VENTING MY THOUGHTS..

Power of democracy..power of people.

2011-08-25T17:12:00.002+02:00

I support Jan lokpal bill. Annaji is doing fast not for himself but for ourselves. We all should stand behind him and support him. But the same time we don’t need Janlokpal bill at the cost of Annaji’s health. He is quite unwell and it’s high time for Govt. to take some quick decision so that Annaji can break his fast. We can’t see a 74 yr man fasting for the whole nation. It’s already day 10th.

I don’t know why some people do not see any positive aspect of this movement. They just don’t support. According to them nothing will be turned out. But we also know that solution will never come in a day but being hopeless will never solve the problem. It is definitely a first step towards a right direction. Some says it’s not right way to fight against corruption. They only know to give discouraging comments but do they have any solution better than what Team Anna is doing? If they have any better solution why don’t they come forward and provide their input? We all can altogether fight for a better nation. I think passing comments are easy than doing practically. I doubt whether they know about the Team Anna. Each of the individuals of team Anna is very much intellectual and has a life long record of public service and they are very sure about the means and objectives of the movement. Some people also comment that Iron Sharmila have been doing fast from last 10 years against AFSPA but everybody is concerned about Anna’s fast. We all also wish that she should get justice. But unluckily she could not garner support from the beginning because she could not plan as Team Anna could. Some says Bhopal gas victims are yet to get justice. True, but how does Anna’s fight become illegitimate? Do they (non-supporter of the movement) think that Annaji should stand against all the challenges that India is facing today? C’mon people, at least he has raised his voice against corruption instead of watching silently and he has been able to show the nation and the world how frustrated the common man is with Corruption. Please ask yourself that do you have that guts to fight against Government? First give answer then take a stance.

We have seen apathy of the government since several years. Government has not been taking any action against corruption. To bring in correction or control in the system, we have to start at some point rather simply blaming or watching. Annaji has started the movement against corruption and we should support him. If Janlokpal bill is implemented, it may or may not dig up the total corruption from India, but it is surely one step of efforts to curb it, at least corrupt people will fear to do any corruption in future.

I think it is a good start and for the first time in India corruption is seen as a national issue, people mainly the youths are fighting for a noble cause. Someone tweeted that Is the attitude not an indicator of growing up of Indian democracy from petty issues of caste and religion politics, from re-naming cities and states, from blaming foreign hand for all the problems of the country?? I am absolutely agree that the movement, the voice against corruption in itself is a success.

Small space gardening ideas

2011-03-03T09:53:00.006+01:00

Most generally small gardens are square or rectangular in shape with straight borders, straight beds, straight walks, and straight walls which makes the garden cramped, uninteresting and confined. Landscaping in a small space can be challenging but your possibilities are not limited to a few. With your imagination you can transform your small space to an aesthetically pleasing and functional garden.But you have to be selective about the plants, trees and hardscapes to make your small piece of land inspiring.

A minimum of 4-1/2 feet width is sufficient for the front entrance. The beauty of the entrance can be enhanced by brick, slate, or aggregate concrete walkway. If you have lawn surrounding your walkway, you have a place to put a flower border.eg sweet potato vine with its cascading lime green leaves is quite attractive when planted with purple or burgundy verbena or brightly hued wave petunias. If you have a straight walkway you can change the look entirely by creating a curved border. Using curves adds a sense of motion and flow, making the garden gradually unfolds. And a small garden that gradually unfolds naturally seems larger.

A focal point is a great way to draw the eye's attention and help small spaces feel tidy. It can be any object, ornament or plant which draws the eye to a specific place in the garden. A plant in an elegant container or ornate urn makes a trendy focal point near the entrance of your home. You can use an architectural tree like Ficus benjamina or Pigmy date palm under planted with a ground cover or a specimen shrub like Cycad.

To make a small space seem larger incorporate raised beds with brick borders. Sometimes a single raised bed gives more visual impact than a group of containers.

