DAD

For all those times when you said yes,

Even though Mom said no,

You are really a bad ass

That you should stop smoking those Marlboroes.

You are my friend,

My guiding light,

The one who showed me the path,

And taught me how to read and write.

You were always supporting me even when I know I’d fall,

Helping me grow like a Tree,

You might not be a superhero to the world,

But you are to me!

Happy Birthday DAD & Thank you for everything !

(Poem for my DAD on his birthday in 2016)

MOM

Wrote a Poem for my MOM

Experiences of my first trip alone

Mumbai Trip

I had slept early the previous night. After all the next day was a pretty big day in my life. I woke up at 5 all excited and exuberant. It was the day I was going to travel all alone for the first time.
The weather seemed pleasant and it was a bit cloudy with a hint of sunshine here and there. I got up and dressed way before time. Even though my friends’ plan of playing got cancelled, I was in a pretty good mood. Which is quite rare for me.
I took my luggage to the car and started our journey towards the airport. I felt nothing strange or out of the blue that day.
We reached the airport quite early and there were very few people entering. My parents took a last minute quiz to check whether I still remembered the proper procedure for boarding an airplane.
By the time I entered past the gate, the crowd started to appear. After I was past the gate, I felt a bit alone. I searched the GoAir counter but failed to do so. I asked a person at the information desk who pointed towards his extreme left.
“Counter B, that side.” He said.
“Thanks a lot” I replied walking towards that direction.
I found the counter but was surprised to see a large line in front of most of the counters. I took the one with the least number of people but due to Murphy’s Law our line was the slowest.
I collected my boarding pass and went towards the security check. After my check, I decided to roam around as the boarding didn’t start for another 45 minutes. There were various stores around including KFC and Pizza Hut. I was thinking of grabbing a quick bite but after seeing the large line, I changed my mind.
I was about to proceed towards my gate when I realised I had lost my baggage tag. I tried not to panic and calm down but it’s our instinct to panic in such moments. It’s coded into our systems to think of the worst case scenario that could happen. And in my case it was no different. I imagined missing my flight and staying in Gurgaon.
 I tried to use my brains first and retraced my steps but I was not able to find it. I went to the information desk and inquired about the issue.
The person told me to report it to a policeman standing near the security counter. I went up to him and told him the issue. He took my bag and put it on the scanner one more time before giving me a new tag.
I proceeded towards my gate quite mad at me for being so stupid. I bought a coke and waited for another 10 minutes. After this I boarded the bus and we started for the plane. It was quite windy by the time I boarded the flight. I sat on my seat and sent a message to my parents.
The flight took off after another 10 minutes or so. There was a senior citizen and his wife next to me. Their son was on the adjacent seat.
I listened to music and played on my PSP but it became boring after some time. I decided not to sleep as I was afraid to fall asleep and not wake up on time. I was quite mad at the cabin crew as the person in front of me had his phone on the entire flight and that too not on silent.

The captain announced that we were 90 km north of Mumbai and advised us to switch off our electronic devices. I thought we had about 5 minutes before the flight landed but I was wrong. The airport was visible in just 1 minute.
We landed and were advised to let the business class passengers exit first. I went straight to the baggage collection counter. I was afraid someone might take my bag so I stood right next to the starting.
It seemed like forever before my bag finally came. I quickly took it and went towards the exit. I went outside into an extremely hot area and starting sweating almost immediately. I spotted mausaji’s car and went up to it.
This is how my first trip all alone went. It could not have been possible without the constant helping but very irritating calls by my parents.
 I was thinking of all the things that could happen like the plane being hijacked, it crashing, me missing the flight, everything but as soon as I left the airport so did the absurd thoughts out of my head.

