Thursday Challenge - WOODEN

Entry for this week's Thursday Challenge which is WOODEN (Furniture, Building, Craft, Trees etc).  

Wordless Wednesday - 15

"Eye" of London!

No matter how many things we share about London, there always seems to be something more that  comes new and fresh.  It's like "Akshaya pathram"(means inexhaustible vessel in Hindu mythology) - more you visit London, the the more comes out, the more you experience. There's always so many things to do do and see in London.  And one can see story in every street, every lane, every sculpture.  It's truly a global city!

Landscape along the road

Travelling gives us the option of gazing through various kind of landscapes - mountains, fields, sea, lake, tall buildings.  I love ogling through the window to see the lovely nature.  Sometimes, I find it difficult to choose which side of the window to see, because I encounter 2 different kinds of landscapes.  While travelling in train, I would always be jealous of the one who sits on the other side of the window, and keep staring at their side, because the scenery looks better on that side!

Blueberry & honey yogurt

Fruits are always a healthy choice irrespective of the fact if you need to add some weight or shed some.  They make a great choice for smoothies or fresh flavored yogurts or simply to bite and eat them.  Berries are my favourite lot, and my weekly grocery shopping is never complete without berries.  I buy and stock atleast 2 variety of berries in fridge.

Thursday Challenge - HOT

TC this week is Hot as in fire, burner, candle, day, hot springs, hot air balloon.  Wasn't sure if I could post pictures of HOT models ;)

Hence safely posted the candles for this week's Thursday Challenge.  These are the decorations during the Karthikai Deepam (literally means festival of lights), that falls usually occurs in the month of December (Karthika month). 

 Celebrated similar to diwali by lighting diyas and bursting crackers.  

Wordless Wednesday - 14

Katy Perry's "Part of Me"

I don't want to start every music post by saying I love music.  Sometimes, along with the singer's voice, the picturisation should also be equally good.  Otherwise the efforts of the singer and music director goes vein.  And there gets buried the beautiful lyrics too.  Going in that order, there are very few songs that touch our heart with the voice, lyrics and picturisation.  Whilst there are some songs that you can just listen needless of how crappy the visualization can go.  

I'll leave that point and let you decide if this below video is a good one or not.  Katy Perry's song "Part of me" - ofcourse it's a gripping song that you'll hymn once you get the notes.  

Malta houses and Architecture

Malta, although one of the smallest in size , it is a densely populated country,  and is a renowned tourist destination all through the year.  Malta has a combination of British and Italian cultural influence.  British because they ruled Malta until 1964, and Italy is the nearest country.





Malta cannot be concluded as a beach destination.  It has various other recreational activities, historical monuments - 9 of which is UNESCO Heritage Site.  That also includes the Megalithic temples - which are said to be the oldest free standing temples in the world. 




What attracted me the most in Malta are these unique architecture.  Malta is nothing but a lump of limestone in the Mediterranean, so its these stones that you see everywhere.  Limestone houses with colored windows and doors make a beautiful combination along with the tranquil blue mediterranean waters.  

It isn't uncommon to see the water pipes and electrical wires all around the exteriors of the house.  There are some modern architectures / apartments, but Maltese have managed quite well to maintain the tradition of building limestone houses. 

Click here to read other posts on Malta.

Granite City

3rd most populous city in Scotland, Aberdeen is also known as "Granite city", "Silver city with the golden sands"and "Oil/Energy capital of Europe".  No prize for guessing, Aberdeen has a lovely coast line. Situated North East of Scotland, Granite, oil and gas are some of the main industries.  It is also an important port in Scotland. Probably because of their North sea oil industry, Aberdeen has always been a prosperous city with least unemployment and crime rates. 

Because of its high mica content in the granite, the buildings actually sparkles when its sunny!  The city is dotted with grand and ornate granite buildings around.  The above clock tower is a part of local town house and county hall located near to city centre. 

Since Aberdeen is far up North, it does not attract as many tourists.  But this is a great place to see / stop by.  Dunnottor Castle in Stonehaven is about 15 miles away from Aberdeen.   

Thursday Challenge - BIG

Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic Torch has made it's visit to Scotland, has went across all the highlands and islands, and finally reached Edinburgh today.  When S told that it's on a weekday I lost all my hope until this morning,when I checked the website that its this evening between 5.45 to 6.15 it passes through my area.  I was all excited, left work sharp on time, and came home, refreshed myself, and took my gear to take photos.  

The whole area was flooded with localities that were all cheering...It is such an iconic moment for something like this can never happen again....And being part and witness it was so much fun.  

Anne Frank's Birthday

Today is Anne Frank's birthday.  This day marks as what would have been her 83rd birthday.

Song for today

When it comes to music, there is no language bar according to me!  I can enjoy any kind of music - from heavy guitar, to ear tearing drums, to melody - Any sound that is rhythmic - the chirping of bird, even when seagulls screech!  

I remember how much fun we used to have tapping the bench for our favourite music during school days.  Although I like broad genre of songs, I choose what song I want to hear on that given part of the day.  That depends on where I am and what I am doing, and who is along with me!  At the blue hour of the day, my choice is always a classical melody.  


"Aaraanu Nee" is a beautiful such malayalam song sung by Swetha Mohan.  Honestly, I don't know any of Malayalam, or the meaning of its lyrics, but what I can assure you is that it puts you to a peaceful sleep! 

Back from AWOL!!

After being AWOL for quite sometime  I am now back to blogging, back to normal life, back to work, back to cooking and cleaning!  Had an amazing 2 week break with friends around.  Had met with some friends whom I haven't seen for about 10 years.  There were lot of travelling, driving, and photographs.  Hope all is well with you all.  It's now time for me to catch up with those myriad unread posts. 
For now I'll leave this space with a beautiful sunset picture captured from my window.