Where the space is sparse it’s a good idea to extend a garden vertically. You can use containers to grow plants on windowsills or you can stack them on shelves to save space. Window boxes and hanging baskets provide additional planting space and give the garden a vertical element.

Contrast in size, shape, color, or texture is always interesting. Plants with different colors, textures, sizes, and shapes are used to create an illusion of more space. But keep the number of varieties to a minimum. Remember that quality, not quantity, enhances the landscape. Repetition of few plants with two or three colors can also give illusion of large space.

Placing an arbor in the back corner of a small garden gives your eye a destination, which helps make it feel more spacious. Hanging baskets are great to decorate your small arbor and grow flowering vines like clematis which will blanket your arbor with a burst of color. A bright colored garden obelisk can also give more illusions. You can grow plants like climbing roses, clematis, morning glories and many other plants on obelisk. So in small space always consider some tall features to draw the eye upwards.

Dense planting with tall shrubs or trees at the end of the garden imply there’s more garden beyond. Sometimes being big and bold within a small garden can be attractive. Big, bold tropical plants like Elephant ear, Philodendron Xanadu, Bamboo can create a lush feel. Their large leaves can change the scale of a small space to help it feel larger.

Create topography with steps, walls, and plants of different heights. Levels within a small garden area will create the illusion of more space by moving the eye upward.

Choosing the right wall colors is a very simple way to add the perception of depth to small gardens. Using white as a background gives the appearance of extending space.

Two new fictions ..

2010-10-20T13:08:00.006+02:00

Went to Crossword few days back….spent almost 2hrs. What I like about Crossword is that it allows unrestricted browsing and you can read what you like for unlimited hours. I always get a taste of a pleasurable reading experience in Crossword !! I have bought two fictions...one is “Anything for you Ma’am” by Tushar Raheja and other one is “I’m not 24” by Sachin Garg. Right now I am reading the first one..it’s an IIT’ans love story..so far so good..simple yet entertaining.

Highlight your garden with some variegated foliage

2010-10-18T11:32:00.015+02:00

Don’t you feel that a garden with only green foliage can be monotonous at times? So why not highlight your garden with some variegated foliage? Place a variegated foliage plant in front of greens or in-between some green foliage plants and see the difference. It will instantly steal the limelight. Grow them in shady corner to brighten it up. Specially in a shady corner, growing a variegated plant it not only makes the corner more interesting to look at, but it can also make the area look bigger by adding some depth.

eg. Variegated Ovalleaf Peperomia,Dracaena deremensis 'Lemon Surprise',Schefflera arboricola,Monstera deliciosa,Baby rubber plant,Variegated caladium,Dwarf polyscia,snake plant,Agloenema-silver king,Ficus benjamina-white Christmas,sider plant etc

How to keep your plants watered while on vacation

2010-10-14T10:38:00.011+02:00

When you go on vacation, your plants at home still need to be taken care of. So here are three simple tricks to keep your plants watered while on vacation

* Fill a long necked bottle with water and insert upside down into soil. It will indeed slowly release the water as the soil dries out. That means as the soil becomes too dry it pulls the water from the bottle and when the roots and soil have sucked up an appropriate amount of water, the pull stops and the water remains in the bottle.

* Cover your plants with clear plastic bags. Punch a few holes in the bag to provide air circulation. The clear plastic will allow the plant to absorb light, yet prevent the moisture from evaporating.

* Fill a bucket with water. Take a few stripes of an old towel and dip one end into the water, the other end into the container of the plant. When soil becomes dry, it will absorb water from the bucket and will carry the water to the container.

Spider plant babies ..

2010-10-13T15:17:00.003+02:00

If you want to have a houseful of spider plants to add beauty to your décor; don't put them in a big pot.

Confused ? Let me explain

Sound strange but it is true that spider plants love to be root bound. When the plant becomes root bound, it will begin to produce their cute little babies at the end of long stalks. Just snipped off the baby and put it in a glass of water until roots begin to form, then plant the baby in soil. So put the plant in a small pot and force the plant to produce babies.With this simple trick you will be able to get many individual spider plants from one.

