaurant and used my charms (!) to request the beautiful Maître d' to give us a table for 6 with the Eiffel Tower as the background. The restaurant was crowded and we had not booked in advance. So, we were kinda prepared to be disappointed. But, hey presto! She turned up a few minutes later with a huge beaming smile and led us to one of the best tables in the courtyard! We had unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower lighting up the pleasant Paris evening.
Perhaps the only disappointment of the evening was that the wine took too long to arrive. But, when it did, boy oh boy... one of the very nicest I've had so far. The food was exceptional as well. So, in all, the evening turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip.
It was too late by the time we left, and Pari had dozed off to sleep. So, I picked her up and we all took a cab back to our apartment. With Rekha and Pari safely tucked into bed, I was now free to party! We went back to Monica's apartment and had some nice wine and broke open the bottle of the 18yo scotch I'd picked up earlier. We talked and drank late into the night... some moments were a bit embarrassing (;p) and some positively hilarious ! 6am and I felt light-headed with sleep. So, trudged back to main road to catch a cab back for my apartment.
Sunday
Crept into the bed by about 7.15am, to be rudely awoken by a naughty girl bouncing on an imaginary trampolin which turned out to be my back - yelling "Daddy! Wake Up!". So, what do you do? You grab her and tickle her till she yells for help... that'll learn her !
Anyway, we packed and signed out of the apartment. Pinti/Monica/Sukhi were running late (as usual!) and so we decided to head off for Chateau de Versailles ourselves. First though... some unfinished business! Arc de Triomphe! We were right next to it, but hadn't visited it! So, we took the extra hour we had to do exactly that!
We reached the Chateau and called up the moppets (Pinti/Monica/Sukhi)... only to find out that their train took a wrong turn (or so they say! hah! ;p) and it'd be a while before they got to the Chateau. So, we decided to have a picnic in the parking lot and wait for them. Almost 2 hours later, they were still lost ;p. By this time we'd moved from the parking lot to the humongous ticket line at the entrance! Decided to take in the musical mountain show instead and went in. "Musical fountains" my foot !! If you ever plan to go to the Chateau for the musical fountains, boy... you're in for a really nasty surprise. If you're going there for the gardens, the chateau itself, etc... lord... what a gorgeous sight it is! After the initial shock of the non-musical fountains, we decided not to waste time and take in the sights of the gardens instead. As far as your eye can see from the top of the stairs of the porch of the Chateau, there are just gardens after gardens after gardens. There's a huge lake where you can do a bit of boating as well. But, the sight is absolutely stunning! There just isn't another word to describe it any better... or perhaps, my vocabulary suddenly feels severely stunted.
Anyway, it was getting chilly and so we decided to call it a day and leave for England. Called up Pinti only to find out that they were finally on their way :) and should be there in about 45 min. Decided to meet up one last time at the station to bid our good-byes. Amidst promises to meet up again and some wet eyes (Paridhi... who else!) we dropped them at the Chateau to take in the last few minutes of the day and we drove off towards Calais.
The ride back was uneventful. Picked up a few cases of wine at the duty-free in Calais. Reached Folkestone at about 9pm. Stopped at a services to grab a bite and drove non-stop to Nottingham. Crashed into bed about 1am... completely bushed out.
Boy... what a trip. Will I do it again, hell, yeah! Did we like it? For sure! Any surprises? Some of Monica's stories LOL !!
Friday, May 01, 2009
Learning French !!
Man... is French interesting or what? No... its not what... its interesting!! Anyway... the point I'm trying to make is that I'm learning French and so far, I've only learnt enough to... get myself into trouble. The interesting part starts when I try to get myself out of it !
Here's a neat website I found very useful to learn the basics:
http://www.lsfrench.com/beginners2.html
Getting ready for tomorrow morning... going to drive down to Paris to meet up with a few friends. Also use the opportunity to do some sight-seeing :).
Eiffel Tower... here I come!! Bet that's going to give the Paris mayor a few nights without sleep... oh dear... if only he had revamped the foundations when I told him to last week! Too late now... folks... from next week on when you descend onto Paris, you'll be met by a new attraction - The Leaning Eiffel Tower !! Gone are those days of the Leaning tower of Pisa... hah... we're gonna go and do a better job with the Eiffel Tower!!
Don't you dare say I'm fat... I'll roll over you too!
Here's a neat website I found very useful to learn the basics:
http://www.lsfrench.com/beginners2.html
Getting ready for tomorrow morning... going to drive down to Paris to meet up with a few friends. Also use the opportunity to do some sight-seeing :).
Eiffel Tower... here I come!! Bet that's going to give the Paris mayor a few nights without sleep... oh dear... if only he had revamped the foundations when I told him to last week! Too late now... folks... from next week on when you descend onto Paris, you'll be met by a new attraction - The Leaning Eiffel Tower !! Gone are those days of the Leaning tower of Pisa... hah... we're gonna go and do a better job with the Eiffel Tower!!
Don't you dare say I'm fat... I'll roll over you too!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Disneyworld - Epcot
Rekha, Pluto & Paridhi
The two nutters are with him... and he's still smiling!?!
Must say, the damn dog's got guts!!
Wonder if he knows something I don't... hmm...
California & Stinson Beach
The Fairy Princess & the Sheriff !Aanika dressed up as the fairy princess and Pari the local town sheriff... No prizes for guessing who the bad guy was...!
They even had their own horsie... horsie-Hunter, they called him. Think the horsie was a bit defective... never heard a horsie bark before !!
