My Profile and list of write ups - http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Userprofile.aspx?UserID=NGNiN2IwYjgtMjc4Mi00YjBiLThkNDMtMDFmOTViODg2MmQ1
The Art Of Being Happy - http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=a0a429d8-7790-4362-8a67-c22c2b00205e
Quantum of Solace - http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=f91ad2b0-be1a-4d42-8998-24fe6e3ef206
Read, comment, enjoy and contribute.
m.I.m
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Friday, January 02, 2009
Tour London Guide - Things to do in London and nearby
Things to do in London and nearby, places to visit in London. A ready guide prepared for you, enjoy!
London the city which brings a sparkle to many an eye.
As Angela Carter said - Cities have sexes: London is a man, Paris a woman, and New York a well-adjusted transsexual.
Or as William Shakespeare said Would I were in an alehouse in London. I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.
Or again as William Shakespeare said I hope to see London once ere I die.
How many of us have grown up singing the nursery rhyme
London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, Falling down. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady.
….
…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_is_Falling_Down
How many of us from India have wondered where the Kohinoor diamond has disappeared?
The rhyme was created to mark the difficulty faced in bridging the two sides of the River Thames and the bridge which collapsed which being built.
So if you happen to be in the city London which had the world’s busiest airport – Heathrow which handles the largest international traffic, what would you do? Yes you would roam and visit some historic places. I will try to give rough sketch of what to do in London, what to avoid or postpone as the last priority.
You can start your tour point from the London Waterloo railway station [$1$], a station which has existed from 1848 the largest station in the UK in terms of number of platforms and greatest floor area. The station has appeared in the movie The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon, and Bollywood film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was filmed here as well.
As you walk out of the station and in a few minutes you are treated to the London Eye [$2$], the largest Ferris wheel in Europe and ranks among the top three of the world. It can be accessed from the Westminster underground station as well.
As Richard Rogers says
“ The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.
http://www.londoneye.com/
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer]
The views from the top of the London Eye are just incredible; as you won’t miss entering the floors of the Eiffel tower you should miss this.
London Eye
View For top
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer]
London Aquarium
London Dungeon
As you walk along you begin to see Big Ben building [$5$] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. The clock is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock ant the third largest free-standing clock tower in the world.
Big Ben
A complete View
http://www.parliament.uk/about/visiting.cfm
Parliament Square
You can trace your path back a few meters back and walk to your left / right to the Westminster Abbey [$7$] Benedictine monks first came to this abbey in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
Westminister Abbey
Next to the church is the St Margaret’s church [$8$]
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/st-margarets/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Margaret%27s,_Westminster
You can now proceed to Charring Cross from the Waterloo tube station or the Westminster tube station to visit Trafalgar square [$9$] its trademark is Nelson's Column which stands in the centre and the four lion statues that guard the column. Statues and sculptures are on display in the square, including a fourth plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art, and it is a site of political demonstrations.
The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. The original name was to have been "King William the Fourth's Square", but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name "Trafalgar Square".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafalgar_Square
Trafalgar Square
As you walk further down the road you will enter the Buckingham Palace area and you can see the Buckingham Palace [$10$] at the end of the road. The change of guard [$11$] happens often and is worth to watch for few, though remember to get there early else your view won’t be too good. http://www.changing-the-guard.com/
Palace and the gates
Palace Square
Change of Guard
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green_park/
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st_james_park/
Royal Parks
Birds at the parks
Now get to Charring cross station and take the tube to Baker Street for a visit of Madame Tussauds [$14$] - the famous wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud.
http://www.madametussauds.com/London/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Tussauds
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer]
Salman Khan at Madam Tussauds
As you walk back to the Baker Street station you can see the Statue of Sherlock Holmes – the famous fictional detective as his official address is 221 B Baker Street [$15$] an address that does not actually exist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Street
Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street
You can take the tube and get to BlackFriars station or London Bridge and walk down to the Shakespeare Globe theatre [$16$] Origin of Box Office – In earlier centuries the theatres didn’t have payment systems or ticket counters, there used to be a box where the people coming in would throw money and walk in to watch the play / show, as the collection gathered in the box, the box would be taken around to all the floors and then finally to a room / office room where it was stored, counted and kept in the safe. This bought the name as box office.
[Information gathered at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre tour]
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer]
Shakespeare's Globe theatre
Next you can walk down to the Tate Modern Art Gallery [$17$] next block, entrance is free and the art exhibits are as abstract as you can ever see.
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
Tate Modern Art Gallery
You can cross the river by walking on top of the millennium bridge - the London Millennium Footbridge [$18$] is a pedestrian-only steel suspension bridge crossing the River Thames. Londoners nicknamed the bridge the Wobbly Bridge after crowds of pedestrians felt an unexpected swaying motion on the first two days after the bridge opened.
The southern end of the bridge is near Globe Theatre, the Bankside Gallery and Tate Modern, the north end next to the City of London School below St Paul's Cathedral. The bridge alignment is such that a clear view of St Paul's south facade is presented from across the river, framed by the bridge supports, thus providing a scenic view of the cathedral.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Bridge_(London)
Millennium bridge (Black Friars bridge in the back ground)
The view from the Millennium bridge
As you walk on the bridge you can see the Tower Bridge of London [$19$] to your right, Black Friars Bridge [$20$] to your right, St Paul’s Cathedral [$21$] directly in front.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfriars_Bridge
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge
St Paul’s Cathedral [$21$] is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill and the seat of the Bishop of London. Dates back to the 17th century. The cathedral sits on the edge of London's oldest region, the City, which originated as a Roman trading post along the edge of the River Thames. The cathedral is one of London's most visited sites.
