Handmade jewerly are gaining popularity these days which were on market a decade ago. Be it jute, clay or handmade beads, there are many buyers. I bought a pair of paper made red earrings and a pendant for Rs 89/-. Nice design isn't it, what do you think?

Last July(2013), I was in Mysore to attend a function at cousins. I wished to visit Mysore on my own and click the palace. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it due to the time constraint, but somehow I managed to peep at Bombe Mane, the place which has been much talked of the beautiful and unique dolls. I couldn't resist visiting this place and bought home an Ambari (the golden seat for Goddess Chamundi on the elephant), which is carried on the elephant's back on Vijaya Dashami, the last day of Dasara.

Aneya mele Ambari.

The Ambari was pricey but its worth the price I paid.

Singapore Flyer is one the attraction in the heart of Singapore situated close to the Gardens by the Bay and Chinese Garden. It is a giant wheel kind of which moves very slowly unlike the other giant wheels which speed up fast in the air. One could get the best view of the entire city from the Flyer. I was on the Flyer at 9:30 PM, the last schedule, along with few Japanese girls. Here are few pictures taken on my iPhone and DSLR camera. The entire ride lasts for 30 minutes.

More details can be found here: http://www.singaporeflyer.com/

Marina Bay Sands Tower

Gardens by the Bay

View of the City

Another tall building and the calm roads

How the Singapore Flyer cabin looks

View from the top: Parking lot

Marina Bay Sands Tower, Museum and the buildings

Gardens by the Bay

Shops at the entrance of the Singapore Flyer building

Singapore Flyer View at night

 

The online e-learning courses are gaining popularities these days. Sit anywhere, at home, at desk, at a coffee shop or even while on bus and learn your favourite courses on the go. I signed up a couple of courses and have been busy completing them one after the other which has kept me away from my other hobbies. The major platforms being Coursera, Udacity, Udemy, Open2Study and edX which offer courses from the top universities at no cost, though Udemy offers the courses at a fee. Here is an overview of each of the platform.

• Coursera  (http://www.ccoursera.org)

I signed up Coursera last year and browsed their website for a long time and it was amazing to see the courses from top US universities like Wharton School or UCI or Darden, that I signed up few courses. I was able to complete 2 wonderful courses and obtained Statement of Accomplishment. The courses usually last for 2-3 months. If you miss one term, then you can sign up the same course when they offer next time. What I liked the most about the Coursera is that, it had a wide range of offerings, be it Arts, Design, Science, Programming, Engineering or an MBA course. Most courses have weekly quizzes, assignments and a final project. There is also a Discussion Forum where students can discuss their concerns and a Community TA who promptly clarifies. However, the assignments and the projects are peer graded. Coursera also offers: Signature Track for USD 49, where the certificate bears the logo of the university and authenticity could be verified online. Though, I am not sure how far these verified certificates are valued and worth of, I wouldn't sign up at present. Overall, I liked the content and the materials of this platform. You have to study from Day 1 you sign up the course and there is no last minute study.

• Udacity (http://www.udacity.com)

• edX (https://www.edx.org/)

This platform is an initiative from the Open Universities Australia. Some courses have start and end date while others could be signed up anytime and completed anytime. I did not find the content to be effective and un-signed them.

Here is my 2 cents about all the MOOC's. I would reckon signing up free course on Coursera anytime than others. The content and material on Coursera is better than the other MOOCs.

XOXO ~manasa~

I visited The KO Shop, located at J.P. Nagar, 1st Phase, 15th Cross Bustop here in Bangalore. The shop is famous for its fashion jewelry made of silver. Here is the Sky Blue Onyx Silver Bracelet which I thought of purchase, but the "fixed" silver price of Rs 5,000 something disappointed me. And the price of the bracelet was no where close to this amount and I left the shop without buying.

Blue Onyx Silver Bracelet

Gold and Silver prices vary every day and the established jewelers sell at the fluctuating cost. What's your opinion on the silver fashion jewelry stores selling at the fixed cost.

XOXO ~manasa~

My first travel trip this year started whilst visiting Hyderabad city and the much appraised Lord Balaji of Chilkur, which is more often popular "Visa Balaji Temple" or "Visala Devudu" (in Telugu, it means, Visa granting God). It was a Monday morning, 10th Feb 2014, I changed 3 buses to see the lord and Hyderabad being unfriendly in terms of weather, around 40 degrees centigrade. Having traveled handful places, sometimes alone, this too was on my wishlist for a long time and the time had come to visit alone.

Shops at Chilkur, on the way to temple

Shops at Chilkur, on the way to temple

Entrance to the Balaji temple

Entrance to the temple

Balaji Temple Gopuram

I reached the temple around 12 noon and was taken by surprise to see the rush. The devotees have to leave behind their mobile phones and cameras, any other belongings if you wish, in the locker before entering the temple. You have to deposit a small fee, as less as Rs 5 or Rs 10 to obtain the locker. As I entered the temple, I made a struggle to enter the Garbha Gudi to see the idol. The boards display that the devotee should make a wish without closing the eyes. You would also notice that there is no Hundi here. Lakhs of people visit the temple everyday and make a single wish by making 11 rounds and once the wish is fulfilled, you have to visit the temple and make 108 rounds. The temple provides the printed sheets from 1 to 108. Remember to take a pen to strike off the number as you complete a round.