Also spider plant is a great air purifier.Within two short days, it can remove almost 90 percent of the toxins from the air in your home. This plant works to absorb mold spores, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. I really love this plant with long pointy green foliage with varied colors.

Three grooming chores for your Dahlia’s

2010-09-13T12:02:00.003+02:00

Dis-budding: Dahlias produce 3 buds, 1 central bud and 2 lateral ones. Disbudding is the removal of the two side buds next to the central bud at the end of each lateral branch. By removing these two side buds when they are very small (pea sized), you will find that the central bud, now without competition, will grow in a longer and stronger stem. The flower that develops will also be larger because all of the lateral branch’s energy will be diverted into the single flower instead of three flowers. Those of you who only grow your dahlias for beautiful bouquets will benefit greatly by the longer and stronger stems and larger flowers.

Dis-branching: It is the practice of removing lateral branches from a dahlia stalk to get larger blooms. You will get larger blooms on your larger flowering varieties if only 3 to 5 flowering branches are left on each plant.

Deadheading is done to remove the remnants of dead flowers on the plant to encourage new blooms. If you do not remove dead flowers ,, the blooms on the rest of the plant will be smaller. Dead flowers have seeds which, when left on the flower, use up nutrients that could otherwise be used for the production of flowers. Lower buds on the branch will bloom because they get more sunlight and water when the dead flowers have been trimmed off.

Feelings...

2010-09-06T12:48:00.005+02:00

I was kept thinking that when my parents would come to Mumbai we will go somewhere to unwind during weekend. But few days after they stepped in Mumbai my dad fell ill for one week. Once his fever was over; maa and I caught the fever. Today I am feeling much better but maa is still feeling feverish and her pre-planned shopping is still pending.This time we were planning a trip to Alibaug-one of the popular weekend getaway near Mumbai. Our plan was to stay in a resort near beach, spend quality time with each other and come back to Mumbai. Though that was not happened as per my plan; I am not feeling bad because that was not the only intension to bring them to Mumbai. My main intension was to give maa a relaxing break from all the stresses arising from the humdrum life. I don’t know how much she’s relaxed because from the day she came to Mumbai she has been in touch constantly with everyone over phone for official matters. Secondly I have been opting to take my dad for a master health check up and at last I could make it happen. Though I could not take them anywhere but still I am happy that I could spend my quality time with them and to some extent my intensions got fulfilled.

It’s time to take cuttings:

2010-08-16T13:49:00.001+02:00

Choosing the correct time of year to take your cuttings is vital for success. August is the perfect month to make cuttings for winter. Few points to be considered while making cuttings :

1. Take cuttings early in the morning when plants are cool and turgid.

2. Before taking a cutting make sure that the knife or secateurs you are using are clean and sharp. Cut the stem just below the point where leaves are growing (the leaf joint).

3. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the cutting, Make a hole in the compost with a pencil or a dibber, and plant the cutting to about half its length. For quick rooting you can use rootex.

4. Place your trays of cuttings in a shady place.

Create your own terrarium !

2010-07-19T15:45:00.004+02:00

A terrarium is a miniature indoor garden under glass containers such as bottles, bowls, jars etc. You can get plenty of readymade terrariums available that one can bring home. But, if you wish to be a little more creative, you can create your own terrarium.

1. Place 1-3 inch layer of pebbles or rocks at the bottom of the container to create drainage.

2. .Place a layer of dried moss over the pebbles to prevent the soil in your terrarium from settling down into the pebbles.

3. Then topping these layers with soil. Regular potting soil works fine. But if you are creating a desert terrarium and using cactus you may want to get soil made specifically for cacti.

4. Lastly add the plants. Many different plants can be used in terrariums; plants that have a dense and low growth are the best. e.g. baby tears, paperomia, polka dot plant, spider plant, African violet, asparagus fern etc.When choosing plants for a terrarium, keep in mind that they must not be overcrowded inside the enclosure so that they can grow adequately. It is very important to group the same plants that need the same conditions to grow well together inside a small container.