Pari and aanika had a great time at Minu's house in California. Loved the way Pari took care of Aanika and how much they loved each other. Never felt that there could have been a gap of 2 years since they last met !
When in Rome... do what the Romans do, in Indian eshtyle !!Mom, sun-bathing on Stinson Beach, California... Indian eshtyle! But, in her defense, the air definitely was chilly and the water freezing!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Info on Disneyworld - A promise kept !
Getting ready for Disney.
1. Start walking about 10 miles at a stretch, because believe me, it'll be really tiresome when you're walking all day in the sun.
2. Start drinking lots of water as it'll get you used to drinking a lot of water
3. Download maps for the 4 disney parks and study them
4. Plan a strategy to cover the park.
5. Take a camera and 2 times the memory cards that you think you'll need! We took about 6 Gb of photographs !! And this is when we forgot to take our video camera.
6. Take at least 2 sets of batteries and a battery charger. You'll surely run through at least 1 set each day. The 2nd is a backup. Remember to re-charge them each night.
7. If you like, take the video camera as well. But, its not really necessary and I personally feel, photographs are much better than videos. But your choice entirely.
8. Take loose bright or white clothing. Not dark clothes as they'll get hot quicker.
9. Take comfortable running/walking shoes. Comfortable lounge sandals are also a good idea. No heels or leather shoes! You're asking for trouble if you take them.
10. Take band-aid/plaster with you - you're bound to get blisters !!
11. Take some paracetamol / children's paracetamol just in case. Other basic medicines are also advised. But remember, you have to carry the stuff ! So, travel light.
12. Take hats/caps and glares/goggles for everybody and DON'T LOSE THEM ! They're life savers!
13. Take a pram for children if possible. You can rent these at the park as well, but at $15-20 / day, they're a steal.
14. Take your swim-suits/towels with you if you plan on going to water parks.
Tickets
1. Do your homework about what tickets you want and how long you are staying there for.
2. There is a local Walmart very close to International Drive. You can buy your Disney tickets from there at a small discount. But, they wont be able to advise you on what to buy.
3. The basic tickets are Make Your Own or way or something tickets. You buy these for the number of days you plan to stay there. It gets cheaper as you stay longer. For example, a 3-day pass may cost about $220, but a 10-day pass will cost about $250 only !
4. For $51 you can add the Park hopper option to your ticket. This is helpful if you want to go to more than 1 park in a day. Otherwise, you'll be limited to only 1 park / day.
5. There are water-parks in Orlando and you definitely want to go a few. They are a great way to relax and have fun. Some rides are excellent. You can add Water and fun to your normal tickets for only $51 / ticket. A very good option if you plan to stay long. Good value for money if you're staying long. You'll be given soap, shampoo and conditioner in most water parks.
6. Parking at disney is $12/day and they are valid at all parks. So, you could go to 1 park in the morning and another in the evening and not pay for parking again.
7. Parking at most places including water parks is about $12 and they're valid for the entire day. So you can leave and come back the same day without having to pay again. So, keep the receipts/tickets safe. Display them on the dashboard please !!
Food/Drink Advice
1. Take a 1 liter water bottle for each person in the group. You can easily refill them when you're inside and there are loads of cold water fountains scattered about to do this.
2. If you're a vegetarian, take sandwiches/chips/etc with you because you'll have a hard time finding food. The best you'll get are tomato/cheese pizzas or a veggie burger... and these are rare!
3. There are loads of ice-cream stands... eat loads of ice-cream to keep cool. No 1 and 3 are the best :). I like No 3 - the chocolate biscuit and ice-cream combo. These cost about $2.75 each and are pretty good.
Hotel advice
Most non-disney resort hotels are located here. Its a central location with easy access to the disney parks and Prime/Premium Outlets.
We stayed at the Metropolitan Resort Hotel. Its on 8444 International Drive... about 10 miles from all the kingdoms, but very conveniently located. Easy to get on and off from I4. Its a good medium 3-4 star hotel and the rooms are pretty large and comfortable. The bathroom is also neat and spacious with a tub for you to lie in after a long day.
1. Make sure you get the "full american breakfast" instead of "continental breakfast" as the latter is just muffins, fruits, toasts and tea/coffee. The prior is a proper breakfast. Make sure you eat as much as you can before you leave.
2. Disney resorts are good because you get added benefits like extra hours in the morning and free transport to and from the parks. Even if you rent a car. However, disney resorts cost at least 3 times what local hotels will cost, unless you've booked well in advance or have a special deal (again booked usually in advance).
3. Usually, try and get a medium range comfortable hotel. Even if the hotel advertises a pool, spa, etc... you'll never get a chance to use these facilities unless you plan to stay for 2 weeks or more. No point in getting a full board deal as you'll end up eating out during lunch and most probably for dinner as well.
Disney Parks
There are 4 kingdoms/parks in Disney. The best thing to do is to get the maps for each of the kingdom/park beforehand and make a strategy. There will be long lines. Get used to them! Off peak times don't have long lines, and usually these are about 1/5th of what you'd find in the peak season.
Points to note for a good strategy are:
1. Fast Pass can only be taken for 1 ride at a time. So, a good plan is to take a fast pass for 1 ride and go on another ride whilst your Fast pass time slot arrives.
2. We found that whilst waiting for our fast pass time, we could usually go to another fast pass ride in the normal waiting line, thereby covering 2 Fast Pass rides in 1 go.