The nearest London Underground station is St. Paul's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Cathedral
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
St Paul’s Cathedral
Info: If you have taken a day travel card – you will have unlimited train, tube and bus usage plus if you have taken the day travel card from a south western train station you can get the two for one offers as well.
You can take the tube or bus and proceed to Piccadilly Circus [$22$] and roam around and walk towards Oxford Street [$23$], Bond Street [$24$] – these are the main shopping areas of London.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccadilly_Circus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Street
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Street
Shopping streets
For cricket buffs you can take a tour of the Mecca of cricket – The Lords cricket ground [$25$] – there are only few tour timings in a day - http://www.lords.org
Lords cricket ground
For other important palaces you can visit the South Kensington Palace [$26$]
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page563.asp
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer]
Another famous Square is the Leicester Square [$27$] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leicester_Square
For those who like going on boat rides there is a nice cruise from Waterloo to Greenwich passing through London Bridge [$28$], Tower Bridge of London, Tower Palace [$29$], Greenwich – this ride has a live commentary and is well worth the money.
http://www.citycruises.com/
[If you use south west trains for any part of your journey you have a two for one ticket offer] {33% percent off if you have a travel card}
Tower Bridge of London
Tower Bridge of London (in action)
London Bridge
Tower Palace
Greenwich [$30$] has many antiques selling markets and is a good place to roam about, it is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. You can go and visit the zero degree line [$31$] and stand in the West and East hemisphere at the same time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich
Royal Observatory
Greenwich Station
Zero Degree line
British Museum [$32$] is a must for the museum lovers -
http://www.britishmuseum.org/
Kew Gardens & the Treetop walkway[$33$] - its nice to walk in a garden among trees, but how nice would it be to walk among trees at the height of trees...
http://apps.kew.org/trees/
http://www.kew.org/visitor/visitkew.html
London, Europe - art flourishes, theater [$34$] floors you, the latest I have been to was a pantomime - Aladdin...for tickets (good deals)
http://www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/Destinations/specialoffers/_2for1.htm
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/New-Victoria-Theatre
Bird lovers can visit the Wet Land Center in Barnes, London [$35$]
- two for one offer applies
http://www.wwt.org.uk
Shopping freaks can visit the Harrods Mall and get their bank accounts cleared of the excesses, London [$36$] - it has 11000 bulbs lighting up the outer walls...
http://www.harrods.com/harrodsstore/
- two for one offer applies
A really recommended Indian /Sri Lankan eat out in Wembley is the Gana Cafe, mind boggling food, [$37$]
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/10/england-srilanka-connection.html
Other places to visit within 1-2 hours of drive / train are
1) Oxfordshire
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/11/windsor-castle-and-oxford.html
2) Bath Spa
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/09/bath-spa-lucky.html
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/12/photograph-guide.html
3) Brighton
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/10/brighton-day-trip-boon.html
4) Bournemouth
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/09/bournemouth-good-entertainer.html
5) Portsmouth harbor
6) Isle of Wight
7) Windsor Castle
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2008/11/windsor-castle-and-oxford.html
Hope you liked reading this guide. Contact me for any help...
m.I.m
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wild thoughts of MiM! - Part 4
Another one of my wacky / tacky thoughts / joke
Mom: Children come and taste the dinner that I have made, its a lovely new recipe, I am sure it will take you to heaven.
Children: (Amidst groans and grins) - mom incidentally or coincidentally the last time you said the same thing we landed in the hospice / clinic / doctors place called heaven... :)
Apologies if you didn't laugh. Anyways laugh your way into 2009 Wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
Wild thoughts of MiM - 1
Wild thoughts of MiM -2
Wild thoughts of MiM -3
Photography - http://www.flickr.com/photos/minmaxmim
m.I.m
Mom: Children come and taste the dinner that I have made, its a lovely new recipe, I am sure it will take you to heaven.
Children: (Amidst groans and grins) - mom incidentally or coincidentally the last time you said the same thing we landed in the hospice / clinic / doctors place called heaven... :)
Apologies if you didn't laugh. Anyways laugh your way into 2009 Wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
Wild thoughts of MiM - 1
Wild thoughts of MiM -2
Wild thoughts of MiM -3
Photography - http://www.flickr.com/photos/minmaxmim
m.I.m
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Art Of Being Happy
An article written for the Adarshan Bangalore Magazine...
Read it and be happy...
Wish you all a very merry X Mas and a prosperous and happy new year 2009!
Disclaimer: These are purely personal views and might not be agreeable to all.
While each man is free to choose his own I like the art of being happy the most.
While pondering over topics on which I could write for this magazine,
Amongst the many suggestions that came to my mind were articles on the economic gloom, the horrendous situation in Zimbabwe, the inexplicable terror attacks in Mumbai, then when I asked few people for suggestions they said anything is fine as long as it is happy. Now this set my mind racing - why does our mind seek all the negative energy in the world rather than merely enjoy the beautiful things out everywhere around us.
