London through my Lens: ALL in a day

Dated June 24, 2008

She doesn't let me free,
Lest I flee
Or worse I go and drink a pan full of hot T... (T-pan..wink wink for those who know)

Ok ok this was not-so-funny.
But what was funny was that one fine day when Skeety was in London, she wanted to go about alone. And The Little One wouldn't let her go for the fear that Skeets might get lost or run into trouble.
Logic worked fine here. Skeets does run into funny situations but doesn't mean she can't take care. Infact, when she is alone, she is MORE wary of whatever is happening around her, than she is when accompanied by family or friends.
Anyway after all the catfight and more Skeets turned to be the winner and was free to go out and explore London on her own.
Bus Number 427 to Ealing and there onwards a tube to Central London (Little One are you listening? Skeety still remembers this route and all others :p )
Wasn't really a good day for Skeets mood-wise, but Skeets turned it into one of the best days she could give herself...
What Skeets likes best when she's on her own is:
*She can explore as much of the place she is in, as she wants...
*She doesn't feel bad about the other person (in this case The Little One) being tired but still having to bear with her...
*She is not answerable to anyone about any of her acts which might be deemed to be funny by others...
*Being on your own gives you a chance to explore your head like anything...pending thoughts that need pondering...pending talks with the self and so on...
*Best of all, Skeets loves her own company more than anyone else's...

Back to June 24...
Skeets' head full o' thoughts...went out in search of peace for the mind...
A three-four hour long walk through the greens and others colours of Hyde Park... a softy down... lots of questions answered by the self to the self... lots of pictures clicked of the self and all that surrounded...lovely leaves...huge trees...people enjoying a lazy afternoon...others working out...practising outdoor sports to achieve perfection...when one sees all this happening around...life sure does look beautiful...

Skeeter's next stop was St.Paul's Cathedral.
Situated in the heart of London is St.Paul's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of London city. It is said to be situated on the same site where a church by the same name stood before it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

This dome was inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome:


Below is The Great West Door which is also the main entry to point of the Cathedral.

And last but not the least, as Skeets was returning home she was awarded a free summer show which took place just outside St.Paul's.

Phewww long post. Was long pending.
Adios till we meet again!

Murky trails...

While travelling to work the other day, Skeety saw this Ogre of a car swoosh past the water-clogged roads, as also an old man and other pedestrians walking down the footpath. This old man that Skeety writes of, was wearing a white Kurta Pyjama(an Indian dress). And as the owner of the Ogre car whizzed by, the colour of the white spotless Kurta Pyjama of the old man turned brown.

BASTARD!!! Skeets muttered.

The old man gazed at the car with little anger, and then carried on trudging in the same manner as he was previous to this incident. His gait reflected his unperturbed state of mind. As if this was a daily occurence. As if he had forgiven...

No preaching this, but requesting all car owners to mind their wheel. Owning a car doesn't buy you a license to be rude to others.

Ho shuru har din aise....

While away from Dilli Darling Skeets missed:
* People
* Gallis and kuchas of Old Dilli (no prizes for guessing this one, or any of these :P )

And then after THUDDING Dilli, Skeets hasn't had a chance to grace those lanes yet...
But, Skeets' love for the place is omnipresent...
While washing hands this morning, Skeets came across a bottle labelled:

Gulabsingh Johrimal,

1587, Dariba Kalan,

Delhi-110006

It was enough to bring a smile and some wonderful memories back to Skeets...
Ho shuru har din aise :)
For memories are made of these...
Have a Good Day!

The Tower Bridge Drama

Skeety's been out and about for a while now, and the time has come to share some or maybe all that was seen. So, Skeety chooses to share today the pictures of one of her favorite Victorian Gothic Style buildings, the Tower Bridge of London, which is also an engineering marvel. Skeety was lucky enough to capture the drama through her lens' eye while the bascules were closing after having allowed the river (Thames) traffic to pass by. Presenting the same:
More Information can be read HERE

Sankalp- The Vow

A resolve to fill lives with light,

A pledge to make futures bright,

A vow to set a few lives right...

In the city of brass - Moradabad of western Uttar Pradesh, await to be unleashed some untold tales of injustice, of childhood fading away, of hands that work with tough metals instead of holding soft toys, of diseased bodies and minds that need cleansing and soothing, of forgotten human values...

On one side of the river, are people who mercilessly involve children in the hazardous activity of brass manufacturing to make more and more money from cheap labour, and on other side of the same river are people who work for the betterment of these children.

These people are from Sankalp (Ask India's oath for child rights).Skeety's friend Prashant is doing some good work for which he needs a pat on his back and maybe some foodie points :p

To know more about Sankalp click HERE

To help Prashant in his noble gesture click HERE

Back after a hiatus...