3. Do the Fast Pass rides before 11-12 o'clock. That's when most people start coming in. Best time to get to the park is about 8:30am so that you can finish the best rides before everybody comes in. Then you can do the other rides and come back to the best rides again in the evening when people start going back home.
4. Its a good idea to alternate the Disney kingdoms with water parks. Or You could go to the disney park in the morning, go to a water park in the afternoon and come back to the disney park in the evening.
5. As soon as your time slot for the Fast Pass starts, you're allowed to take another Fast Pass. Go to another ride with a Fast Pass and take it. Fast Pass distribution centers are situated next to the rides themselves.
6. Fast Pass queues are usually 1/10 the size of a non-FP queue.
7. Fast Pass rides are marked clearly on the maps with a red "FP".
Here they are and the amount of time you need in each if this is your first time.
1. Magic Kingdom: 2 days
Must See Rides/Shows : Space Mountain(woohoo!!!), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash mountain, Mickey Philarmagic, Stich's Great Escape, Pirates of the caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer Island, The Haunted Mansion, Its a small world, The Many adventures of winnie the pooh, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Mosters Inc Laughter floor, Tomorrowland Indy speedway, Tomorrowland transit authority... etc
2. Animal Kingdom : 1.5-2 days
Must see Rides/Shows : Everest Expedition, River Kali Rapids, Primeval Whirl, Finding Nemo: The Musical, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Its tough to be a bear, Discovery island trail, Wildlife express train, Festival of the king.... etc
3. Epcot: 1 day
Must see Rides/Shows : Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship earth, The seas with Nemo and friends, Honey I shrunk the audience, Journey into imagination with figment,
4. Hollywood studios: 1 day
Must see Rides/Shows : Rock 'n Roll rollercoaster with Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, The American Idol experience, Star Tours, Lights, Motors Action! Extreme stunt show (wooohoo!!), Toy Story Midway Mania, Journey into Narnia... etc.
1. Start walking about 10 miles at a stretch, because believe me, it'll be really tiresome when you're walking all day in the sun.
2. Start drinking lots of water as it'll get you used to drinking a lot of water
3. Download maps for the 4 disney parks and study them
4. Plan a strategy to cover the park.
5. Take a camera and 2 times the memory cards that you think you'll need! We took about 6 Gb of photographs !! And this is when we forgot to take our video camera.
6. Take at least 2 sets of batteries and a battery charger. You'll surely run through at least 1 set each day. The 2nd is a backup. Remember to re-charge them each night.
7. If you like, take the video camera as well. But, its not really necessary and I personally feel, photographs are much better than videos. But your choice entirely.
8. Take loose bright or white clothing. Not dark clothes as they'll get hot quicker.
9. Take comfortable running/walking shoes. Comfortable lounge sandals are also a good idea. No heels or leather shoes! You're asking for trouble if you take them.
10. Take band-aid/plaster with you - you're bound to get blisters !!
11. Take some paracetamol / children's paracetamol just in case. Other basic medicines are also advised. But remember, you have to carry the stuff ! So, travel light.
12. Take hats/caps and glares/goggles for everybody and DON'T LOSE THEM ! They're life savers!
13. Take a pram for children if possible. You can rent these at the park as well, but at $15-20 / day, they're a steal.
14. Take your swim-suits/towels with you if you plan on going to water parks.
Tickets
1. Do your homework about what tickets you want and how long you are staying there for.
2. There is a local Walmart very close to International Drive. You can buy your Disney tickets from there at a small discount. But, they wont be able to advise you on what to buy.
3. The basic tickets are Make Your Own or way or something tickets. You buy these for the number of days you plan to stay there. It gets cheaper as you stay longer. For example, a 3-day pass may cost about $220, but a 10-day pass will cost about $250 only !
4. For $51 you can add the Park hopper option to your ticket. This is helpful if you want to go to more than 1 park in a day. Otherwise, you'll be limited to only 1 park / day.
5. There are water-parks in Orlando and you definitely want to go a few. They are a great way to relax and have fun. Some rides are excellent. You can add Water and fun to your normal tickets for only $51 / ticket. A very good option if you plan to stay long. Good value for money if you're staying long. You'll be given soap, shampoo and conditioner in most water parks.
6. Parking at disney is $12/day and they are valid at all parks. So, you could go to 1 park in the morning and another in the evening and not pay for parking again.
7. Parking at most places including water parks is about $12 and they're valid for the entire day. So you can leave and come back the same day without having to pay again. So, keep the receipts/tickets safe. Display them on the dashboard please !!
Food/Drink Advice
1. Take a 1 liter water bottle for each person in the group. You can easily refill them when you're inside and there are loads of cold water fountains scattered about to do this.
2. If you're a vegetarian, take sandwiches/chips/etc with you because you'll have a hard time finding food. The best you'll get are tomato/cheese pizzas or a veggie burger... and these are rare!
3. There are loads of ice-cream stands... eat loads of ice-cream to keep cool. No 1 and 3 are the best :). I like No 3 - the chocolate biscuit and ice-cream combo. These cost about $2.75 each and are pretty good.
Hotel advice
Most non-disney resort hotels are located here. Its a central location with easy access to the disney parks and Prime/Premium Outlets.
We stayed at the Metropolitan Resort Hotel. Its on 8444 International Drive... about 10 miles from all the kingdoms, but very conveniently located. Easy to get on and off from I4. Its a good medium 3-4 star hotel and the rooms are pretty large and comfortable. The bathroom is also neat and spacious with a tub for you to lie in after a long day.