LOST IN VENICE - A short story

“What do you mean that you don’t have my luggage?” Jason Brown shouted on his IPhone.
“I transferred….to Hotel Danieli…” the phone fell silent.
“Ugh… Damn this network. There is no signal anywhere in Italy.” He said with a hint of fear appearing on his face.
The sky was a mellow orange over ‘Don’s Fresco’ and the setting sun created a mesmerizing effect on the water in the canals of Venice.
Jason hurriedly finished his mocha coffee and quickly left after throwing a tip on the table.
“Wonderful, now I am stuck in this city without my passport.” He muttered to himself.
He hired a water taxi and guided the driver to his hotel.
“This is the street, signor.” The driver said putting his hand forward expecting his payment. “That would be 25€.”
“Are you sure this is the right street?  It doesn’t seem familiar at all.”
Jason asked.
“Si, it is the Piazza San Marco.” He said monotonously.
“Alright then, here’s your 25 bucks.”
“Grazie.”
The water taxi noisily sped away and Jason started searching for his hotel.
He took out a piece of paper on which the name and address of his hotel were scribbled.
“Umm… let’s see… Hotel Danieli on….what’s this….Riva Degli Schiavoni.” He blurted out loud while squinting to make out the words properly.
“Looks like I will have to ask someone for the directions.”
He spotted an elderly man seated at a café nearby.
“Signor… do you know which way Riva Degli Schiavoni is?” he asked impatient for an answer.e stranger said nothing still busy with his newspaper and pointed towards a street with his finger.
“Thank you sir.” Jason said as he dashed away in the direction of the street.
He admired the scenery as he walked past the Basilica di San Marco. Thousands of tourists were wandering around the front of the church. Some taking a tour, some clicking photos and some just strolling.
I should be there having fun rather than finding my damn passport. He thought.
The sun was swiftly setting overhead and the night just seemed to approach.
It was not much time before Jason came to the Riva Degli Schiavoni.
“Now I just need to find where hotel Danieli is.” He muttered looking around for directions.
“Umm. Do you know where Hotel Danieli is? He asked a young man standing nearby.
“Perdono.” He said removing his headphones.

“Hotel Danieli, do you know where it is?”
“Hmm… stupido” he said putting his headphones back on.
Queer guy. I asked him a question. He wondered moving on.
“Umm do you know where hotel Danieli is?” he asked a gentleman in his young 50s.
“It used to be there.” He said pointing towards a recently renovated building.
“Thanks”
‘Used to’. Italians really need to work on their English. He wondered approaching the building.
“Is this the Hotel Danieli? There’s no board outside.” He asked the man at the front desk.
“Was” he replied without looking up from his work.
“Pardon me?” Jason looked perplexed.
“It was Hotel Danieli.” He replied this time facing Jason.
“What do you mean?”
“Hotel Danieli was shut down in 1983 due to financial crisis. This is no longer Hotel Danieli.”


https://creativehappinessjournal.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/lost-in-venice/

Sharks

It was 2011 and I was in Cape Town in South Africa. I had decided to go deep sea diving and shark watching where you go underwater in a cage with sharks all around. Even though I was a bit afraid of sharks, I decided to do it.
The day finally came when I was all ready in scuba diving gear and was about to go in the cage along with an instructor. I noticed that the lock was a bit loose.
“Ummmm ummm umm um uummmm!” I said the mouthpiece still in.
“What?” he asked.
“The lock is a little loose.” I said while pointing towards the lock.
“Oh don’t you worry sir, its tight enough.” He assured me.
I thought that he was right as he was a professional and must know what he was talking about. We went in the cage and started to go underwater. At first we saw the scenic corals and the picturesque blue water.
Soon we went further down and the water became darker and frightening. After another 50 meters or so, we stopped and the instructor threw a chunk of meat outside the cage.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a group of sharks came out of the dark waters and ate the meat.
The fish were humongous and must have been about the size of a school bus. They were dark grey in colour with razor sharp teeth that could tear a human into pieces within seconds.
The sharks were still hovering around the cage and clearly wanted more. However, there was overly greedy shark who so close to the cage that I could feel its sharp odour.
The instructor threw another chunk out which grazed the lock a bit.
The overly greedy shark hit the lock with its teeth and instantly it gave away. A cold shiver went through my spine. I panicked and for the first time in my life realised how deadly a shark could be.
I tried to keep calm and think how to save myself but when you are with hungry sharks, you don’t give a damn about calm.
I knew I was not a good swimmer and couldn’t out swim them. The instructor panicked and tried to swim out of the cage but the sharks were no fools and instantly tore him into pieces. The water turned red with blood. I realised that I was soaked in cold sweat.
One shark tried to get in but was too big and got stuck mid-way. My only escape route was blocked and I had to think of other ways. I took the instructor’s oxygen cylinder and bashed it as hard as I could on the shark’s head. The shark cried with agony and got out of the cage.
I quickly closed the cage door but I was no match for them. This time the door opened towards the outside and I was halfway out of the cage.
As I was trying to get back inside the cage, one of the sharks bit my right arm off.
A sharp pain shot through me and it felt like being shot 100 times. Blood spurted all around and I could see the sharks fighting for my flesh.
I started to black out and crashed into the cage’s bar. I struggled to get in with whatever energy was left in me. I slowly got in but was still feeling drowsy.
I crashed into the bars again and slowly sank to the bottom of the cage and blacked out with the sharks still hovering outside the cage.
Luckily for me, the instructor on the beach who had lowered us down in the cage felt the tugs on the cage and then saw the red water. He immediately pulled the cage up.
When I regained consciousness, I was lying on a hospital bed with bandages around my left arm. The doctor gave me a newspaper and I saw that I was on the cover page. I felt proud of myself for facing my fear and that too so courageously.

https://creativehappinessjournal.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/sharks/

Happy Fathers Day

Dear Daddy, Happy Father's Day.

