Serendipity

In the winter of 2012-13, I finally fulfilled my long cherished dream of visiting the City of Love, the City of Light, the land of 'joie de vivre' ! It was a birthday present that I got for myself! Paris was beautiful, amazing, spellbinding. I could go on endlessly; and it would take me several more posts to describe my short but incredibly memorable Parisian adventure.  This post is dedicated to my visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral. This was one of the high points of my Paris trip, in fact, of all my travels. It has been a dream ever since, as a school kid, I had read a translated, abridged version of the Victor Hugo classic 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', it has fueled my imagination ever since.  As I made my way to the fabled cathedral, a trusted map pointing my way forward, I came upon this sign which trumped all maps. This was definitely, undoubtedly the surest sign that the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris was right ahead. And there it was - majestic...

Now I have two favorite balloon movies - ' Up ' and this amazing little gem that I discovered quite accidentally today morning!   The Red Balloon / Le ballon rouge - IMDB Talk about happy accidents, talk about 'serendipity'! The ending is magical and will forever remain entrenched in the heart.

                                                                        'Senna' makes for an intense, heart-wrenching, visceral experience. 

Disney's philosophies, which they espouse in their beautiful movies and in some heartwarming quotes, resonate deeply our everyday lives. All we need to do is believe and see; or see and believe, any which way. This is my humble attempt to look beyond the obvious, delve a bit deeper and try to discover those pearls of wisdom in my own way. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom" ~ The Lion King Bonjour Paris ~ Sunset on the Seine from atop the Eiffel Tower "Don’t just fly, soar."  ~ Dumbo Through the looking glass ~ At a Parisian shop window      "Home is the comfiest place to be" ~ Winnie the Pooh                           Home away from home ~ My home in Stockholm for 18 amazing months "Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." ~ Winnie the Pooh    Pictures say a thousand words ~ Goodbye gift from my wonderful host family ...

It was the summer of 1996. A handsome young man,dressed in immaculate whites,stepped out on to the hallowed greens of Lord's and promptly made an indelible statement for greatness. I was in school,beginning to discover my love for the game,eagerly devouring all newspaper reports and TV clips; those were the days when cable television was still a rarity, Doordarshan ruled the roost and watching cricket on TV hadn't become a tedious affair where the actual action on the field is superseded by a plethora of inane advertisements. The young man in question had made his debut on the back of a highly successful first-class career. He was, perhaps, not considered a 'prodigy' who becomes an overnight sensation, but, instead, went meticulously through the grind, to stake his claim for the India cap. That moment finally arrived in June '96. Thus began a journey which was silently spectacular, one which reminded viewers that cricket was indeed a gentleman's game, one whi...

One of my favourite movies in recent times is ‘The Holiday’ , delectable , fres h and charming .   However, it might have remained just a slightly more sophisticated ‘rom-com’, a few notches above the regular breed had it not been for one of the most unique subplots ever. The heart warming friendship between Iris and Arthur . This little play is treated with such tenderness and finesse that the end result on screen borders on the lyrical.   The conversations between Iris and Arthur are simple yet thought-provoking. And it g ave me a wonderful chance to delve into one of my obsessions - the g olden age of Hollywood. Sample the fol lowing conversation be tween I ris and Arth ur , it's as if my thoughts echo in her questio n to the ageing scriptwr iter, a throwback to Hollywood's glory years . Iris asks - "So was Hollywood really as great back then as I imagine?", Art hur replies with a twinkle in his eyes - " It was better . " And along with Iris, I...

It's been three-and-a-half months since I came back from Stockholm, and I have been pining for it ever since. Of all the things that I missed, traveling was the numero uno.  That palpable sense of excitement of arranging the trip, finalizing all the little details, finally setting out on the journey, the sense of complete amazement, that rush of seeing new places and meeting new people...I could go on and on. I finally decided that it's time to stop looking back and feeling sad at those bygone days. There's probably a time and place for everything in life, so that it all fits into the big puzzle. Yes, I will always miss those beautiful days of traveling and exploration, but I wouldn't be actually cherishing those wonderful experiences if thinking about them only brought sadness and triggered a sense of 'Oh! If only I was there'. The traveling shouldn't come to a stop. Yes, I might not be able to explore the wonders of Europe now, but I can travel to new pl...