1. Make sure you get the "full american breakfast" instead of "continental breakfast" as the latter is just muffins, fruits, toasts and tea/coffee. The prior is a proper breakfast. Make sure you eat as much as you can before you leave.
2. Disney resorts are good because you get added benefits like extra hours in the morning and free transport to and from the parks. Even if you rent a car. However, disney resorts cost at least 3 times what local hotels will cost, unless you've booked well in advance or have a special deal (again booked usually in advance).
3. Usually, try and get a medium range comfortable hotel. Even if the hotel advertises a pool, spa, etc... you'll never get a chance to use these facilities unless you plan to stay for 2 weeks or more. No point in getting a full board deal as you'll end up eating out during lunch and most probably for dinner as well.
Disney Parks
There are 4 kingdoms/parks in Disney. The best thing to do is to get the maps for each of the kingdom/park beforehand and make a strategy. There will be long lines. Get used to them! Off peak times don't have long lines, and usually these are about 1/5th of what you'd find in the peak season.
Points to note for a good strategy are:
1. Fast Pass can only be taken for 1 ride at a time. So, a good plan is to take a fast pass for 1 ride and go on another ride whilst your Fast pass time slot arrives.
2. We found that whilst waiting for our fast pass time, we could usually go to another fast pass ride in the normal waiting line, thereby covering 2 Fast Pass rides in 1 go.
3. Do the Fast Pass rides before 11-12 o'clock. That's when most people start coming in. Best time to get to the park is about 8:30am so that you can finish the best rides before everybody comes in. Then you can do the other rides and come back to the best rides again in the evening when people start going back home.
4. Its a good idea to alternate the Disney kingdoms with water parks. Or You could go to the disney park in the morning, go to a water park in the afternoon and come back to the disney park in the evening.
5. As soon as your time slot for the Fast Pass starts, you're allowed to take another Fast Pass. Go to another ride with a Fast Pass and take it. Fast Pass distribution centers are situated next to the rides themselves.
6. Fast Pass queues are usually 1/10 the size of a non-FP queue.
7. Fast Pass rides are marked clearly on the maps with a red "FP".
Here they are and the amount of time you need in each if this is your first time.
1. Magic Kingdom: 2 days
Must See Rides/Shows : Space Mountain(woohoo!!!), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash mountain, Mickey Philarmagic, Stich's Great Escape, Pirates of the caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer Island, The Haunted Mansion, Its a small world, The Many adventures of winnie the pooh, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Mosters Inc Laughter floor, Tomorrowland Indy speedway, Tomorrowland transit authority... etc
2. Animal Kingdom : 1.5-2 days
Must see Rides/Shows : Everest Expedition, River Kali Rapids, Primeval Whirl, Finding Nemo: The Musical, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Its tough to be a bear, Discovery island trail, Wildlife express train, Festival of the king.... etc
3. Epcot: 1 day
Must see Rides/Shows : Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship earth, The seas with Nemo and friends, Honey I shrunk the audience, Journey into imagination with figment,
4. Hollywood studios: 1 day
Must see Rides/Shows : Rock 'n Roll rollercoaster with Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, The American Idol experience, Star Tours, Lights, Motors Action! Extreme stunt show (wooohoo!!), Toy Story Midway Mania, Journey into Narnia... etc.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Oh what a weekend !!
Just slowing down now and trying to get in tune with the weekdays, down from a great and very hectic and weekend. Here's what happened:
Saturday - Pari's Day!
Saturday started with a small lie-in in the morning. Glorious sunshine filtered in through the window and there was little we could do except bask in the luxurious warmth of the rays. I know... little luxuries... but you learn to appreciate them more now that you don't have them so often!
This obviously didn't last... 'cause we heard noises from Pari's room. Rekha and I exchanged a knowing look of the forthcoming impending danger... and then suddenly the sound of some padded feet running towards our room... "Whooosshhh... boooomm!!" opens our door and in its wake stands none other than the... Pari-monster!! Fully awake, completely recharged, armed with her dangerously disarming smile and her all-faithful soft doggie - "Beagle", tucked away untidily under one arm... she stood in the door-way.
We exchange menacing looks and I beckon her over... grab her and drag her under the covers to a full tickling free-for-all. Well... by all I mean just Pari and I, because Rekha made a run for it in the opposite direction... shouting "Breakfast, downstairs, 15 min!".
Anyway, after a bout of screaming, Pari and I get up, brush our teeth and get ready for her Kumon & Drama classes. Since I'm the designated weekend driver... I get to do the runs.
Back from the classes and we gobble our lunch quickly. What're we gonna do for the rest of the day? Some shopping therapy comes to mind. So, off we run to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet at J28 on M1. Rekha goes off to do her shopping and Pari and I get to our business. Its fun shopping with her... the best part is when she asks questions... just love answering her questions. Its an amazing feeling... her brain's like a sponge and I'm feeding her information to store in it. Get a deeply satisfying feeling that I'm educating her in some certain way - after all, everything we teach her now will shape her life practically.
Anyway, Pari and I walk into Levi's and I get her to sit down on a bench and stay put. Right, picture this... I'm browsing through the shirts and suddenly there's a resounding 'scary' "Whoooooo.... hoooooooo..... " from where Pari was SUPPOSED to be sitting... only she isn't there anymore. She's hiding under all the clothes and trying to scare people walking past ! Its really funny, cause people browsing the shirts, suddenly find themselves staring at a small child grinning up at them from between the clothes ! How awesome is that !?!
