Saturday 22 August 2009

A birthday bash

there are somethings that cannot be put off - even by an incorrigible procastinator like me. and topping the list of such things is birthdays - not just any birthday, but the birthday of a city ! yes, and why not ? what better way to show your love for your city than to celebrate its birthday....


370 years ago, this day (August 22, 1639), a contract entered into by the East India Co. with the local rulers for a piece of land paved the way for the birth of a city which has been growing ever since....Madras, or Chennai - call it whichever way you like, is one city that truly deserves to have its birthday celebrated....


from filter kaapi to frappe, carnatic to jazz, sada dosa to a Subway melt , kaasu maalai to crystals - here is a city where you can have it all ! vibrant, bustling, constantly changing, and yet still maintains a certain character and charm to call its own...

to me, and many like me, this will always be home, wherever our travels and may take us.....

it is indeed wonderful that the efforts of a thoughtful few have borne fruit and resulted in a birthday bash which this city rightfully deserves ! so, Happy Birthday Madras, aka Chennai !

may the celebration reach greater heights in the years to come !

ofcourse, as i write this, chennai would have already seen the first rays of August 23rd, and the curtains would be drawn today on the weeklong celebrations....

visit this site for more details on the Madras Day

Friday 14 August 2009

The fountains of Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada

this is a video of the Bellagio fountains that i took on our recent vegas trip :

the fountains outside the Bellagio hotel & casino come to life and sway and dance to music every evening....easily the most beautiful sight to behold, in all of vegas - and, like most good things in life, is free !

the video is quite shaky though, since i had to keep holding the camera above the heads of the people in front !

another one - nice, albeit a very short one !

and the one below is a view of the fountains from the top of the Eiffel tower at the Paris-las vegas, which is right opposite the Bellagio. This one is in daylight....but then again, the video quality may not be very good, as the camera had to be kept between the small gaps in a cage-like structure !