Trip to Paradise Land

On the morning of Indian Independence Day, August 15, my mom, brother, grandparents, and me started off for out weekend trip. We started early morning, and reached the city of Mysore in the afternoon. Mysore is a very beautiful place. We went to a really big temple called the Charmandaswari Temple atop the Charmandaswari Hill. We actually were able to get in despite the HUGE crowd. From there we went to the Mysore Palace of Maharaja. We saw the really big palace with all the artifacts belonging to the Maharaja displayed on the sides. Then, after that we went to the big bull which significance is that the enormous sculpture was carved from an entire sculpture of granite! From there we started off to the city of Coorg.

We reached there at night and spent the night in a beautiful resort. As I slept, I dreamed about the excitement on that day, and waited for a next day to start. Before I knew it, it was the next morning. We woke up and got ready quickly to go eat a delicious breakfast. After that we started off to see a really big and famous waterfall. During the drive, I saw Coorg for the first time in broad daylight. There is no word to explain it, but BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! It is the most “green” place I’ve seen. There is not even a single place in Coorg, which is not covered with lush green plants! We saw so many varieties of plants form pepper plants that swirl around tall trees to little coffee plants growing as little shrubs on the ground. After a fairly long drive, we reached the waterfall. It was the biggest one I ever saw! . It was known as the Abbe Falls. It was raining that day, so it made the waterfall much more beautiful. After we left there, we went to the resort to spend the day in the Fun Zone. The Fun Zone was a really nice plays which board games, card games, carrom board, table tennis, art activities, and video games. It was what I can definitely call, “A Family Place” We had lot of fun there.

The next morning was Sunday, and we had to go back home. On the way we went to an Elephant Camp, which sadly, was closed. So, disappointed we decided to go to a Tibet town. The small town resembled the country of Tibet. There, we went to the second largest temple in the world, which was also the biggest Buddhist school. It was really big and had to huge building with beautiful paintings and designs on the outside. But the best part was the inside. It was really beautiful with a really BIG statue of sitting Buddha, and on one side was his first follower who encouraged Buddhism after Buddha died, and then on the other side of Buddha, there was his second follower. The statues are 60 ft. tall and are made of copper and are gold plated. Inside the statue of Buddha, there are several small artifacts and sculptures. It was really nice. After that, we left towards home. After a long and boring 9 ½ hour trip, we reached home. As I slept that day I thought of all the wonderful and exciting places I’ve been to and saw, and I wish I could of gone for longer and see more. I hope I can go back to see some things I couldn’t see, and know that this trip will bring back wonderful memories.

In Bangalore

We recently came to Bangalore, and are staying in Le Meridien, one of the best hotels I've ever been to. It has been 10 days now, and we are checking out tomorrow. I am kind of glad because we are cooped up in a little room, and we get bored most of the day. There is a swimming pool, but it has been raining everyday, and the pool is cold. Tomorrow, we are going to a guest house which is really big and has a swimming pool inside the house. Yup, INSIDE the house. I can't wait. But the thing I really can't believe is that we are going to move into our new house within a month. I can't believe that Bangalore is actually our "home" now. It happened all so quickly. But anyways, now we are here, we are starting to settle in. We are looking for good cars, houses, and schools already. Speaking of schools, we took the test for TISB a couple days ago, and we both passed and are on the waiting list. But, because we had to take the test so late, the class is full and we probably wont have a space in the class, so we will most likely go to Indus. There is lots of things to do in our new "home", and I can't wait to find them out.

My Grandparents are Leaving!

On May 26th by grandmother and grandfather are both leaving to their home town in India. They have been here for two whole years. They came to help my mom during her MBA, and help me and my brother. They have been very supportive and without them, my mom would be more stressed that she aldready is and me and my brother wouldn't of been able to make it through the school year. My wonderful and helpful grandmother takes care of many household chores. Without her, my mom would have to do yet another thing to keep the house moving smoothly and properly. My grandpa helped my mom a lot. He takes us to tennis, walks, swimming, ect. so we could still have all the fun things without pestering busy mom. He helps me and Nihar (my brother) with all our schoolwork. Without him and mom not having enough time to help us, me and Nihar wouldn't of got it through the year. They both were here for two years, and I became very attatched to them. Tomorrow, they are leaving and even though mom is done with MBA and the schoolyear is almost done, I can't imagine life without them. I love them a lot, and I can't wait to move to India to see them again.