Hola!
So Skeeter's been lying low. Eh?
Thanks Eastmancolor for your comments...They prompted me to update...
Skeety admits being partial to Delhi Foodies' Zone, hence it did get updated.
Skeets sooooo missed visiting the blogs of all her blogger friends...Tanu Blotter, Backpakker, Asha, Anita, Woody, Vanilla, and EVERYBODY!
She's been visiting a few though...
All this while, this was what was happening with Skeets:
Skeets went out and about to Kinaari Bazaar and the super squeezed lanes of Chandni Chowk to get some clicks. Skeets basically loves to get lost there. It is like a journey back in time. Simply surreal feeling. Balmy. Does a mental detox on Skeets. So much so, that when she come back to new Delhi, she feels as if she is a character from the Mughal era (some princess or the likes) who has stepped out of a history book. Try imagining that for real...hehehehe. (Drozzy, PUHLEASEEEE don't be cheeky.)

All this while, Skeety's been just running around trying to get life sorted (hehe yeah that was to avoid details :P ).
Skeety's laptop's display conked off. She's been terribly sad.
Skeets also chanced to visit the Mani Tungyur temple, which gave her a lot of peace and space from people.

Below is the Mani is carved with the Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum.It is the Mantra of Compassion, chanted by Buddhists. Om Mani Padme Hum is believed to be the mantra of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, of whom the Dalai Lama is believed to be an incarnation. Believers circumvent the Mani, chanting the mantra to themselves...

That's the story so far.

Happiness.

The Delhi Diary

So fellas, enough of boring the self as well as friends who visit Skeets here with SAD stuff...
Life is about happiness, energy, sharing, and caring.
Caring, the word reminds me of the frequent abuses I get to hear about my Darling Dilli. Have been meaning to write a post on the same ever since, and finally found some motivation:


This signboard, Skeets read whilst on way to work and was happy to see 'My Delhi' written there. Skeeter almost jumped out of the car on seeing it. Then, she took out the camera and clicked instead. ;)
To all those who hurl abuses at Dilli... Dilli being this and Dilli being that, and the others who call us Delhiites names (ruthless, rude, insensitive and what not) I would like to say: crime is everywhere and bad people are omnipresent. Rather, if all the world were to be sane, what would be the fun living THAT sorta life?
Skeets is keen on sharing one of the many good moments in Delhi with some of the kindest people she's met. On two occasions, Skeets remembers visiting the famed Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi wala in Bazaar Sitaram, old Delhi (post on Delhi Foodies' Zone is pending). When Skeets visited the place for the first time, she asked a lady to give her the directions. The lady was kind enough to not only give Skeets the directions, but make sure (by keeping a stern eye) that Skeeter reached the place she desired to go. The second time also the same got repeated. Skeets knows the narration of this incident is not enough to calm your hot heads, if you've had bad experiences. Infact, dRoZzY, a Delhi-lover and a dear friend keeps forbidding Skeets (dramatising the consequences) from venturing to Old Delhi unaccompanied. And Skeets has had a hard time explaining to him that things are not bad there in that part of Dilli. And that reminds Skeeter of a pending tag.
dRoZzY and Ankur have tagged Skeets on a rather long questionnaire. And Skeets is in no mood to do a tag for now, so she thought of writing about these two fellas (which happens to be one of the questions in the tag). Skeets shall therefore be saved from the accusation of dishonouring a tag. Here goes it:
dRoZzY...One of the bestest friends (no no I am serious). Has the distinction of making Skeets lose her calm ONLY on one occasion (we are generally in harmony). Amazing sense of humour. Can easily pose as one's dad or dadaji for that matter, if you begin listening to his advise rather seriously (*bhaago*). Lazy bum, would get out of the house on a Sat/Sun only if he has to get his car repaired, take mom-dad somewhere (he charges for the same), or has to meet a gorgeous girl :P .
Is Skeety's crib sponge (soaks it all in and never says STOP CRIBBING or probably just pretends to listen :P) and gives some wonderful and intelligent advise. Always ready to help at the beep of the phone. Thinks he is Arnie's clone. Has a little diary in which the secrets of all Delhiites can be found. By the way, he knows more than half of the Delhiites. Can strike a bond with anyone (and when I say anyone I mean it) at an ease which is unique to him (quite commendable). Is one of the few people capable of making Skeets laugh when she is down. And these are the things we have in common: We love ourselves like crazy, love food, love Delhi (he only pretends he doesn't), are born detectives, are wicked. And yeah he writes well too, only when in the mood.
A gem of a person.
dRoZzY dear,
you can use the above bit to impress girls.
*giggles uncontrollably*
Skeets know your reply.

Ankur urf Anky Panky...Thinks of himself to be the Azeem o shaan Shehenshah of Delhi. If you come across a guy pointing to Hrithik Roshan's poster of Jodhaa Akbar and saying 'this is Ankur', don't think he is insane, you should immediately know it is Anky Panky. Deep thinker. Can solve all problems through logical reasoning. Loves to travel, can click some great pictures (only wish he clicks more), loves his food, loves Delhi. Very helpful. His mood swings make Skeets angry at times. Is Skeety's Partner (no we are not giving out our business plans here). Movie lover. Buzzes me everytime there is a great flick on TV (even though I end up watching only a few).
Besties Partner!