As my quote goes
“99% of the time one needs to be happy and the remaining 1% needs to be spent in preparing to be happy” – MIM
If only we remembered that we are just transient passengers in this huge journey called life why waste our limited time to being unhappy and down? Our life span vs. life of the world is comparable to 1 sec vs. the seconds available in one year (1 vs. 31536000). Similarly our life time is such a small part of the larger picture that we just can’t waste time by being unhappy or depressed.
There is a whole world of difference between being sad and unhappy. The opposite of a happy person is not a sad person but is an unhappy person. It is not so that a happy person cannot ever be sad or depressed but this state is transient and will disappear soon. But an unhappy person will find it terribly difficult to find happiness and will make it conditional: I will be happy ONLY when /if and so the list goes on.
While being sad is not a crime- indeed being sad is also an emotion that every person must experience. The feeling of sadness is in fact a complimentary phase of happiness, the very need of one being happy is because one doesn’t want to be sad. But being unhappy is a crime.
Happiness is a mental objective; it requires the power of imagination. You have to imagine yourself as being happy in order to be happy, and yes, you just can’t wait for happiness to come to you. There is no magic potion to harness happiness within you and for others.
"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
Some of us are in a happy state while shopping, some while writing, some while taking photographs, some while gardening, some while sleeping, some while eating. We should however remember that there is a very small line between addiction and (responsible) happiness. I can’t claim to be happy only while I snort ten big lines of cocaine.
In times of economic woe such as these we need to be prudent, but real sense prevailed in me when I absent mindedly understood the lyrics of a Tamil song from the movie – Pudupettai – it translates to mean,
“….what’s the point in saving up all your money without even enjoying a bit of it, tomorrow suddenly if you leave the world what’s the whole point? ….”
When I look at certain countries with so many different kinds of issues and worries, I can never claim the luxury of being sad and ever complain about anything When people in Zimbabwe are eating the cow skin which was part of their 100 year old flooring, how can you and I ever complain this is not right, that is not right, I don’t have a good life etc?
Here are few basic happiness maintaining techniques
1) Decide to be Happy: No one else can take this decision for you.
2) Happiness should be a priority: Like you plan for your ambition, savings, growth etc you must plan for your happiness.
3) Path to happiness: There will be many a times when you are down, disinterested and feeling sad, don’t let this state prevail more than 5 minutes start counterattacking the sad thoughts, start questioning the real reason of those facts, start working around them to find out the way to overcome the sorrow and get happy. When you are positive, good things happen to you, when you are negative; you draw bad things to you.
4) Constructive energy: Rather than lose all energy by being down, raise your bar and focus all the doom and gloom to find unique ways to counter attack the problem.
[For 3 and 4 – in terms of thinking out of the box and other innovation techniques– try to define at least 10 solutions to any problem and then only choose one. This is because the human tendency is to always choose the first easily achievable solution which comes to ones mind]
5) Dream about happiness: The first step to achieve anything is to think more and more about it, dream it and achieve it. The brain apparently moves towards working out happy dreams in a faster manner.
6) Be appreciative: By just appreciating the wonderful small things around you, you can be very happy. Example if you see an spider which has built a huge web in your house don’t start screaming and calling commands for people to clear it, rather watch the intricate design of the web, take photographs appreciate the little ones hard work etc and then decide what you want to. By being appreciative you also tend to spread positive energy around, you appreciate one person he is in a better mood and appreciates some one else and the cycle just goes on.
7) Forgive and Forget: This doesn’t need any explaining and is very important for being happy.
8) Spread happiness: Try spreading the joy of happiness by means of social or financial contribution to the needy. Volunteer to read for the blind, to take classes for the poor children.
9) Believe in yourself and a higher spirit: Having a high self confidence and indulging in prayers usually works as great stimulant for happiness in many people.
10) Happiness is infectious: This has been proved scientifically that happiness grows in leaps and bounds when in the presence of happy people and good locations. Draw up a list of 5-10 things that make you happy, it could be watching you tube clips of tom & jerry or it could be viewing your photograph collection. Whenever you feel down or out run through the list and within minutes you are freed of your sadness.
One of the jokes I remember from my school days is
Similarly
Let me wrap up with some interesting quotes
“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
-- H. Jackson (Jack) Brown Jr.
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be”
-- Marcel Pagnol
Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in perfect harmony. -- Mahatma Ghandi
Don't live `for' happiness. Live `with' happiness". -- Indian Philosophers
Be happy and spread the joy of happiness, treat yourself for this wonderful year 2008 and enjoy the run up to a lovely Christmas and let’s hope and pray we have a even better and prosperous new year 2009. Wish you all good luck.
Monish M
m.I.m
Read it and be happy...
Wish you all a very merry X Mas and a prosperous and happy new year 2009!
THE ART OF BEING HAPPY
Disclaimer: These are purely personal views and might not be agreeable to all.
While each man is free to choose his own I like the art of being happy the most.
While pondering over topics on which I could write for this magazine,
Amongst the many suggestions that came to my mind were articles on the economic gloom, the horrendous situation in Zimbabwe, the inexplicable terror attacks in Mumbai, then when I asked few people for suggestions they said anything is fine as long as it is happy. Now this set my mind racing - why does our mind seek all the negative energy in the world rather than merely enjoy the beautiful things out everywhere around us.