7. .Add some ornaments or other decorations to your terrarium to add a nice touch. You can landscape the top layer of soil with hills, valleys and mounds.

Black bamboo - the architectural plant

2010-07-09T15:37:00.009+02:00

Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is one of the highly architectural plants to design a contemporary garden. It is an elegant, graceful plant with polished ebony-black magnificent canes and dark green leaves and most of the people prefer it as a specimen plant to give a gorgeous and dramatic look to their garden or patio.It can grow up to a height of 30 feet with a diameter of 2 inches. It is also the most eye-catching as a privacy screen! But it is pretty expensive and doesn't grow well in humid and tropical climate. It grows well in under full sun or in a slightly shaded spot of a temperate climate.

Balcony garden

2010-07-09T15:37:00.005+02:00

Now-a-days people are more concerned about green lifestyle. Green building is a new eco-friendly concept that is coming up in metro cities. We can put more green in our life with some indoor and outdoor plants. Converting your balcony to a colorful oasis of lush foliage garden can bring you close to nature or environment. You will get fresh air to breathe. My idea of balcony garden is to create a soothing ambience where I can relax surrounded by some pleasing plants and fragrant flowers.

Recently we’ve shifted to an apartment where the balcony portion is pretty small. It is long and narrow balcony attached to our bed room. I have a design plan for my balcony which I will implement within a couple of days. My role of thumb to design a long and narrow balcony is to put a group of plants like Ficus and other multi-colored foliage plants in different heights to smooth out the corners. If we put lots of small pots in such small space the balcony will lack the pleasing effect.

I mostly prefer to grow a combination of plants in a large pot. Caladium is known for its colorful foliage which I place at the back of the pot. The dracaena spike adds height and texture to groupings. Its long, slender leaves provide a strong contrast to caladiums. Then I add some asparagus fern to soften the edges.

A group of cacti and succulent in a round ceramic pot can be very decorative. Another way to decorate is to put each plant in its own container and then group the pots together and place some sand and gravel over the pots to give the landscape a desert look.

Camellia and impatiens always complement each other when grow together.

Another lovely combination is to put caladium, syngonium, dusty miller and sweet potato vine altogether. But always make sure that the plants which require same water and light can only put together.

In a spacious balcony different size and shapes of pots and containers adds beauty if place together. One can be creative by placing these containers in different levels and use bricks or slabs to meet the purpose.

A long and slender railing planter with different colorful foliage plants and flowering plants can create an inviting space that may have otherwise been much less appealing. In such planter I would suggest to grow some hanging plants like spider plant, pothos etc and some flowering plants like petunia, geranium, pansy etc

There are some important points to be considered before planning a balcony design. i.e.: towards which direction is your balcony facing? is it a sunny or shady balcony. Because if it is sunny balcony then grow some sun-loving plants like bougainvillea, geranium, pansy, coleus, cactus n succulents etc. If it’s shady then choose Aglaonema, philodendron, pathos, impatiens, begonia etc. Always choose plants that can best adapt to the weather conditions in your balcony.

Add some charm to your bathroom with houseplants

2010-06-24T13:49:00.012+02:00

Have you ever thought of adding some character and charm to your bathroom? I am here to give some tips to decorate your bathroom with some tropical houseplants. Bathroom is the perfect place for some tropical houseplants which needs low light, very humid condition and which can survive in low lights. But you should know that all plants require at least some light to survive. If your bathroom is too dark then try to give the plants some artificial light. That will be enough for them to survive. As tropical houseplants are fond of higher humidity; bathroom is the right place for them. Here are some of the houseplants for your bathroom to create a spa-like ambience.

Aglaonema :Also known as Chinese evergreen and it is a very common houseplants with attractive foliage.Keep aglaonema warm and moist and you will be rewarded with excellent foliage.

