Light up your life

It is time to clean your closet. It is time to wipe away those negative thoughts. It is time to erase the pain and bring a smile on your face. It is time to light that lamp of eternal hope in your heart. Because it is Deepavali- the festival of lights ; it is the time to wish you all a very happy Deepavali. Have a blast with or without crackers.:)

Big Boss 2

I don't get to watch Indian channels here. Of course, I have not been very interested in saans-bahu serials . But at Bangalore, I used to watch lot of reality shows, especially the musical ones. So I miss doing that here. Yep, some of them are available on the Web. But right now, I am hooked to watching Big Boss 2.

I had seen Big Boss 1 before. It was interesting in the beginning. But the end was very predictable. So when I heard that Big Boss 2 was gonna start, I was curious to know who the contestants would be. Therefore I watched the first episode ( thanks to U tube). And then slowly, I started watching it everyday. And now, I must confess that I have been enjoying it.

It is fascinating to see how the inmates, who are of diverse characters, react to people and situations. I somehow, don't believe that this whole thing is scripted. It is very difficult to stick to acting when you are out of contact with the world and your comfort zone. For me, Big Boss reveals the different facets of human nature. It could be the bout of anger, the game of politics, the threads of friendship, the see saw of trust and betrayal, the momentary madness and the helplessness of cameras being all around you.

At this stage, there are seven contestants in the game:

Rahul mahajan: Best known as Pramod Mahajan's son. Other than that, he has been famous for all the wrong reasons. He has been one of the strong players in this game. Looks like he is enjoying the most, especially the flirting part with Payal Rohatagi and Monica Bedi.

Raja Chaudhary: Better known as Shweta Tiwari's ex-husband. Shweta Tiwari played "Prerna" in Kasauti Zindagi Kay. She had filed a complaint about him being violent and then broke up with him. Known for his eccentricities, he has been adding lot of spice to this show. His encounters with Rahul are very entertaining.

Monica Bedi: No one thought that she would be involved in a romantic angle at the house of Big Boss. She has been singing "Jahan Main Jaathi Hoon Wahi Chale Aate Ho" to Rahul Mahajan as of now. But I think she has become very camera conscious especially after her second entry. But must admit that she has been looking her best. She is a good dancer too.

Ashutosh: Supposed to be the winner of MTV Roadies. Speaks excellent pure hindi. Good fun.

Diana Hayden: The former Miss World should not have entered this game coz she is on the brink of becoming just another player. She comes across as a good human being but definitely she should not think of acting as a career.

Zulfi Sayed: I had seen him before in the kannada movie "O Mallige". As Farah Khan rightly pointed out, he has been following Rahul Roy (the previous winner of big boss). He seems to be the politically correct guy in the house.

Debojit: I have seen him in two musical reality shows before. No doubt that he is a very good singer but did he really need this stint in Big Boss? Definitely the most decent and honest person in the game.

I do not have any favorite players in this show. But it is just fun to watch all these semi-celebrities living their lives, one day at a time. As told before, I prefer watching Big Boss than the saans bahu serials.:)

Beaches, sea, beaches, travel, and beaches

We keep waiting for the weekends to explore new places. As soon as a Saturday arrives, we backpack our baby and her bag, and set out for the exploration. In case you are wondering what would our baby bag hold (parents-to-be, are you listening?):

• Nappies - Never, never forget them. If you do, you can forget all about exploring.:)
• Baby wipes - Very handy, especially if there is no water near by.;)
• Water/Milk/Snacks - Absolute must. Cannot do without them.
• Spare dress for your baby - You never know when you will need one.
• Toy/Book - You might need them if you are set on a long journey

Okay, let us move from the baby stuff to explorations.

This time, we got to see a couple of beaches here. On Friday evening, we had been to St.Kilda beach. We did not get into the water "coz it was quite cold and chilly. But it was a great visual treat. As soon as I saw it, I knew how much I had missed being on the beach.

On Sunday morning, we started off to Mornington Peninsula Island National Park. On the way as we drove uphill, we stopped at a point near Arthur Seat for a break. And I am so glad that we stopped there because the view from that place was absolutely stupefying. We could almost see the whole peninsula from there. I had never seen ocean from such an altitude before. It just spread out like a beautiful painting in front of us. I struggled to capture it in my camera. And then, I felt so stupid! I was feeling so dwarfed in front of God's magnanimous, breath-taking creation. And how could I ever, ever capture that in my little camera?

We reluctantly continued our journey and lost our way. And finally, we ended on the beaches of Rosebud. I just could not resist getting into water here. Nopes, I donno swimming. Yet, I always love to get into that salty water.:) We pulled puttu ( that is what I call my daughter) along to the shallow waters. Initially she was a bit scared. But at the end of it, she refused to come out of water. It was her first beach experience. Anyways, the two unwilling ladies had to be dragged to the car.:) Now you know why the title for this post has so many beaches.;) And that night, all I could dream about was the magnificient view of the ocean and the peninsula.

Life's calling

It has been such a long, long time since I wrote something. I almost feel like a newbie to the blogging world.:) Oh yes, I can give lot of excuses for this disappearance act. But I think they all don't matter now as I decided to renew my connections with the blogger in me. And I must confess that I am thoroughly enjoying writing after that dormant period.

Right now, I am sipping my cup of tea in our nest at Melbourne. We might stay here for few more months. And I guess that will give enough time for the traveller in me to get to know at least a small part of Australia.:) I always wanted to visit Australia some time so this has been a dream come true. The experience is enriching because I have never stayed outside India before and therefore everything is new to me. I feel like a dry sponge ready to absorb water as much as it can. Life's calling. Did you hear that too?