In-between, Rekha pops her head in to make sure we're not scandalising the poor staff. Seeing everybody still walking about, she's reassured of this and walks away knowingly... she'll be back !
After we'd completely traumatised the poor staff at Levi's, we ran away with Pari's slung over my left shoulder and squealing with laughter. Rekha got some doughnuts for us and we sit at a nice table in the sun to polish them off.
Next, we walk into FCUK for Madhur's present (it was his birthday on Sunday). I liked a nice navy shirt with thin green & brown checks. Looked classy, so we decided to pick it up. Later, we walked into GAME to check out the latest PS3 (for me!) and Nintendo DS (for Pari!) games. Obviously, we don't buy... I've still got 11 games which I've yet to even OPENED ! Buying another would certainly guarantee being hunted down by a knife wielding Rekha.
Back home, we called in a couple of pizzas from Dominos (oh, that reminds me... tried their Double Decadence Piri Piri Chicken Pizza... fantastic !) and settled in to watch a movie on cable TV.
Sunday - Madhur's Birthday
Sunday was Madhur's 22nd birthday. Seemed like a reasonably good day. Rekha looked up some movies at Cineworld and we decided to give Madhur a surprise. Spoke to Ankit/Anjali and we decided to go to
Reached Sheffield and got Madhur a special private screening of the movie... can you imagine that... we got the whole movie hall for ourselves !! Yippee... had a ball... Pari went berserk all throughout the movie... finally running herself out, she crawled into my lap and fell asleep... my poor baby !
The movie was a blast itself... some really classic punchlines. Almost doubled over with pain on a few occasions ! Good acting all around and great scriptwriting, even though I say so myself ;p!
Reached home precisely at 12:01 am! Got the cake out with the candle etc and sang Madhur a happy birthday song! Plastered his face with chocolate... dropped Ankit/Anjali home, crawled into bed at almost 2am... gawd... tomorrow's Monday! Ewww...
A great ending to a great weekend. Laters gang... will keep you posted.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sachin & Dhoni taking NZ apart
Ahh... its a joy watching Sachin and Dhoni take NZ apart in their 1st innings of the 1st Test. Today's morning session was an absolute delight to watch. Sachin was perfection personified. The first couple of overs saw a beautiful frontfoot cover drive, followed by a backfoot drive... both destined for the fence the moment they met willow.
Caught it on my PVR :)... only seen it about 15 times so far ! There... Sachin's reached his 150 ! Brilliant show mate... you make us proud. This is his 18th 150 ! Crickey !!
Think Dhoni's pissed off now... that's the 2nd boundary he's hit just now. Well guys, keep at it. Just make sure you declare around 500... before the last session so that we get a chance to take a couple of quick scalps :).
Laters folks. Its 1:15am now... gotta get up at 6 to catch my train to London. Just 1 more day to go... Yesss!
Caught it on my PVR :)... only seen it about 15 times so far ! There... Sachin's reached his 150 ! Brilliant show mate... you make us proud. This is his 18th 150 ! Crickey !!
Think Dhoni's pissed off now... that's the 2nd boundary he's hit just now. Well guys, keep at it. Just make sure you declare around 500... before the last session so that we get a chance to take a couple of quick scalps :).
Laters folks. Its 1:15am now... gotta get up at 6 to catch my train to London. Just 1 more day to go... Yesss!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
One of those days...
Today's just been "one of those days - when NOTHING goes right!". Been slogging all day at work and its been like banging my head against a wall. Something or the other's not working ! Man...!
Anyway... enough of my sob story. Faiza "Frazier" Haq reminded me of Tiramisu... gawd... now I'll have to go buy one on the way back ! Man... I hate walking to the M&S store... its almost 20 meters away from the escalators !
The weekend's nearly upon us. Looking forward to it. Been a really long week, this. But there's been some good parts to it too. Like the nice Train Manager (Petra Bennett) who called Loughborough to let them know that I forgot to put my car parking pass in the car... she saved me a silly fine and an unnecessary hassle in trying to prove that I already had a bloody pass! Finally met up with her today morning again and said "Thank you". We really need more people like her in this world.
And then, Santosh brought me a lovely lamb curry for lunch today. Man... does that guy know how to cook or what? The best lamb curry I've had so far... and I've had a few, believe you me. Thanks Santosh... you're the best lamb curry cook in the world... but you already know that ;p.
Anyway... that's it for today... gotta go catch my train. Laters gang.
Anyway... enough of my sob story. Faiza "Frazier" Haq reminded me of Tiramisu... gawd... now I'll have to go buy one on the way back ! Man... I hate walking to the M&S store... its almost 20 meters away from the escalators !
The weekend's nearly upon us. Looking forward to it. Been a really long week, this. But there's been some good parts to it too. Like the nice Train Manager (Petra Bennett) who called Loughborough to let them know that I forgot to put my car parking pass in the car... she saved me a silly fine and an unnecessary hassle in trying to prove that I already had a bloody pass! Finally met up with her today morning again and said "Thank you". We really need more people like her in this world.
And then, Santosh brought me a lovely lamb curry for lunch today. Man... does that guy know how to cook or what? The best lamb curry I've had so far... and I've had a few, believe you me. Thanks Santosh... you're the best lamb curry cook in the world... but you already know that ;p.
Anyway... that's it for today... gotta go catch my train. Laters gang.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Picture time!