As my quote goes
“99% of the time one needs to be happy and the remaining 1% needs to be spent in preparing to be happy” – MIM
If only we remembered that we are just transient passengers in this huge journey called life why waste our limited time to being unhappy and down? Our life span vs. life of the world is comparable to 1 sec vs. the seconds available in one year (1 vs. 31536000). Similarly our life time is such a small part of the larger picture that we just can’t waste time by being unhappy or depressed.
There is a whole world of difference between being sad and unhappy. The opposite of a happy person is not a sad person but is an unhappy person. It is not so that a happy person cannot ever be sad or depressed but this state is transient and will disappear soon. But an unhappy person will find it terribly difficult to find happiness and will make it conditional: I will be happy ONLY when /if and so the list goes on.
While being sad is not a crime- indeed being sad is also an emotion that every person must experience. The feeling of sadness is in fact a complimentary phase of happiness, the very need of one being happy is because one doesn’t want to be sad. But being unhappy is a crime.
Happiness is a mental objective; it requires the power of imagination. You have to imagine yourself as being happy in order to be happy, and yes, you just can’t wait for happiness to come to you. There is no magic potion to harness happiness within you and for others.
"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
Some of us are in a happy state while shopping, some while writing, some while taking photographs, some while gardening, some while sleeping, some while eating. We should however remember that there is a very small line between addiction and (responsible) happiness. I can’t claim to be happy only while I snort ten big lines of cocaine.
In times of economic woe such as these we need to be prudent, but real sense prevailed in me when I absent mindedly understood the lyrics of a Tamil song from the movie – Pudupettai – it translates to mean,
“….what’s the point in saving up all your money without even enjoying a bit of it, tomorrow suddenly if you leave the world what’s the whole point? ….”
When I look at certain countries with so many different kinds of issues and worries, I can never claim the luxury of being sad and ever complain about anything When people in Zimbabwe are eating the cow skin which was part of their 100 year old flooring, how can you and I ever complain this is not right, that is not right, I don’t have a good life etc?
Here are few basic happiness maintaining techniques
1) Decide to be Happy: No one else can take this decision for you.
2) Happiness should be a priority: Like you plan for your ambition, savings, growth etc you must plan for your happiness.
3) Path to happiness: There will be many a times when you are down, disinterested and feeling sad, don’t let this state prevail more than 5 minutes start counterattacking the sad thoughts, start questioning the real reason of those facts, start working around them to find out the way to overcome the sorrow and get happy. When you are positive, good things happen to you, when you are negative; you draw bad things to you.
4) Constructive energy: Rather than lose all energy by being down, raise your bar and focus all the doom and gloom to find unique ways to counter attack the problem.
[For 3 and 4 – in terms of thinking out of the box and other innovation techniques– try to define at least 10 solutions to any problem and then only choose one. This is because the human tendency is to always choose the first easily achievable solution which comes to ones mind]
5) Dream about happiness: The first step to achieve anything is to think more and more about it, dream it and achieve it. The brain apparently moves towards working out happy dreams in a faster manner.
6) Be appreciative: By just appreciating the wonderful small things around you, you can be very happy. Example if you see an spider which has built a huge web in your house don’t start screaming and calling commands for people to clear it, rather watch the intricate design of the web, take photographs appreciate the little ones hard work etc and then decide what you want to. By being appreciative you also tend to spread positive energy around, you appreciate one person he is in a better mood and appreciates some one else and the cycle just goes on.
7) Forgive and Forget: This doesn’t need any explaining and is very important for being happy.
8) Spread happiness: Try spreading the joy of happiness by means of social or financial contribution to the needy. Volunteer to read for the blind, to take classes for the poor children.
9) Believe in yourself and a higher spirit: Having a high self confidence and indulging in prayers usually works as great stimulant for happiness in many people.
10) Happiness is infectious: This has been proved scientifically that happiness grows in leaps and bounds when in the presence of happy people and good locations. Draw up a list of 5-10 things that make you happy, it could be watching you tube clips of tom & jerry or it could be viewing your photograph collection. Whenever you feel down or out run through the list and within minutes you are freed of your sadness.
One of the jokes I remember from my school days is
WHY STUDY?
Why study? You study to learn more, the more you learn, the more you know, the more you know, the less you can store, the less you can store is the less you know then why study…Similarly
WHY TO WORRY?
Why to worry? The more you worry the more tension you get the more tension you get, the more unhappy you are, the more unhappy you are, the less of happy you are…so beware…Let me wrap up with some interesting quotes
“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
-- H. Jackson (Jack) Brown Jr.
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be”
-- Marcel Pagnol
Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in perfect harmony. -- Mahatma Ghandi
Don't live `for' happiness. Live `with' happiness". -- Indian Philosophers
Be happy and spread the joy of happiness, treat yourself for this wonderful year 2008 and enjoy the run up to a lovely Christmas and let’s hope and pray we have a even better and prosperous new year 2009. Wish you all good luck.
Monish M
m.I.m
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Photograph Guide.
Feels great to have one of my photographs asked and published for a UK based Bath Spa guide - sixth edition of Schmap Bath Guide.
