All posts tagged: friends

Happy Birthday Blog!

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T hree-6-5 days ago, this was just another wordpress.com weblog H ere its umbilical chord was cut, it became The Shooting Star. E nchanted by its first post, first reader & first comment, this blog S ang its way into the blogosphere, with cliched themes & bizarre. H ome to 105 posts & graced by 16,000 readers, now is a moment O f reflection & joy, and gratitude & celebration. O nce upon a time, a blog was merely meant T o be a goofy forum; today it redefines communication I n a world where time & ideas are hard to find. N ow I deviate from this happy, proud occasion, G lad indeed that The Shooting Star has defined S omething in my life that was once mere anticipation. T hrough this journey, my blog has become a part of me A s I write this, I think about the future and what has been R eally, all I want to say is, dear blog, Happy Birthday! On The Shooting Star’s first birthday, I …

Tagaytay City, Philippines

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Somewhere among the clouds lie the highlands of Tagaytay, green and misty, 2 hours away from the busy city life of Manila, the capital. It is here that I spent the weekend, treated to a gorgeous view of the Taal lake, and among people so warm and friendly that it almost felt like home. The trip was sponsored by Accenture, for a 3-day Student Leadership Conference (SLC), during which all of Taal Vista was filled with what I believe to be some of the brightest minds in the Philippines. It never ceases to amaze me that despite our geographical remoteness, the journey we undertake as students tends to bind us in no time at all, like we were always in it together. The SLC was styled with seminars conducted by senior Accenture executives, and intersparsed with team activities that made me feel like a college freshie again! The highlight of the stay was the post-conference bonding with students from different parts of the Philippines, including Baguio, Cebu and Manila. It took me less than a …

Coldplay Live in Singapore!

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We didn’t get to heaven but we made it close.  This is going to be a really short post, because I can’t even begin to describe what it feels like seeing Coldplay perform live! Chris Martin is really awesomeness personified, with an unbelievable voice and a truckload of energy. *Bows* I am still suffering from Coldplay withdrawal symptoms, or as my friend would say, Coldstroke! I can still hear violet hill live in my head, I can still choke on Chris Martin doing fix you,  I am still speechless imagining the hardest part, I am still lost. What a concert! And in the end We lie awake And we dream We’re making our escape… Shivya NathWelcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.

2009

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2009 has finally marched into our lives with dreams of peace, happiness and prosperity. Season’s greetings to everyone! After 3 weeks of living out of a suitcase, a Hong Kong trip, and a Rajasthani holiday, I am back in the blogosphere. My mind is throbbing with posts to be written, my google reader is overflowing, my supply of books has been refurbished, I am finally home and in winter mode, life is good. I am embracing 2009 with open arms. Resolutions, though, are already in tatters. 2008, in retrospect, has been a good year. I fell in love with blogging, graduated unofficially, rediscovered books. The others demand individual posts. Realizations ’08 There is such a thing as too much chocolate. The blogger’s bug shows up its scratchy head all the time. Travel, adventure, people, thoughts, all fight their way anti-laziness as potential posts. Silence is the second most wonderful thing. The sky is a spectacle in itself. Sun rise, sunset, stars, moon, all of it. B r e a k i n g n e …

Hong Kong!

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The Asian hub of lights and color, Hong Kong, welcomed my most spontaneous trip thus far. I was in India for less than 3 days when I was asked to fly out to HK for an assessment centre! Adventure in disguise. A colorful mix of India and Singapore, Hong Kong charmed me with its mountaineous landscape and windy winter. A refreshing blend of corporate city life and nature. After a day and a half of rigorous testing, I let my hair down and became a tourist. I stayed with some distant family at the palatial Park View Apartments, up in Hong Kong island, which is home to some incredible hiking trails. I ventured on one with a couple of friends who frequent such trails. Our aim was to conquer Mount Parker. After a relatively simple stretch of 45 minutes, we reached the base of the mountain. I had anticipated adventure, but not exactly the kind with a narrow, undefined, uphill climb amid rocks, mud and bushes. Did I mention deadly?! It struck me midway that …