Please take me on a farm,

to watch a pig eat hay,

then I will hang around your arm.

We will go to a Mall,

and test drive a Polo,

or watch a movie in a hall,

or buy a book called 'Going solo'.

(Found my first poem in Mom's diary written when i was 8 yrs).

Dharamshala - a Tibetan getaway

Dharmshala  is a hill station in the district of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. It has picturesque hills and vivid tea gardens. I had gone there for a vacation and stayed in the Club Mahindra resort for about 5 days. In this time, I visited a lot of good places there. The best ones are the Norbulingka Institute, HPCA stadium and McLoed Ganj. The Institute had a few temples and it's motto was to preserve and promote Tibetan culture. It had a shop as well but it's only problems was it's exorbitant prices. Next up is the HPCA stadium which is one of the world's highest stadiums. Dharmshala is divided into 2 parts- upper and lower Dharamshala. The upper one is McLoed Ganj and the lower one is lower Dharamshala. All the nice shops and temples are in McLoed Ganj. It also has the Dalai Lama Temple and a monastery. Overall, my trip was remarkable and I collected a lot of Tibetan souvenirs. the only thing I regret was not going for a trek to see snow-capped mountains. Instead, I went for a trek to see tea gardens which was also pretty nice. My favourite place was a momo stand next to a bridge  near club mahindra which sold authentic Tibetan momos which were truly divine!

Nature thru DSLR

Science

Science

Science, Science, Science,
Makes our heads go round and round.
But have you ever wondered
What goes on all around?
From Gadgets to Appliances,
Everything uses logic of Science.

Ichthyology - the study of Fish,
Exploring this field is my wish.
Chemistry is a field very vast,
CAREFUL, sodium and water together will blast.
While the earth is rotating and revolving,
The field of Physics is also evolving.

Science is a wonderful subject
Just like living on the edge.
It is like a enlighten prism,
Clearing our doubts through theorems.

Let's learn, explore, experiment and have fun,
For me Science is the greatest inspiration.


( Wrote few lines under School assignment 'Why I love Science' )

Sunset at Kandaghat

Recently went to Kandaghat during my Winter vacations.  It was very bright & sunny there.

Tried to capture various shades during sunset from my room window.

My Excursion To Rohtang Pass

Rohtang Pass is an area of permafrost. It is 51 km from Manali. The word Rohtang means pile of corpses(spooky, eh)  The cold is unbearable at first but soon you get the rays of the sun. When I first touched the ice with bare hands, i felt semi paralysed. If you feel cold do grab a sip of the coffee or else eat the hot maggi. Maybe your maggi story could be a part of the 'Meri Maggi' stories. Coats are available for rent too. Beware the slippery ice and wear shoes with a good grip or be ready to break your bones. The view from the zero point is very ravishing and somewhat resembles Switzerland which I saw in some films(cause I have not visited it). If you want to do some activities, sitting on a yak or else skiing are good options. Well you can even do snowmobiling till zero point. If you have a good big group, snow fighting is a good idea. And of course don't forget to do sledge racing. It is so cold that even your pee will freeze!!!Overall the place is full of fun and will send a chill down your spine(because of the cold).

HaPPy ReaDinG

Ayush Pratap
(Visitor- Rohtang Pass)      
 

Seasons

Summer is the season I like the most
Because we can have Mangoes & Ice cream
But outside its so hot that we are about to roast
And when there are power cuts we all scream.

Winters are cold and chilly
Mornings are full of mist & fog
Snow is there at places that are hilly
So cold that don’t feel like going for walk with my dog.

Flowers bloom in the season of spring
And children enjoy and love to play
Whether its slide or a swing
Spring is the most beautiful season in every way.

You may carry an umbrella in rainy season
There is muddy water all around
It may drizzle or rain is the reason
Earthworms and frogs can be found.

My Mussorie trip during winter break

The Explorers

The white family had just shifted to London. Their new house was big enough to hold 40 people. Natalia and Lance were very sad. All of their friends were in USA. But after entering their room they forgot all about their friends. The room had two bunker beds, one for each, two wardrobes, two study tables and whole new toys. Both were now happy. After some time, Mrs. White called them for breakfast. They had a hearty meal of bacon, bread, scrambled egg and tarts. Lance suggested the idea of exploring the humongous house. They started with the bedrooms, then the balconies, then came the bathrooms, after that the garden, also the garage and finally the attic. Natalia was first afraid but Lance convinced her that it was not spooky. When they went inside it was very dark and dusty. Natalia quickly got a torch. It was empty except an old chest of drawer, a trunk and a mirror. Suddenly Lance screamed with spookiness and delight in his voice. He pointed towards a door hidden by the mirror. They were about to open it when their mother called them for lunch.