The Circus
www.schmap.com/bath/introduction_entertainment/p=111891/i=111891_40.jpg
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this link will take you directly to the photo in the iPhone version of the guide.
The Circus
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=bath&sid=introduction_entertainment&p=111891&i=111891_40
Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of the Schmap Bath Guide, complete with the published photo:
www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=29571053N00/c=SJ1004170
Thanks Emma Williams, Managing Editor, Schmap Guides for getting in touch with me and getting my photograph published.
Circus Bath Spa Information
Complete Photography
Bath Spa Photography
m.I.m
The Circus
www.schmap.com/bath/introduction_entertainment/p=111891/i=111891_40.jpg
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this link will take you directly to the photo in the iPhone version of the guide.
The Circus
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=bath&sid=introduction_entertainment&p=111891&i=111891_40
Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of the Schmap Bath Guide, complete with the published photo:
www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=29571053N00/c=SJ1004170
Thanks Emma Williams, Managing Editor, Schmap Guides for getting in touch with me and getting my photograph published.
Circus Bath Spa Information
Complete Photography
Bath Spa Photography
m.I.m
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Wild thoughts of MiM! - Part 3
I was waiting in the Florence (Firenze) railway station for my train to Venezia which was delayed by 2 whole hours, I was sitting in the floor of the station counting seconds off my life and seconds for the train to arrive. To beat boredom my mind started thinking of rather unusual (some nonsensical) sayings and here we go...
BoReD is NOT the Word but other Words are TOO boring as well - MiM
As I walk MILES I get the true meaning of freedom - MiM
A true traveller isn't bothered upon arriving - well at some point he must look at the departure boards - MiM
Lets light lamps, wear white clothes, have candle light vigils and get ready for the next vicious attack - MiM
HUMAN MEMORY IS A VOLATILE PIECE, with limited space, never remembers too much good, too much bad and for too long! - Mim
I DON'T CARE,
I HAVE A ROOF,
I AM NOT HUNGRY,
I HAVE SOME CASH STACKED AWAY,
what I really need is CHANGE
I CARE,
I WILL PROVIDE A ROOF TO OTHERS,
I WILL NEVER LET ANYONE GO HUNGRY,
I WILL DONATE WHAT I CAN,
-MiM
[change is the only word which is not constant!]
Yes I am part of my country, Yes I have a sense of belonging, Yes I will be the change I expect in others! - MiM
Of course we can change things a lot, but how and when remains a concern...I was on a holiday and was so bothered, hurt and pained that I kept reading the websites again and again...many emotions flooded my senses...a sense of fear that next it could be me...and instead of writing a travelogue I was writing few snippets of what I felt...
As a average citizen whom do I fight against
1) Petty thieves / murderers etc
2) Against corrupt government officials
3) Against incompetent politicians who want us to get a VISA to travel between states
4) Or against the new age terror - not knowing what is going to explode and when - who is going to shoot and where
After all this aftermath of a huge unfortunate event it shouldn't be like before - Light candles - have candle light vigils - wear white shirts and black bands and get ready for the next attack. Like the sacrificial goat all dressed up! Lets do all the above, thats the only way we can pay our respects to the departed souls but lets not lose focus let us keep reminding ourselves and our government that we have to be on our toes and our lives and security can't be taken for granted.
All the four points can be averted if we the entire people / public join together.
1) If a guy steals a chain or picks a pocket and I scream for help, if the entire public help in catching him - I will feel secure...
2) We should ensure we don't pay bribes anymore and get the corrupt people caught - you might lose a few days of work and a few thousand rupees in expenses but you have served your nation / society by cleaning / clearing one dirty weed.
3) Don't listen to /elect such politicians and periodically remind them that they are our servants and not vice versa.
4) Demand / formulate rules, be aware of your surroundings and things that go around you.
There are a lot of new initiatives like i lead the way; a billion hands - lets really hope we can all take a active part and change / save our lives / future. A lot of things like PIL by the public and other actions by the government looks right now, let pray and hope we and the government don't slacken.
The future is in our hands lets redefine it!
A Billion Hands
India Leadership Network
Wild thoughts of MiM - 1
Wild thoughts of MiM -2
m.I.m
BoReD is NOT the Word but other Words are TOO boring as well - MiM
As I walk MILES I get the true meaning of freedom - MiM
A true traveller isn't bothered upon arriving - well at some point he must look at the departure boards - MiM
Lets light lamps, wear white clothes, have candle light vigils and get ready for the next vicious attack - MiM
HUMAN MEMORY IS A VOLATILE PIECE, with limited space, never remembers too much good, too much bad and for too long! - Mim
I DON'T CARE,
I HAVE A ROOF,
I AM NOT HUNGRY,
I HAVE SOME CASH STACKED AWAY,
what I really need is CHANGE
I CARE,
I WILL PROVIDE A ROOF TO OTHERS,
I WILL NEVER LET ANYONE GO HUNGRY,
I WILL DONATE WHAT I CAN,
-MiM
[change is the only word which is not constant!]
Yes I am part of my country, Yes I have a sense of belonging, Yes I will be the change I expect in others! - MiM
Of course we can change things a lot, but how and when remains a concern...I was on a holiday and was so bothered, hurt and pained that I kept reading the websites again and again...many emotions flooded my senses...a sense of fear that next it could be me...and instead of writing a travelogue I was writing few snippets of what I felt...