Some of my favourites pics...
Princess Pari on her royal throne...
...smiling at her loyal subjects. Her Highness was kind enough to dress down in the blistering Californaian sun so that we wouldn't feel out of place.
Princess Aanika & Princess Pari...
... enjoying a day out with their idols ! Well... at 3 & 6 who else would be their idols!?!
Princess Pari on her royal throne......smiling at her loyal subjects. Her Highness was kind enough to dress down in the blistering Californaian sun so that we wouldn't feel out of place.
Princess Aanika & Princess Pari...... enjoying a day out with their idols ! Well... at 3 & 6 who else would be their idols!?!
M&S Banoffee Cheescake - You know you want one... I do !
Was coming into work today morning and needed some milk as I'd run out of it yesterday; so popped over to the St Pancras Intl Marks & Spencer store for a bottle.
As luck would have it, neatly tucked away there, just a little to the left and underneath... quietly shouting out to me, were the neat light-brown & plastic boxes with 2 temptingly sumptuous slices of Banoffee Cheesecake. I mean... what could I do?? Honest...! Its a scheming plan against me, I think. Anyway, I came into work and made my cuppa. Tried to ignore the shouts for help from the Banoffee Cheesecake, but being chivalrous as I am, I was unable to walk on :). It would have been sacrilegious to not eat the poor cheesecake ! I mean, I couldn't be that cruel... could I ? Knew you'd agree with me. Bless you!
Laters gang.
As luck would have it, neatly tucked away there, just a little to the left and underneath... quietly shouting out to me, were the neat light-brown & plastic boxes with 2 temptingly sumptuous slices of Banoffee Cheesecake. I mean... what could I do?? Honest...! Its a scheming plan against me, I think. Anyway, I came into work and made my cuppa. Tried to ignore the shouts for help from the Banoffee Cheesecake, but being chivalrous as I am, I was unable to walk on :). It would have been sacrilegious to not eat the poor cheesecake ! I mean, I couldn't be that cruel... could I ? Knew you'd agree with me. Bless you!
Laters gang.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The week went by pretty quickly too !
Had a brush with the arctic weather when central heating went a-walking this week. But, its back up now after some coaxing from the extremely effecient E.On central-heating gurus and changing the diverter (3-way-valve!).
Watched "Marley & me" yesterday with Pari & Madhur. Rekha decided to opt-out. Nice rom-com-tear-jerking-dog-movie :). That's an absolutely brand-spanking-new category of films, if you ever saw one. But I think that the teasers/trailors already show the best parts of the film... well, the funniest parts, at least. The ending's a bit tragic... had the whole cinema hall sniffling. Man! That's gross!
Mum's in Richmond with Princess Aanika. Spoke to them yesterday and the conv between Princess Pari & Princess Aanika went like this...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to imagine Princess Pari (PP) and Princess Aanika (PA) in their typical English and American accents, me in my pseudo-anglo accent and mom in her usual desi accent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PP: Hey Aanika, how are you?
PA:
Mom: Beta, Paridhi-di-di-di-di is talking to you. Do you want to talk to her?
PA: Yeah !
Mom: Say hello to Paridhi-di-di-di-di.
PA: Yeah! Hullo!
PP: Hello Aanika!
Me: Aanika, we're going to see "Marley & Me" right now.
PA: Oh, we've seen that a laang laang time ago.
Me: Yes beta, but we're going to see it today.
PA: But, we've seen it a laang laang time ago!
Me That's great. So, how did you like it?
PA: Nice!
PP: What are you doing, Aanika?
PA: Talking to you !(doh !)
PP: Aanika, when are you coming to our house?
PA: First you come to our house, then I'll come to your house.
PP: But we already came to your house, remember?
PA: Oh !
PP: We had so much fun, remember?
PA: Oh ??
Me: Ok Aanika, tell mommy to get you here quickly so we can have a lot more fun, huh?
PA: My mommy's not at home.
Me: Yeah, well... when she comes back home. Allright?
PA: Okay.
(Realising that we're not going anywhere with the call... I decide to end it as we're getting late for the movie anyway)
Me: Ok, Aanika we're getting late for "Marley & Me", beta. We've gotta run now.
PA: We've seen it a laang laang time ago !
(Oh dear... here we go again!)
Watched "Marley & me" yesterday with Pari & Madhur. Rekha decided to opt-out. Nice rom-com-tear-jerking-dog-movie :). That's an absolutely brand-spanking-new category of films, if you ever saw one. But I think that the teasers/trailors already show the best parts of the film... well, the funniest parts, at least. The ending's a bit tragic... had the whole cinema hall sniffling. Man! That's gross!
Mum's in Richmond with Princess Aanika. Spoke to them yesterday and the conv between Princess Pari & Princess Aanika went like this...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to imagine Princess Pari (PP) and Princess Aanika (PA) in their typical English and American accents, me in my pseudo-anglo accent and mom in her usual desi accent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PP: Hey Aanika, how are you?
PA:
Mom: Beta, Paridhi-di-di-di-di is talking to you. Do you want to talk to her?
PA: Yeah !
Mom: Say hello to Paridhi-di-di-di-di.
PA: Yeah! Hullo!
PP: Hello Aanika!
PA: Oh, we've seen that a laang laang time ago.
Me:
PA: But, we've seen it a laang laang time ago!
Me
PA: Nice!
PP: What are you doing, Aanika?
PA: Talking to you !