I was mesmerized seeing the Bhakti of the devotees, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, busy making rounds and chanting "Govinda Govinda" with the palms joined. The Lord does not demand anything except 108 rounds, not even a Hundi as you see in other temples.

Street side shop selling bangles

Shops on the way to the temple.

It is believed that, a decade ago, when the visas were being rejected by the US embassy, people would visit the temple and then there were no rejections at all. I would definitely visit this temple again for its ambiance and divinity, though its not for a Visa. :)

15th Feb 2014

How could one not visit Charminar and shop around while in Hyderabad? No matter how many pearls and bangles you own, you still want more. When you could get a lot for Rs 500, shopping for less money and gaining more becomes a joy in itself. 

Few bangle sets that I purchased with lot of bargaining. 

I have developed a liking for traditional jewelry of all states and collect whatever lies within my budget, these days.

I saw this beautiful nose pin called "Nath" in Marathi which is worn by every Maharashtrian bride during the wedding. Not only during the wedding, women wear it during the auspicious function and festivals also. Here are a few pics of the Bollywood celebrities wearing the "nath"

Madhuri Dixit wearing "nath"

Juhi Chawla wearing "nath" and the traditional "Lakshmi coin" haar.

Isha Koppikar

Rani Mukherjee wearing Maharashtrian "nath" and traditional Nauvari saree

My Maharashtrian Nath

I decided to buy this beautiful piece of jewelry, whether I get a chance to wear it or not, I own it. It has pink colored stone in the middle with the pearls surrounded and a pressing one which can be worn without pierced nose.

I was at Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh (which is now Seemandhra!) in April to visit a friend. Chittoor is a stop before Tirupati and 1 hour on road to Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The temperature here goes as high as 40 degree Centigrade during summer and frequent power cuts. The nearby places to visit are a few temples at Tirupati, Kanipkam Vinayaka Temple, ArdhaGiri Anjaneya and Mahalakshmi temple at Vellore.

Having less time and considering the climate, Kanipakam was the nearest place to visit from Chittoor which is 30 minutes on bus. On reaching the temple premises, we deposited the cell phones and cameras at the counter. Note that the phones and cameras are not allowed and you might end up paying huge fines if you take them along inside.

The temple has a pond or "sarovar" at the entrance where you can wash the feet before entering the temple and few people also float the "deepa" or light.

Entrance of Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple

We bought a quick Darshana ticket costing Rs 51 thinking that we will see the god in no time, but stood in the queue for a long time and finally the Darshana lasted only a few minutes as there were many devotees in the queue. The Ganesha idol is a small one which is believed to be emerged out of waters and keeps growing in size. The temple is vast and well-maintained. Many men and women shave their head once their wish is fulfilled and many young new married couples, still in their wedding attire, come to the temple to seek the Lord's blessings.

There are many shops at the temple premises selling the "malas" worn around the neck, Ganesha idols and what not.

Shops at the temple

Shops at the temple

 As we had traveled in the hot summer, we had the popular "goli soda" for Rs 10 which is sold everywhere.

Goli Soda

Goli Soda

Goli Soda

Fruit seller

Various items for display by the seller

I bought the Ganesha cards that easily fit in my wallet for Rs 5.

Kan-drusthi Ganapathi Card

Ganesha cards for sale Rs 5

Not to miss the bringing home a Ganesha idol made of stone.

Ganesha placed in the waters

Ganesha idols with the Rudraksha and Spatika mala

 Last but not the least, how could I miss the souvenir and bought this cute little Ganesh, with the "Spatika" and "Rudraksha" mala around the neck.

Ganesha in the water

If you're visiting Chittoor, Tirupati or Vellore, do not miss to visit Kanipakam and bow to Ganesha and seek his blessings.

I watched Chokher Bali, the Hindi version of the Bengali movie, a few weeks ago. The movie is a decade old, released in the year 2003. Having heard a lot of appraises and many reviews saying a No No watch, the movie speaks about the sacrifice and the status of the young widow in the society in the olden days.





Aishwarya Rai plays the role of a young widow, Binodini, who lost her husband within the first anniversary and strictly followed the norms set by the society for a widow wearing a white saree and other rituals, though she is educated and can speak English, during the early 20th century. Reema Sen, an illiterate plays Ashalata, is the wife of Prosenjit Chatterjee playing the role of Mahendra. Mahendra's mother requests the lonely Binodini to stay at their house. Ashalata and Binodini become good friends and Mahendra's mother is also impressed by Binodini's intelligence and wit. As time flies, Mahendra soon realizes that Binodini is beautiful, smart and intelligent and falls for her. Their relationship continues in secrecy and soon Ashalata learns the fact and leaves the home and travels to Kashi. Ashalata's mother-in-law accuses her of the mistake and asks Binodini to leave the house. Binodini approaches Behari, Mahendra's friend, who always admires her, to marry her. But Behari refuses. Binodini later returns to her house in her village but Mahendra follows her. I will not write the complete story here and will wait for the reader to watch it. Aishwarya's role as Binodini is outstanding and has carried out very well. It would be wrong if one doesn't appreciate the role played by Reema Sen. Her role as Binodini's friend is absolutely stunning.

The young widow had suffered being taken advantage by Mahendra and would not give her a status of a wife and would remain his keep. The novel, authored by Rabindranath Tagore had always regretted the ending.