MOVING!

Me, my mom and brother are moving to India!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to move July 10th of this year. It is almost unbeleivable that I am moving to India after living for so many years in California. Many people have been asking me if I am excited to move or not. I always anwered, "Half, half" One half or me, a slightly bigger half, really wants to go. I am really excited to see a different side of the world. I never really seen Bangalore, and I'm excited to go. I am also curious to live in a new place, be exposed to different people, and see a different environment. I am also excited to go to the new schools there are. (especially the swimming pools:-)) Another half of me is sad to leave. I am so used to good old California, and I made so many friends here. I will miss everything and everybody sooooooooooooooooo much. I will also miss my Challenger friends a lot. You have always been there for me. I'd like to thank all my friends that have been there for me since I joined in third grade, and they still support me even in fifth grade. I'd especially like to thank Shreya, Leela, Mahima, Anushka, Wings, and Nitya. You will alway take up a huge place in my heart! Above all, I'm going to miss my dad. My dad won't be able to come with us because of his job, and I will miss him a lot. Yes, I will come every six months to see him, but that will not compare to seeing him every week and giving him a big hug!!!!! I love all of you a lot, and I'll never forget you!!!!!!

My School Friends

My friends are the #1 thing I look forward to while coming to school on a cold, windy morning. Once I step into my class, my "morning blues" go away as I see the warm and smiling faces of my friends. My friends are always so nice to me and help me through all my troubles. They always give me a helping hand when I need it. My friends also teach me stuff. They are always there to update me on the things I don't know, and they make me feel that there is always someone to talk to. If I need help on homework, they are always there to explain it to me. They are very understanding, and if someone is mean to me, they understand and always try to make me feel better. Occasional small fights with one of my friends just help me understand my friend more, and bring us closer and closer together. That is why my days of school are fun and exciting. I don't think there is anyone in the whole wide world who could take the place of my wonderful friends. So I want to thank all my friends for everything!!! They will always take a huge place in my heart!!!!!!!!!

Swimming and Tennis

Two of my New Year resolutions are that I want to be on a swim team, and be good at tennis. Starting a couple days ago, I started fullfilling those wishes. I recently got enrolled in tennis classes, and right after that, swimming lessons! I am really looking forward to going to the classes. First of all, I enjoy swimming and tennis. Second of all, I want to become the best, and be really good at these sports. Thank you, Mom and Dad for helping me fullfill my New Year Resolutions!

Happy 2008

5 4 3 2 1.......HAPPY NEW YEAR! Happy 2008, everyone! Today is Day 1 in the 365 days of the year. We had our traditional family New Year get-together yesterday, and had some fun. Today, we wore nice clothes and went to the Livermore temple. We prayed to every god, and asked them for a 2008 full of good luck, good health, good studies, and good life for everyone. We also thanked them for everything good that happened in 2007. We came home and watched a movie, relaxed before another school term. Thank you, friends and family for making 2007 a memorable year!

The Three E's of Learning

What are the three E's of learning? Well, the first E stands for Exposure. For example, when you go to a different place or area, you learn a lot by seeing different people and their style, eating different food, hearing different languages, and learning different religions. The second E stands for Experience. If you go to a bad hotel, or fly on a bad aircraft, then you experienced the hardship, and you learn that it is not a good thing to repeat. You learn a lot by experience. The last E stands for Education. I think you should know what Education means. "After all, you weren't born yesterday. Although if you were, welcome to the world, baby, and congratulations of being to be able to read at such a young age!" Out of 100%, Exposure is 40% of your learning, Experience is also 40%, and Education is only 20%!
Of course, education is still very important, and you shouldn't neglect it.
-My mom gave me this information