PP: Aanika, when are you coming to our house?
PA: First you come to our house, then I'll come to your house.
PP: But we already came to your house, remember?
PA: Oh !
PP: We had so much fun, remember?
PA: Oh ??
Me: Ok Aanika, tell mommy to get you here quickly so we can have a lot more fun, huh?
PA: My mommy's not at home.
Me: Yeah, well... when she comes back home. Allright?
PA: Okay.
(Realising that we're not going anywhere with the call... I decide to end it as we're getting late for the movie anyway)
Me: Ok, Aanika we're getting late for "Marley & Me", beta. We've gotta run now.
PA: We've seen it a laang laang time ago !
Sunday, March 08, 2009
And there goes the weekend !
Does anybody wonder why the weekends go by so fast... or am I the only one?
Didn't realise that "Marley & Me" was coming out on the 13th ! Grr... There goes my promise to Pari ! Breaks your heart when your little one comes up to you and says - "But, daddy! You promised!". Wonderful.
Been a great weekend nevertheless. Ankit & Anjali came over for the weekend and we had a blast. We did go see the house too... :) Nice ! Velly velly tempting. Interesting bit was that Rekha found out that the neighbour was the MD of her company lol. Some privacy we'll have! The neighbours at the other side is one of the footballers from the Derby team. Not supposed to name him it seems! Quite a show-off though... came rolling out in his Maserati GranTurismo S and revved it up just for our listening pleasure!
We're getting our house valued now for a part-exchange on the new one. There's a couple more we're scheduled to see next Sat. Wish us luck !
Laters everybody.
Didn't realise that "Marley & Me" was coming out on the 13th ! Grr... There goes my promise to Pari ! Breaks your heart when your little one comes up to you and says - "But, daddy! You promised!". Wonderful.
Been a great weekend nevertheless. Ankit & Anjali came over for the weekend and we had a blast. We did go see the house too... :) Nice ! Velly velly tempting. Interesting bit was that Rekha found out that the neighbour was the MD of her company lol. Some privacy we'll have! The neighbours at the other side is one of the footballers from the Derby team. Not supposed to name him it seems! Quite a show-off though... came rolling out in his Maserati GranTurismo S and revved it up just for our listening pleasure!
We're getting our house valued now for a part-exchange on the new one. There's a couple more we're scheduled to see next Sat. Wish us luck !
Laters everybody.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Drobo !!
I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo, I'm getting a Drobo.
In case you folks didn't notice... I'm getting a Drobo :-). Well, its not exactly a NAS drive... yet. I'll need the Droboshare for that. Ab yaar... kuch doosri post ke liye bhi to chhodna padega ke nahin? Sab kuch aaj hi bataoon kya? Yes, no, then? (as in - haan nahin to).
Looking forward to hosting my own webserver and blog soon. Soon bole to... 6-9 maheene, bas?
Oh, and by the way... I'm getting a Drobo ;p !
Laters all.
In case you folks didn't notice... I'm getting a Drobo :-). Well, its not exactly a NAS drive... yet. I'll need the Droboshare for that. Ab yaar... kuch doosri post ke liye bhi to chhodna padega ke nahin? Sab kuch aaj hi bataoon kya? Yes, no, then? (as in - haan nahin to).
Looking forward to hosting my own webserver and blog soon. Soon bole to... 6-9 maheene, bas?
Oh, and by the way... I'm getting a Drobo ;p !
Laters all.
Friday, March 06, 2009
The weekend is here... almost !
Woohoooo !! Its friday and the weekend's just round the corner.
So, what's in store for the weekend, I hear you ask. Hmm... lets see...
Mum's reached Mindy's place and is at the moment crashed out ! When Kumbhakaran... erm... mum wakes upthere's going to be a frantic runabout there. Oh and Hunter's going to have a ball too. Literally, considering running after one is his favourite pasttime... besides barking of course... and begging... and snuggling up close... and licking everybody's face over and over... and chewing shoes... and... and... Yep, you got it right. I miss him !! That's why we're going to watch Marley & Me... he's a spitting image of Hunter ! Let me dig up a pic of him and put it up on the blog.
Well, gotta go folks. Laters!
So, what's in store for the weekend, I hear you ask. Hmm... lets see...
- Pari's Kumon, Drama classes & Piano practice
- House hunting... there's this nice house we've got our eyes on :)... got to go view it
- Grocery shopping ;p [now ain't that something to look forward to?]
- Watch "Marley & Me" with Ankit & family and Madhur
- Watch "The Unborn" .... ooooo.... this one's scary. Really looking forward to watching it. Don't suppose Rekha or Madhur are going to be up for it. Pari's out anyway. So, reckon Rinku & I will be making the rounds alone on this one. Heh heh heh... watch out girls... ;p
- Open the nice bottle of red I've been saving ;p [if you know me, you'll know I like my wines]
Mum's reached Mindy's place and is at the moment crashed out ! When Kumbhakaran... erm... mum wakes upthere's going to be a frantic runabout there. Oh and Hunter's going to have a ball too. Literally, considering running after one is his favourite pasttime... besides barking of course... and begging... and snuggling up close... and licking everybody's face over and over... and chewing shoes... and... and... Yep, you got it right. I miss him !! That's why we're going to watch Marley & Me... he's a spitting image of Hunter ! Let me dig up a pic of him and put it up on the blog.
Well, gotta go folks. Laters!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Mum's going globetrotting !