happy diwali

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To ye and to all, a Happy Diwali! Celebrations galore. Let there be lights and diyas, firecrackers and sparklers, and delightful, irresistible food. May the good in all of us taste victory over evil temptations, an end to an exile of hardship, pain and oblivion. It’s that time of the year again. The time when families come together and pray to the Goddess Lakshmi and the Lord Ganesha, for good luck and wealth, to our creator Vishnu, for happiness, and to Indra, for satisfaction. The time when homes, shops and streets glow with lights, hoping that the gods will find their way to our humble abodes. The time when evenings roar with crackers and the sky crackles with mini rockets, and kids jump around dancing sparks from anars and chakris. The time when all our world unites in a bright, loud, happy celebration. May this festival of lights enlighten our lives! Shivya NathWelcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, …

Desaru, A Getaway in Malaysia

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I’m still in holiday mood. The last 3 days were nothing short of bliss. No work, no stress, no deadlines. 72 hours of pure randomness, some spookiness, loads of gossip, and drunken tequila talk. A bunch of us packed our bags and headed to Malaysia, with no plans and no maps. The idea was to go on a trekking trail which starts at Gunung Lambak near Johor Bahru, but by the time we made it to JB, the evening sun was already sinking, and a jungle trek didn’t seem very appropriate. The trip was exactly that, random. We got onto a bus and a couple of broken cabs, and made our way to Desaru. Desaru is a beach resort, with clear blue sea, whitish sand, jungle trails, white colored scurrying crabs, komodo dragons and fireflies. Luckily, our trip was a weekday trip, which meant Desaru showed scant signs of civilization, and we pretty much had the entire place to our happy selves. The night was full of stars (a rare sight in Singapore), a shiny moon, and what we identified as …

Bungee Jumping!

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Imagine riding in the sky, with your adrenalin soaring, the wind in your face, your heart in your throat, your stomach somersaulting, your head screaming obscenities. That’s just how it felt, like you were dropping, flying, defying gravity, falling, all in the same instant!  Bungee Jumping wasn’t initially part of the plan. We were only looking for a 7-eleven at Boat Quay, landed instead at Clarke Quay, and got talked into “living the moment!” Carpe Diem, Seize the day. So the next thing the three of us know, we are on the Bungee Xtreme Swing at 1:15 am. It was beyond scary, because the damned thing has nothing you can hold on to. You’re strapped in your seat and that’s about it. Then they raise you real high, and for the fall to start (it’s reverse bungee), you have to press a release lever. It’s a catch, trust me, if you’re entrusted with the responsibility of pulling it, sitting in the centre, shit scared.  The drop was insane! I really can’t think of words to describe it. It was …

The 3 best graduation speeches

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[Update September 2018]: I’m excited to share that after 7 years of travelling the world – 5 of those without a home or permanent address – I’ve written a book about my journey! My first book, The Shooting Star, charts my journey from the cubicle to the road and from small-town India to remote corners of the globe. Published by Penguin, the book is now available on Amazon and Flipkart. Words can be ‘weapons’ of mass inspiration, especially when the right ones are found at the right moments, moments which tend to define the rest of our lives. The following three graduation speeches inspire me most as I prepare to undertake the journey that lies ahead. One. Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple, to the Class of 2005 at Stanford. Two. Chetan Bhagat, an IIT grad and the author of Five Point Someone, at Symbiosis (India) Convocation 2008. Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort …

The Blogosphere – my second home

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What started as my lonely little space on the world wide web has integrated into a community of bloggers-turned-friends, rather fast. Well, virtual friends. It took me a while to realize that the blogosphere is full of some amazing people, writers, acquaintances, readers, visitors, even stalkers! I am very honored and rather touched to receive my first ever set of blogging awards today, from a fellow blogger, Nikhil. Thanks Nikhil! Blogging friends forever indeed!  Honestly, I’m not too sure what the 2nd award implies. Oops, honesty I suppose. I’ve seen such blogging awards on some blogs I’ve visited in the past, and today, when I finally became a recipient, I started to explore the origin of these awards. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much, except the blogs of fellow award winners. So now, I’m quite convinced that someone, somewhere, woke up one morning and thought of creating a way to appreciate the efforts of bloggers who kept him entertained on mundane days, informed on busy days, and connected on lonely days,. A way to strengthen blogging bonds among …