Boston fern : Maintaining proper levels of temperature and humidity are necessary for successful growth of the Boston fern and bathroom is the ideal place to keep them.
Sygonium :One of the very common houseplants with admired foliage.
Aspidistra : Very attractive plant with dark green foliage. It can grow well with minimum care. It is also known as cast iron plant based on its ability to withstand abuse and neglect..
Philodendron : This indoor plant is one of my favourites. Philodendrons are among the most popular, tolerant, and durable of all house plants.There are different species of philodendron but my favouirte one with gorgeous yellow heart shaped leaves.

Pothos : Pothos is very easy-to-grow indoor plants and it is also called as Devil’s eye. Their climbing/trailing habit makes them extremely decorative.

Add Epsom salt to your roses, veggies

2010-06-14T10:41:00.013+02:00

Epsom salts contain hydrated magnesium sulfate, two elements crucial to plant growth. Magnesium helps form chlorophyll in plants and is essential for photosynthesis. Sulfur helps activate many plant proteins and enzymes needed for growth. It helps plants resist the cold, assists in root production and seed growth.

Epsom salt can be applied to houseplants, roses, vegetables, lawn etc. Some people mix Epsom salt with fertilizer and add it to their soil monthly, or they mix one tablespoon of Epsom salt in one gallon of water and spray on leaves directly every two weeks.

Recommended doses:

Epsom salt to Roses: Epsom salt not only makes the foliage greener and lusher, it produces more canes and more roses. The recommended dose for rose bushes is to either scratch 1/2 cup Epsom salt into soil at base to encourage flowering and healthy new basal cane growth or dissolve 1 tbs of salt per gallon of water for foliar spray.

Epsom salt to pepper and tomatoes: Mix 1 tbs of Epsom salt with a gallon of water and use as a foliar spray at bloom time and again 10 days later.

Epsom salt to houseplants: Add 2 tbs of Epsom salt per gallon of water and feed your houseplants monthly.

Epsom salt to Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, and rhododendron): Apply 1 tbs per 9 square feet over root zone area in every 2-4 weeks for better result.

Epsom salt at the time of garden bed preparation: Lightly sprinkle approximately 1 cup per 100 square feet area and mix into soil before seeding or planting.

Try it on a few plants and see if you can tell the difference as the season goes along.

Do you really need any leaf shine products for your houseplants ?

2010-06-14T10:40:00.003+02:00

There is a ton of arguments out there about whether or not leaf shine products are good for your plants. I have never tried a leaf shine product. I simply wipe off the dust with a moist cloth or sponge or give my plants a shower from time to time. For me the best thing to do is put them in the shower.

In my opinion leaf shine product clog the pores of the leaves and that is the reason I don’t use it. Some people say it doesn’t hurt them at all. Still there are few people who don’t care if it’s good or bad for the plant.

Although there are some alternative to chemical leaf shine products. If you really want to use something to bring out the natural shine then you can use some home-made products like milk, mayonnaise, banana peels, baby shampoo etc but don’t ever use any commercial leaf shine products.

Mix 1 teaspoon milk with 1 cup water and wipe leaves of plant with milk/water mix.

Use a soft paper towel, dab just a tiny bit of mayonnaise on and buff it off.

Rub the surface of the leaves with the softer inner part of banana peel once in a week to give your plants a shiny look.

Succulents

2010-05-28T11:07:00.007+02:00

Succulents are able to hold water for a long time. Since the succulent plant can hold water for a long time this gives the plant a swollen look that is uncommon to other houseplants.

Fig: Sedum

Fig : Jade plant

Fig : Sempervium

Fig : Sedum

Fig : Kalanchoe

Fig : Echeveria

Fig : Adenium

Few of my favorite climbers in hanging busket

2010-04-26T16:51:00.009+02:00

From top : petunia,ipomea,asparagus,pothos,clematis and ficus pumila

Klompen-the tourist trap of The Netherlands !!