As the title suggests... mum's at it again! This time's its California. Arnie... beware! Call the army... call the cavalry or the armoured division or SWAT... do something! Protect yourself !
Well Arnie, come to think of it... you needn't really worry. She's going there to meet the Mindy-monster (a.k.a. Akanksha) and the inhumanly serene and quiet child prodigy (drum rolls please)... Aanika !!
Not to mention the calm and well mannered... "uddah" (aka Hunter). Ooouuuhhh... I feel the goose pimples pop up as the shudder runs down my spine. Need to calm down a bit. Deep breaths... one, two... three... phew. That's better.
Right... update time. What's new?
My NAS has gone :(... which means no network media server...!! Boo hoo !! Bawlll !! How'm I going to survive this tragedy? What do I listen to? What do I watch? Ohhh... woe is me for not keeping a 2nd NAS media server mirrored for just this very travesty... Heh, that'll learn me good methinks ! Anyway, looking for a new one now. But first... there's data to be recovered. heh heh heh... I rub my hands gleefully on the thought of getting to tinker with my NAS & 'puter again. Woohoo! Its almost worth the sorrow of the NAS going bust on me. Ah well... you can't have the cake and eat it too. Which reminds me... its lunchtime! Yippee!! Fooooooooooooooooodddddd !!
I'm outta here folks.
Well Arnie, come to think of it... you needn't really worry. She's going there to meet the Mindy-monster (a.k.a. Akanksha) and the inhumanly serene and quiet child prodigy (drum rolls please)... Aanika !!
Not to mention the calm and well mannered... "uddah" (aka Hunter). Ooouuuhhh... I feel the goose pimples pop up as the shudder runs down my spine. Need to calm down a bit. Deep breaths... one, two... three... phew. That's better.
Right... update time. What's new?
My NAS has gone :(... which means no network media server...!! Boo hoo !! Bawlll !! How'm I going to survive this tragedy? What do I listen to? What do I watch? Ohhh... woe is me for not keeping a 2nd NAS media server mirrored for just this very travesty... Heh, that'll learn me good methinks ! Anyway, looking for a new one now. But first... there's data to be recovered. heh heh heh... I rub my hands gleefully on the thought of getting to tinker with my NAS & 'puter again. Woohoo! Its almost worth the sorrow of the NAS going bust on me. Ah well... you can't have the cake and eat it too. Which reminds me... its lunchtime! Yippee!! Fooooooooooooooooodddddd !!
I'm outta here folks.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Okay, so I lost the plot about writing a page for each day I was in India. But I've been incredibly busy, so can only apologise... profusely at that too!
Grrr... I so hate when people say "I told you so". If YOU do that, I'll have you know that my remote has a "Break Someone's Neck" button... all ready and itching to be pressed. Oh, wait just a minute... its my thumb that's itching. Anyway... I'll press it if you say that! Don't do it... don't... doh! There you go then... brzzzztttt ! Hah ! Have fun with that lopsided thingie on your shoulders!
Anyway... lets move on. I've already busted my new year's resolution of keeping in touch with everybody. I've not called mum for 2 weeks! There goes my "mirchi-ka-aachaar" for the next few months! Mein gott !! Glutton for punishment, I am indeed!!
Lets see... what's new? Rekha's got a new company car... so I get to drive the Merc now grrr...! Was kinda hoping her company would pass the new car to me instead... ah well... cest la vie! But, since the company car isn't a McLaren, I'll survive I suppose.
Paridhi's started her Piano lessons. Got her a Yamaha PSR-E413 to practice. Now, before you say that I've 'maaroed' the 'kulhadi' on my own 'pariz'... let me have you know that I've played it smart and given her a pair of DJ headphones as well... heh heh heh... now, that's what I call S.M.A.R.T !!
Oh, btw... she's doing great with her Kumon classes. Think I've got a little Einstein on my hands here. Lets hope she translates that into good marks in her class. I know I couldn't heh heh. Oh right... I wasn't a genius. Sorry... forgot that one ;p. No, it wasn't intentional ! Honest !
Laters guys :)
Grrr... I so hate when people say "I told you so". If YOU do that, I'll have you know that my remote has a "Break Someone's Neck" button... all ready and itching to be pressed. Oh, wait just a minute... its my thumb that's itching. Anyway... I'll press it if you say that! Don't do it... don't... doh! There you go then... brzzzztttt ! Hah ! Have fun with that lopsided thingie on your shoulders!
Anyway... lets move on. I've already busted my new year's resolution of keeping in touch with everybody. I've not called mum for 2 weeks! There goes my "mirchi-ka-aachaar" for the next few months! Mein gott !! Glutton for punishment, I am indeed!!
Lets see... what's new? Rekha's got a new company car... so I get to drive the Merc now grrr...! Was kinda hoping her company would pass the new car to me instead... ah well... cest la vie! But, since the company car isn't a McLaren, I'll survive I suppose.
Paridhi's started her Piano lessons. Got her a Yamaha PSR-E413 to practice. Now, before you say that I've 'maaroed' the 'kulhadi' on my own 'pariz'... let me have you know that I've played it smart and given her a pair of DJ headphones as well... heh heh heh... now, that's what I call S.M.A.R.T !!
Oh, btw... she's doing great with her Kumon classes. Think I've got a little Einstein on my hands here. Lets hope she translates that into good marks in her class. I know I couldn't heh heh. Oh right... I wasn't a genius. Sorry... forgot that one ;p. No, it wasn't intentional ! Honest !
Laters guys :)
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