As a average citizen whom do I fight against
1) Petty thieves / murderers etc
2) Against corrupt government officials
3) Against incompetent politicians who want us to get a VISA to travel between states
4) Or against the new age terror - not knowing what is going to explode and when - who is going to shoot and where
After all this aftermath of a huge unfortunate event it shouldn't be like before - Light candles - have candle light vigils - wear white shirts and black bands and get ready for the next attack. Like the sacrificial goat all dressed up! Lets do all the above, thats the only way we can pay our respects to the departed souls but lets not lose focus let us keep reminding ourselves and our government that we have to be on our toes and our lives and security can't be taken for granted.
All the four points can be averted if we the entire people / public join together.
1) If a guy steals a chain or picks a pocket and I scream for help, if the entire public help in catching him - I will feel secure...
2) We should ensure we don't pay bribes anymore and get the corrupt people caught - you might lose a few days of work and a few thousand rupees in expenses but you have served your nation / society by cleaning / clearing one dirty weed.
3) Don't listen to /elect such politicians and periodically remind them that they are our servants and not vice versa.
4) Demand / formulate rules, be aware of your surroundings and things that go around you.
There are a lot of new initiatives like i lead the way; a billion hands - lets really hope we can all take a active part and change / save our lives / future. A lot of things like PIL by the public and other actions by the government looks right now, let pray and hope we and the government don't slacken.
The future is in our hands lets redefine it!
A Billion Hands
India Leadership Network
Wild thoughts of MiM - 1
Wild thoughts of MiM -2
m.I.m
St Nicolas Church - Guildford, UK
After becoming a regular member of this quiet & beautiful church in the well known town Guildford, Surrey, UK, I was invited to write a article for the church of my experience here and this was what I had given them.
Thanks Father Andrew for this nice little opportunity.
Dear Friends,
I am Monish Matthias, if you can’t recollect who I am; it’s not your fault. I am the person who hijacks the church warden’s chair at the back of the church and runs out headlong once church gets over only to find Father Andrew’s smiling face, warm handshake and nice words of comfort.
Let me give you some background information, An Indian, came here initially for 6 months (Feb 2008) on work which is now extended by 6 months and I expect to be on my way back soon. I was born in the southern land of spices in a state called TamilNadu. The chance to come to the UK was a dream come true as Europe and in particular, the UK always had a special place in my dreams and in my country’s history
The first few days sped by predictably in acclimatizing to the cold. I spent many hours in trying many different ways to keep myself warm ,Suddenly, hibernation in the animal kingdom made perfect sense!. As I started exploring Guildford, the beauty of Guildford started unraveling itself in the most poetic and subdued manner, the cobbled high street of Guildford was a marvelous piece of work and especially seeing St Nicolas Church and the mount behind it was worth many photographs to be taken.
In Chennai, we are members of St Georges Cathedral, a beautiful English-built church built in the 18th century. Like many children I have also feigned sickness, tiredness and tried other tricks in the book to evade my dad and mom waking me up for attending the early morning church service at 7:30 AM. Matters improved somewhat once I started attending Sunday school ( with all the chocolates and gifts from my Sunday school teachers), However, year end exams there as well seemed to put a temporary end to my affection for Sunday school classes. However over the years, with Gods presence and blessings I have now morphed into a regular church attendee. Despite 100% Sunday church attendance remaining a far dream, I console myself with the thought of aspiring to 100% commitment in DESIRING to go to church and pray.
Despite being a resident at recreation road with many churches close by, I used to walk down to St Nicolas church. I recall being filled with nervousness on my first visit as I was fresh in the UK and hadn’t got a hang of local cultural habits, .I walked in, occupied a seat in the last row like a school student imagining he has maximum security and fun when farthest from the teacher! The church looked beautiful and I reminded myself that I was fortunate to be in such a beautiful old church in a country where Christianity roots are so well spread. Then service started and I was instantly calmed. The service is similar to the service back home, the biggest change being the peace offering that we give each other here. Back home, the members of the choir carry the peace to each row and pass it to the first member and they in turn pass it on to the next person in the same row. Here when I saw people greet each other with no particular order, my heart missed a few beats again as I was under the impression that only familiarity bespoke greetings and I knew none then but some people were kind enough to offer their peace handshakes and I instantly was put to ease. Thank you, all once again for your warm and welcoming ways!
At end of service, I started to walk out and was instantly spotted by Father Andrew. Recognizing me to be a newcomer, he warmly asked about me and made me feel instantly welcome and wanted in the new church. Such small gestures really make a person feel good. This is also essentially different from the Indian churches as we have more than 500 – 1000 visitors on an average crowded Sunday church service. It would take the church father a couple of hours to speak to each one of us individually. A highlight of my church worship in the UK has been Father Andrew’s visit to my house on two occasions. I felt both humbled and happy to have the church father visit me at home especially when he knew that I would be around for a short time. Other cherished memories will be that of the young kids playing and creating the much desired fun atmosphere, the senior members who have asked me for my name and made me feel welcome. This church made me feel so at home that I had invited a friend Shashank from India to experience a church service (Easter vigil service) here. Though he practices a different religion he loved the experience. Some of the best churches I have seen are our St Nicolas Church Guildford, Notre Dame Paris, St Georges Chapel Windsor, St Georges Cathedral India and Christ Church Oxford. I am sure this church will rise to great glory under the Lords blessings, Father Andrew’s leadership and the great commitment of each church member. I will remember you all in my prayers and do give me a call / mail when you visit India. I am sure all of you would love India and the different culture there; I extend my warmest welcome to all of you to visit India. Looking forward to spend a happy Christmas with all of you and advance wishes for a lovely run up to Christmas and a happy Christmas.