2010-04-05T11:51:00.003+02:00

Yes I too was trapped by this. I think every tourist to Amsterdam gets trapped in one of these! I am talking about Klompen ie wooden shoes of The Netherlands. In Amsterdam we saw at least hundreds of shops with lots of choices of wooden shoes. There are many colors and designs to choose from. . They look so pretty when lined up in colorful rows. The shopkeeper said that these shoes are very comfortable to wear and still used by the farmers and gardeners because it protects their feet from anything; from sharp objects to acid! Though I didn’t think about buying a wearable one but couldn't resist picking up few miniature pairs as souvenir. Have a look at some of my photos:

My home-made fertilizer recepies:

2010-03-24T12:50:00.001+01:00

The other day I bought a Ficus benjamina plant and an Australian pine for our living room. Both the plants are quite healthy; so I don’t think they need any extra care for about another one month. But my areca palm plant looks sickly. I have put it in balcony after I cut the leaves. Generally, the best thing you can do for a sick plant, is give it a "haircut" (Cut it back)! Because if the stem bends, it will snap and break. This is true for roots too. Remove the dead tissue (that snaps) and keep the top area proportional to the remaining root mass. New stems should come up from a living root system.

I never use any chemical fertilizer for my houseplants. I always use some home-made fertilizers. ie :

1. I use Epsom salt in my plants. You can add 1 tsp Epsom salt (you can buy it in pharmacies) in 1 gallon water(3.7 ltr) and apply to your Rose, Tomato and to houseplants once in a month. Some rose growers claim that it not only makes the foliage greener and more lush, it produces more canes and more roses. To apply to existing rose bushes, either mix ½ cup of Epsom salts into the soil around the rose bush and water well or dissolve ½ cup of the salts in water and use to water the rose bush.

2.I use coffee grounds and tea bags to give extra nourishment to my plants. Basically coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium. They are also acidic, and help to maintain the acidity of the soil. Some people grind their coffee grounds with some vegetable peelings in blender and feed it to some plants. It's like a giant vitamin. I use my leftover brewed coffee and after diluting I use it to water my indoor plants.

3. When you feel that your plant need extra boost of calcium you can use crushed egg shells around the base of your plants. Eggs shells are made up almost entirely of calcium carbonate and crushed egg shells are great for your tomato plants. You can also mix coffee grounds and egg shells together before applying.

4. Vineger is also good for plants. I generally mix 1 Tsp vinegar with 1 gallon water and add to acid loving plants in 3 months. The acetic acid in vinegar works to increase the acidity of the soil.

5. We don’t have aquarium so I can’t use the aquarium water but this water is full of nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need to thrive.

6. I have not used it but Beer is recommended as a fertilizer source for the lawn or flower garden. (Ratio is 1-tablespoon beer a 1-gallon of water)

7. Milk/Buttermilk is high in nitrogen because of their protein content. Some people use it at ratio of 1 part milk to 4 parts water. I never use it as it may attract insects.

Several useful household items (especially food waste) can be made into fertilizers or soil amendments. Ideally, anything you add to the soil around your plants should be composted first. I will write do’s and don’ts about compost later.

Can’t wait to read the "2-States"

2009-11-13T15:48:00.004+01:00

“Five point someone” by Chetan Bhagat was the first book I read at a single stretch. After that I read “One night @ call centre” and “3 mistakes of my life”.I am a huge fan of Chetan Bhagat since I read his first novel.Critics may say his writing as execrable but I find his writing laudable,full of masalas and very entertaining. Readers have rated "2-States" somewhere between "Five point someone" and "One night at call centre".How Can I get a copy in Antwerp ?Can’t wait to read the "2-States

Few bedding plants

2009-10-28T19:11:00.011+01:00

Landscaping with bedding plants is a very easy method of decorating your garden.From top to buttom : Hosta,waffle plant,polka dot plant,paperomia,dusty miller,coleus,fittonia,vinca,vinca,wandering jew,Impatiens and baby's tear.

I am a lazy blogger

2009-10-28T19:10:00.005+01:00

It’s been a month since I wrote anything. There were so many things to share but being a lazy blogger I didn’t even try. I wanted to write about my addiction to Farmville (but as of now it’s completely opposite; I have pretty much lost interest in playing FV) .Secondly I wanted to share about my failed attempt of cabbage soup diet.Besides all these trivial stuffs I wanted to let you know about our frustrations of staying away from family and friends especially during Puja and Diwali. (That’s why I have started watching Big boss 3, Lux perfect bride, Saregamapa little champs and last but not the least Pati patni aur wo).