After lunch, they took a nap for 2-3 hours and then again went to the attic. This time they took two torches, one rope, a pocket knife and a walkie talkie. They thought they may have to do something adventurous. They opened the door, there were many doors on its sides. Natalia said these may be doors to other people's attics. They walked and walked and walked and finally came to an end. Lance said this is maybe the end of our street. Suddenly Natalia got an idea. She said that the house on the end of the street was empty. We could make it our playground. They opened the door of that house to find a laboratory with many acidic liquids, tubes and a wash basin. They thought someone must be trespassing here. When they went further they saw a gang of criminals making a plan. There were about 9-10 members. They were discussing about the robbery they were going to do in a bank. Lance and Natalia quickly ran and went back to their own attic. That night they had sleepless night, they woke up after every now and then.

Next morning, they tried to think of some ideas but got none. Lance suggested a good idea, at about 10 am they went to the empty house at the end of the street. They rang the bell several times, but there was no reply. Natalia noticed a slight move of the curtain in inside the window. And then came a goofy looking guy who said they were not at home. Lance and Natalia laughed and told him that he had told them that they were at home. The leader of the gang came and scolded the guy. The guy sobbed and went inside. Then the leader asked what they had come for. The children acted as if they belonged to a nearby neighborhood but had lost their way. They requested him to tell the directions to go back. The leader let them in and gave the directions. Lance said that he was very hungry and if he could get a biscuit. When the goofy guy and the leader went in the kitchen, they locked the kitchen door. And ran towards the laboratory which was in the attic. The scientist was experimenting a new formula. The children searched the whole room for some liquid that would get the scientist fainted. Natalia spotted a test tube with a liquid of a sea green-blue colour with the label 'Fainting Potion'. They ran and quickly threw the potion at the scientist giving him no time to do anything. Lance grinned and said that his reflexes were faster. They went back to their home and informed police and the whole neighborhood about the criminals. When police arrive they praised the children and said that they would get an award for catching a gang of most wanted criminals. After all, 'The explorers' save the day!!!!!!!!!!

 (My 2nd story inspired by Enid Blyton)

My childhood drawings

I used to do lots of drwawing & coloring when i was 5-6. Few of my favourite ones.

My Weekend Sariska Trip

Posting few photos taken from my Dad's old Olympus Camera (now mine) for my school project.

My Mom

There is my lovely mom

Who loves watching rom-com.

She works whether its Sunday or Monday

And everything I buy she does pay

She daily cleans the house

So there is no big mouse

She often comes early from work

So that I can complete my home work

So this is my mom is

And for now I am gonna give her a kiss.

( Few lines I wrote on my Mother's birthday)

Summer Vacations

I love to go on summer vacation

Sometimes on hills and sometimes on beaches,

Sitting in a room and watching television

Eating juicy mangoes and blushy peaches.

I like to do adventure sport

like sky diving and Para gliding,

or else sailing on a motor boat

or enjoying swimming and horse riding.

Sipping fruity squashes and cold drink

Relishing yummy kulfi and ice cream,

Finishing holiday home work with blue ink

Waking up late and having day dream.

Learning new activities in summer camp

Like art, craft, theatre and pottery,

Not burning mid night lamp

Summer vacations are like winning a lottery.

Sweet Nightmare

Once there lived a boy named Jack. He was very nasty and evil. He used to hit stray dogs and cats, pluck leaves and throw stones on birds. The plants and animals were terrified of this. They thought of teaching him a lesson.

One night, while Jack was fast asleep, the plants and animals came in his dream to give him a nightmare that would give him the creeps. Jack’s nightmare started with a chill that went down his spine. The old birds caught him by their beaks and flew high up in the air. He screamed and cried to land on the ground. Then the trees got hold of him and threw him in the air but he landed on a soft surface. Jack started to sweat by now. Suddenly many cats and dogs came running and started to hit him. Jack woke up with a scream. He looked around his room, his parents were present in the room. He told them about the whole story. Then he walked down the street and apologized to the plants and animals. They forgave him and they all became friends forever.

    

My vacations

 

When we went out of station,

It was when we wanted to have vacation.

The place was situated in Rajasthan,

On the way we met a person named Mann.

We went there for three days,

I had to think of many ways,

Because there was nothing to do,

Except hearing birds which go Cuckoo.

I had to do interesting things in this time,

Instead of sitting in room and eating sweet lime.

I wanted to play cricket,

But on the first ball I lost my wicket.

Then played a match of badminton,

Defeated Mom in game of singleton.

So I had an enjoyable vacation,

With lots of cricket and badminton.

(This poem I wrote on my  vacation to Nawalgarh as there was no TV in resort)