St Nicolas Church, Guildford
m.I.m
Thanks Father Andrew for this nice little opportunity.
Dear Friends,
I am Monish Matthias, if you can’t recollect who I am; it’s not your fault. I am the person who hijacks the church warden’s chair at the back of the church and runs out headlong once church gets over only to find Father Andrew’s smiling face, warm handshake and nice words of comfort.
Let me give you some background information, An Indian, came here initially for 6 months (Feb 2008) on work which is now extended by 6 months and I expect to be on my way back soon. I was born in the southern land of spices in a state called TamilNadu. The chance to come to the UK was a dream come true as Europe and in particular, the UK always had a special place in my dreams and in my country’s history
The first few days sped by predictably in acclimatizing to the cold. I spent many hours in trying many different ways to keep myself warm ,Suddenly, hibernation in the animal kingdom made perfect sense!. As I started exploring Guildford, the beauty of Guildford started unraveling itself in the most poetic and subdued manner, the cobbled high street of Guildford was a marvelous piece of work and especially seeing St Nicolas Church and the mount behind it was worth many photographs to be taken.
In Chennai, we are members of St Georges Cathedral, a beautiful English-built church built in the 18th century. Like many children I have also feigned sickness, tiredness and tried other tricks in the book to evade my dad and mom waking me up for attending the early morning church service at 7:30 AM. Matters improved somewhat once I started attending Sunday school ( with all the chocolates and gifts from my Sunday school teachers), However, year end exams there as well seemed to put a temporary end to my affection for Sunday school classes. However over the years, with Gods presence and blessings I have now morphed into a regular church attendee. Despite 100% Sunday church attendance remaining a far dream, I console myself with the thought of aspiring to 100% commitment in DESIRING to go to church and pray.
Despite being a resident at recreation road with many churches close by, I used to walk down to St Nicolas church. I recall being filled with nervousness on my first visit as I was fresh in the UK and hadn’t got a hang of local cultural habits, .I walked in, occupied a seat in the last row like a school student imagining he has maximum security and fun when farthest from the teacher! The church looked beautiful and I reminded myself that I was fortunate to be in such a beautiful old church in a country where Christianity roots are so well spread. Then service started and I was instantly calmed. The service is similar to the service back home, the biggest change being the peace offering that we give each other here. Back home, the members of the choir carry the peace to each row and pass it to the first member and they in turn pass it on to the next person in the same row. Here when I saw people greet each other with no particular order, my heart missed a few beats again as I was under the impression that only familiarity bespoke greetings and I knew none then but some people were kind enough to offer their peace handshakes and I instantly was put to ease. Thank you, all once again for your warm and welcoming ways!
At end of service, I started to walk out and was instantly spotted by Father Andrew. Recognizing me to be a newcomer, he warmly asked about me and made me feel instantly welcome and wanted in the new church. Such small gestures really make a person feel good. This is also essentially different from the Indian churches as we have more than 500 – 1000 visitors on an average crowded Sunday church service. It would take the church father a couple of hours to speak to each one of us individually. A highlight of my church worship in the UK has been Father Andrew’s visit to my house on two occasions. I felt both humbled and happy to have the church father visit me at home especially when he knew that I would be around for a short time. Other cherished memories will be that of the young kids playing and creating the much desired fun atmosphere, the senior members who have asked me for my name and made me feel welcome. This church made me feel so at home that I had invited a friend Shashank from India to experience a church service (Easter vigil service) here. Though he practices a different religion he loved the experience. Some of the best churches I have seen are our St Nicolas Church Guildford, Notre Dame Paris, St Georges Chapel Windsor, St Georges Cathedral India and Christ Church Oxford. I am sure this church will rise to great glory under the Lords blessings, Father Andrew’s leadership and the great commitment of each church member. I will remember you all in my prayers and do give me a call / mail when you visit India. I am sure all of you would love India and the different culture there; I extend my warmest welcome to all of you to visit India. Looking forward to spend a happy Christmas with all of you and advance wishes for a lovely run up to Christmas and a happy Christmas.
St Nicolas Church, Guildford
m.I.m
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wild thoughts of MiM! - Part 2
Some wild thoughts running through me...part 2
Being politically correct!
What would you say to your host when you visit their rest room and it smells mucky, yucky and what not?
Well you could say a lot of things...but to be politically correct you will have to say the following...
Your rest room is full of character / your rest room oozes out character / your rest room smells of vintage character [amidst breathlessness and heavy breath (may be even wrap a hand kerchief over your nose)]
Wild Thoughts - Part 1
m.I.m
Being politically correct!
What would you say to your host when you visit their rest room and it smells mucky, yucky and what not?
Well you could say a lot of things...but to be politically correct you will have to say the following...