Anyways ciao for now.. will come back tomorrow. That’s a promise.

I will miss Antwerp for sure !

2009-10-01T15:26:00.006+02:00

Very often I ponder what will I miss about Antwerp? Will I miss the cleanliness,the serene surroundings, superb public transportation? Absolutely I will miss everything about Antwerp. Since we came here we have started to walk a lot which was just hardest thing to imagine. Before coming here I hadn’t imagined that I could able to walk up to 8-10 km in one go. I didn’t have that stamina. Now walking up to 8-10 km doesn't bother me. It feels like putting one foot in front of the other! :D:D Now-a-days we enjoy walking and savor every walking moment. That is the one thing I am going to miss for sure. Our casual walks on weekends.

For first one or two week I got bored to death but once I got used to this lifestyle I started to enjoy every moment. Very often I do grocery shopping here. It’s a sort of ploy to go out so that I can invigorate my mind. Let me praise myself for what I do. I always try to change humdrum life to an interesting one. Once in a week I go for window shopping, one day I keep for Library, and one day for grocery shopping. At least two days in a week while coming from office Moon get off the bus few stops earlier and I go till that stop and walk down home together. Other than that I surf internet, spend time in twitting, play Farmville, watch Saregamapa little champs, and write blog (which is very rare).Let me admit that I was completely amateur in travel planning but after coming here I have learned how to make a travel plan. We have been to lots of places so far and it wouldn’t have worked out perfectly without the proper travel plan. Now only few days are left in Antwerp. We came here with a plan that we would stay here for one year and now after completing one year in Antwerp we are counting days to go back. We often tell everyone that language has been one of the setbacks but sometimes I question myself; is that true? Yes sometimes we feel our ignorance of language as hurdle but the truth is that we have not faced any major problem due to not knowing the Dutch language. It’s a kind of lame excuse for returning to India.

“Belgielei” where we stay is one of the noted residential areas of Antwerp. Our apartment is just across the road facing a crystal shop, the metro station at 500 meter, a magazine & telephone shop, an Apotheek (Pharmacy in Dutch) and our Ramu’s shop in the vicinity of the road. I love this location. Even whenever we feel like chewing up Aloo bhujia we just go to Ramu’j shop and grab a packet. We will miss all these things for sure but still we both want to go back to India desperately.

Berlin trip

2009-09-22T12:27:00.005+02:00

Berlin is arguably the most important city in Europe for those of you interested in Twentieth Century history. The bullet holes from World War II that still pepper the faces of everyday buildings, the scars and the stories of totalitarianism are everywhere in Berlin. The infamous Berlin Wall that once separated East and West Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall still reminds us of a possible dream come true, a way to reconciliation, understanding, friendship and universality. Some of the wall still stands but is a tourist attraction and sightseeing visit and the longest stretch of the Wall is the Eastside Gallery, a 1.3 kilometer stretch of the former Berlin Wall, now an open air gallery featuring the work of approximately 106 artists from around the world.

History is everywhere in Berlin. During the time of cold war, Checkpoint Charlie was the main crossing point in Berlin. Manned by Americans on the West and communist troops on the East, it represented the superpower standoff. But now-a-days I feel that it is more an attraction point. Nothing more to see than a copy of the American guardhouse a Russian and US flag and two people standing there to be photographed with tourists (fee 1 euro) But no doubt it was a good opportunity to feel a little bit of history of a separated Germany. It was just an experience to cross that line from east to west which was not possible just a few years back.

