One of my favourite spots in Chicago

If someone ask me about the place which I liked the most in Chicago - i would say its the neighbourhood of the Chicago Bahai temple - a place of natural beauty and peace.

Me and my colleagues visited this place on a fine saturday. The Bahai temple is located in Wilmette, in the northern suburbs of Chicago. It took about half a hour to reach this place from our home. The roads are surrounded by tall trees and shade-loving plants and the place is really calm.

After reaching Wilmette, we had to walk for about 15 minutes to the location. Finally, we got the glimpse of the white building - the Bahai temple. The Bahai temple does have a unique architectural sytle which allows light to stream into the building from every angle. This temple is open for everyone. The factor which attracted me in this temple is the calm atmosphere which allows to spend as much as time to meditate and stay peacefully. The ornamental patterns of the temple is really marvelous. The place reminded me of the Vivekananda temple at KanyaKumari in India. The Bahai temple is surrounded by by fountains and nine formal gardens with wide variety of beautiful flowers. Those violet flowers are still fresh in my memory. From one side of the garden, we could view the beauty of the Chicago River.

We proceeded towards the beach after having some snacks. The beach was really crowded that day. My friends got ready for swimming, well, i tried my virtual swimming along with them:). It was really fun and we spent the evening playing in the beach.

But we had to get back from the beach, as there was a thunderstorm alarm. From the beach, we started roaming around the neighbourhood. There is a golf court nearby and a small lake which elevates the natural beauty of this place. For nature lovers in Chicago, i highly recommend this location.

Sania Mania

My day was going good, until i browsed to find out that my favourite player lost the match, the match the whole India was looking forward to. Sania Mizra, teenage sensation of India crashed out of Australian Open Tennis loosing to Michaella Krajicek in the second round of the tournament. It was really disappointing to see that she lost in straight sets 3-6, 5-7.


There are really few Indian tennis players who gets qualified to play for grand slam tennis. And its really a great victory for Indians, when we see someone amoung us managing to get through world tournaments. Sania, seeded world no.32 is India's highest-ranked female player. She has earned huge fans all over India which the media use to refer as 'Sania Mania'. She managed to reach the 4th round of US Open last year, which is considered as one of the major milestones in her tennis career. Although she lost the Australian Open this year, i beleive, the world will find her name as the winner of a couple of grand slam tournaments sooner in the coming years.

2005 Recap

2005 was really an exciting year in my life. The year I first travelled abroad, and that too, to the beautiful city of Chicago. I didn't know much about Chicago, but for the fact that it was known as the Windy City.

Me and my colleagues came here for an onsite assignment from my company for 6 months. We reached Chicago in the freezing temperatures of February. Initially, it was difficult for me to adjust due to the effects of jet lag and the sudden climate change, not to mention that I was very homesick. But that apart, i was also very excited to see the heavy snow and experience the new culture.

It was a real change for me - from the cosiness of family life to a life with my friends. I was with a bunch of new people with whom I have never been before, though we were at the same office. We used to spend our weekends roaming around Chicago, soaking in the sights and experiencing the culture.

I visited many spots in Chicago starting from the Sears Tower, Shed Aquarium, Adler Platenorium to some exciting places like Six Flags amusement park, ESPN Zone.

In between, I had a great time playing various games from cricket, throwball, cards to board games like scrabble and chess. When it comes to cooking, i should admit that the boys were far better cooks than the girls:). I was fortunate to have made a couple of new friends this year, which made my life away from my family, much easier.

My office is in downtown Chicago right opposite the Sears Tower. My official work was not challenging intially, but luckily I was moved to a new project which made me very happy and also really busy.But the onsite assignment got extended again and again which made me more and more homesick.



Today, I had a talk with my boss and he confirmed my return date will be early February. I felt really happy to hear the news. Finally I am going home, to my family, to my life. I am sure, I am gonna miss my Chicago life once I go back, but I will be taking with me the golden memories of the year 2005.

To my dearest friend

When I turn back to my old days, there is something special which I realise.. I am always gifted with true friends, friends to whom I can discuss a wide range of topics, from my silly mistakes and funny things which happen to my life to the deep worries and the problems in my life. Those talks make me laugh a lot and lessen my brudens. My friends always provide me the right advice and support to proceed further. I cherish the memories which I had with my best friend - Indu.

Me and Indu studied together in college. Initially, we were not very comfortable with each other as our choices were really different. I really dont remember what made her add me to her friends-list. After first year, when the hostel rooms were shuffled, we happened to share the same room. And thats how we started to know each other a lot. Everyday, after the college, we used to discuss about our day and about each and every thoughts regarding it. There was nothing to worry, even if you fail in some subject or had a fight with someone. Because, I knew that, there is always my friend to support me and make me happy. Hmm.. Those were the golden times of my life. Now both of us are seperated into different families. Indu is married to Biju and now she is settled in Kuwait. She is having a beautiful daugther, Malu and she is a working mom. I am very happy for all she has in her life. We use to chat and mail each other. Though, we are not updated with the current topics in each others life,deep down i realise the friendship we have is still pure as a fresh rose. Indu, I am proud to be your friend and I am sure this friendship will last forever. Wish you all the best in ur future..