Your rest room is full of character / your rest room oozes out character / your rest room smells of vintage character [amidst breathlessness and heavy breath (may be even wrap a hand kerchief over your nose)]
Wild Thoughts - Part 1
m.I.m
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Pictures at Wikipedia
Have contributed some pictures to Wikipedia...three cheers to Wikipedia...Wikipedia and Google are currently big time life lines...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye#Photo_gallery
Dense cloud cover over the London Eye in summer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye#Photo_gallery
The beauty of the London Eye at night.
Dense cloud cover over the London Eye in summer
Monday, November 10, 2008
Windsor Castle and Oxford
Had been to a 1000 year old castle - Windsor castle this weekend for a day visit. A few of us from office rented a car and off we went in a Vauxhall Vectra to visit the Castle, in Windsor in the county of Berkshire. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world and is the oldest in continuous occupation.We were surprised to know that the castle's floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet hmm pretty spacious. It is really a place to see with the grand interiors and great architecture and grandiose designs. Were fortunate to spot a few Indian crowns, swords and artifacts from India. The doll rooms and the palace insides are marvelous, words just cant describe them nor pictures as photography is banned in the insides of the palace to preserve the old art and other designs.
For more details click here
Must do activity in Windsor are
1) Take a tour of the Windsor Castle - The castle takes about 3-4 hours on a average.
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=34
2) St Georges Chapel - The chapel is very beautiful and can be visited with the same ticket of the castle.
http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/
3) Guard Change - Try catching the guard change, happens on particular dates and only if the weather permits.
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=34
4) Eton College
5) Royal - Windsor Great Park
Outside Windsor Castle
From Windsor we drove down to Oxford, the only place where the Thames river is called The Isis. Oxford has always been a term well heard surrounding the heights of education, well the University of Oxford, which is one of the earliest universities in the English speaking world (around the 12th century). Oxford is a nice old town with grand buildings and many places to visit and roam around for a day. We had food at pizza hut or must I say pasta hut, I had some Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce and chicken breasts and yummy nachos. We then walked around the high street and then we had a funny goof up with our gps, it lead us into small lanes and then finally into a dead end and it was a pain turning and getting out...finally we parked and we went to the Christ Church College, the famous place where the harry potter series was shot and must the entire place / dining hall was too good. Then we visited their Cathedral and did some shopping and walked down to the high street to visit Carfax tower, University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Radiffe camera, University of Oxford, Queens college, Trinity collage and finally some shopping at westgate plaza and we were off on our way back home...60 minutes later back in Guildford and few minutes later cosyly settled at home....
For more info click here
For more info on the University click here
Must do activity in Oxford are
1) Christ Church Tour
http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/
2) Carfax Tower
3) Radiffe Camera
4) University Church of St Mary the Virgin
5) Sheldonian Theatre
etc etc...
Christ College Church(Hogwarts Hall)-------------------------Radiffe Camera
Happy travelling.
Update 27/12/2008: Free ticket to Windsor Castle??? If you have visited Windsor Castle before, you need to get a get a form stamped and take that with the ticket of the last time, you will get a free entry the next time. This is valid for a year.
The entire picture set can be found in the below link
MiM_PHOTOGRAPHY
m.I.m
For more details click here
Must do activity in Windsor are
1) Take a tour of the Windsor Castle - The castle takes about 3-4 hours on a average.
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=34
2) St Georges Chapel - The chapel is very beautiful and can be visited with the same ticket of the castle.
http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/
3) Guard Change - Try catching the guard change, happens on particular dates and only if the weather permits.
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=34
4) Eton College
5) Royal - Windsor Great Park
Windsor Castle
Outside Windsor Castle
St George Chapel
Guard Change
From Windsor we drove down to Oxford, the only place where the Thames river is called The Isis. Oxford has always been a term well heard surrounding the heights of education, well the University of Oxford, which is one of the earliest universities in the English speaking world (around the 12th century). Oxford is a nice old town with grand buildings and many places to visit and roam around for a day. We had food at pizza hut or must I say pasta hut, I had some Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce and chicken breasts and yummy nachos. We then walked around the high street and then we had a funny goof up with our gps, it lead us into small lanes and then finally into a dead end and it was a pain turning and getting out...finally we parked and we went to the Christ Church College, the famous place where the harry potter series was shot and must the entire place / dining hall was too good. Then we visited their Cathedral and did some shopping and walked down to the high street to visit Carfax tower, University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Radiffe camera, University of Oxford, Queens college, Trinity collage and finally some shopping at westgate plaza and we were off on our way back home...60 minutes later back in Guildford and few minutes later cosyly settled at home....
For more info click here
For more info on the University click here
Must do activity in Oxford are
1) Christ Church Tour
http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/
2) Carfax Tower
3) Radiffe Camera
4) University Church of St Mary the Virgin
5) Sheldonian Theatre
etc etc...
Carfax Tower-----------------------------------Oxford High Street
Christ College Church-------------------------------Cathedral
Christ College Church(Hogwarts Hall)-------------------------Radiffe Camera
Happy travelling.
Update 27/12/2008: Free ticket to Windsor Castle??? If you have visited Windsor Castle before, you need to get a get a form stamped and take that with the ticket of the last time, you will get a free entry the next time. This is valid for a year.
The entire picture set can be found in the below link
MiM_PHOTOGRAPHY
m.I.m
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