The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community. Hitler who was arguably one of the most effective and powerful leaders of the twentieth century, his leadership led to the deaths of nearly six million Jews in the Holocaust. In the center of Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate and the dome of the Reichstag, on ground where Hitler's ministries once stood, there now stands The Holocaust Memorial or 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" designed by U.S architect Peter Eisenman. Occupying about 205,000 square feet (19,000 square meters) of space and consists of over 2,700 concrete slabs of different heights with different inclination, built on a wavy underground. What I feel after visiting Holocaust Memorial is that it just creates a feeling for the viewer; because I saw people sitting on the stones, talking on their mobiles, and smoking and kids jumping from one to another. It should tell the story or at least be more concrete in what it attempts to convey which will surely unnerve people and make them think. But at the same time I think it is admirable of the city to at least attempt to give some honor back to the memory of those who have no individual grave or gravestone. It gives the family members a place to come and grieve and pay their respects.

I liked the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. The bombing of Berlin during World War II destroyed the spire of the church and the present building consists of a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel which was built after WWII. Just by looking at this structure, I got overwhelmed by history. I was pleasantly surprised by the impressiveness of Berliner Dom with beautiful green domes and a very ornate façade.

On one evening we walked under and through the Brandenburg Gate, another Cold War symbol of a divided Berlin, a divided Germany and a divided Europe. I never wanted to miss this historical gate with lots of history in and around.For a history lover like me visiting the Brandenburg Gate is a monumentally exhilarating experience. When the Nazis ascended to power they used the Gate as a party symbol. When the Wall was built in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was just inside the boundary line and so was unable to be reached by the West Berliners. From 1961 to 1989 the Berlin Wall shut off access to it for both eastern and western Germans; the gate was reopened in 1989 with the reunification of East and West Berlin.

Since the Fall of the Wall, new buildings by renowned international architects have been and are being built in Berlin. The liveliest centre of Berlin today is Potsdamer Platz located about 1km south from the Brandenburg Gate. There was a time when this area was occupied by the Wall, so was a kind of no man’s land on the western side and the death strip in the east and today it is the heart of the new metropolis of Berlin, attracting tourists and Berliners to its shops, cinemas and restaurants, along with its stunning modern architecture.

Berlin trip was an wonderful experience which I will treasure for the rest of my life.

My experience of AVEDA facial

2009-09-07T11:30:00.004+02:00

I just finished having the most expensive facial ever -the AVEDA facial. One day while googling I came to know about AVEDA products and after reading countless reviews on products I though let’s pamper my skin with AVEDA products and let’s have AVEDA facial. On further googling I found no of beauty n wellness centers in Antwerpen that provides AVEDA facial by AVEDA certified beauty professional. Here let me blurt out my frustration of not understanding Dutch. Generally what I do when I find any page written in Dutch I just copy paste everything in Google translator but if by any chance I find the text is an image then frustration comes up coz I can't copy and paste the image and sometimes I end up typing word one by one. Same thing happened that day. Unfortunately the website of Beauty and Wellness center was in Dutch and all text was as an image.So I didn’t even make a try to type a single word and I went directly to the beauty n wellness centre so that I can discuss with the beauty expert which facial would suit my skin and which one should I opt for.

I got appointment for the next day.

The facial treatment room was so peaceful, so relaxing. I felt like I was in an overwhelmingly peaceful island. Having some soothing music playing in the room made the room so serene. Tania did my facial. I lied down and she started pampering my skin. The cleanser she was using was luxuriously milky and left my skin dewy. When she started exfoliating I felt like something was not going right.It felt like she was using extra firm strokes than it supposed to be.It seemed she was not putting any effort to make me feel comfortable (unfortunately). After steaming my face she was supposed to remove my blackheads but she didn’t. She plucked my eyebrows which I can do 100 times better than her. But the Aveda product she was using on my face was really awesome. All of them were simply luxurious. Overall the experience was not up to scratch; it was sort of disappointment. The facial massage helps blood circulation, which in turn aids lymphatic drainage (the removal of toxins and waste from the body) and massage relaxes our facial muscles which I didn’t feel at all.

Sigh, it just didn’t meet my expectation and it’s not worth the price at all. But it was the most expensive facial I ever had (Rs 5800).