Appa's 60th Birthday - 'Sashti Poorthi'

Recently my dad completed 60 years of his life and it’s very customary in our culture to celebrate such an occasion and it’s called as ‘Sashthiyaptha Poorthi’. Appa was not at all interested in such a function but I felt it’s my duty to carry out this function since it’s very seldom that both the partners are together at the age of sixty. For every person, dad is always their first hero in one's life and it was no exception for me. I still remember the HR question during my first job interview, who is your role model and I have no doubt in saying my dad is my role model. 

There are many aspects which I felt my dad was special: successful marital life of 33 years and continuing, perfect family man and carrying out all the activities even at this age, never been to alcohol/smoking, giving his best to bring up his son: educating him in abroad and making standing on his own leg, perfect own house and more importantly no debts around. For all the globetrotting which I am doing now, it was my dad who showed me the pleasure of travelling around places during my childhood days. I wish him all the happiness and healthiness to spend this last phase of his life in more relaxing and peaceful manner and I hope I can help him by coming back to India to spend that last phase. Thanks to all my friends, relatives who graced the occasion and made it special.

The article which I wrote before seven years. Thank god nothing has changed since then :)

http://sathishcontradicts.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-dad.html

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Sandy Hook, NJ

Since its getting already cold in New Jersey, I thought let me write an article about a sunny day which I missed out in the last articles. We got a chance to go to Sandy Hook beach which is about an hour’s drive from our home. One can see the distant view of the skyscrapers in Manhattan from the shores of Sandy Hook. Thanks to Siva and their family who accompanied us and gave a great company to us. It’s really a great beach for batching with short waves from the Atlantic and the water is really warm to chill out. On a sunny day, Sandy Hook is definitely a place to be. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Noetzold family in USA :)

Torsten and his family recently made their vacation in USA. It was a two and half weeks for them and they pretty much covered most of the important places in east coast. Torsten, his wife Angela and her daughter Lara have helped us a lot in many ways to integrate in to German society. It was so nice to see them in USA and to spend valuable time with them. Took a day off and spent a whole day in New York city covering the important touristic spots like Time Square, Broadway, Central Park, Rockefeller Centre etc. Overall it was a great vacation for them and they had a gala time in USA :)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Apple Picking, Morristown

Recently we had a chance to experience apple picking for the first time near Morristown. Anish thoroughly enjoyed the apple picking with his mommy by picking the apples with so much fun. It was a huge garden with numerous apples which were ready to be picked. There were so many apples which were lying on the ground and totally wasted. Besides apple picking, there are also possibilities for straw berry and pumpkin picking. The weather was sunny and worth to spend Sunday afternoon for this tiny adventure. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Whitewater Rafting in Lehigh Gorge State Park

When I saw so many pictures of my friends in US doing rafting, it was my long dream to do rafting once in my life. Thanks to my company outing this year, the dream got fulfilled. We had a great day of whitewater rafting in Lehigh Gorge State Park located in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. This unique park is one of the gems of the Pennsylvania State Park and the outdoor scenery was breathtaking. There were moments of excitement for the teams, separated by quiet serene pools perfect for swimming and water fights. It was so much fun getting out of the raft and jumping in to the water and performing water fights with other team. All in all, it was a great day to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

US Open Tennis 2014

Watching US open tennis was a long distant dream for me but it came true twice when I had a chance to spend the whole day in Flushing Meadows for the US open tennis 2014. Thanks to my friend Arvind who motivated me to go to US open tennis this year and found a good deal of day pass. Apparently, it happened to be the hottest day of the summer and we were totally burned with most of the stadiums having no roof tops. Thanks to Siva and Jan who joined for the day and made it even more memorable. We had a chance to see Williams’s sister losing, Bryan brothers winning their quarter finals, Sania Mirza/Black thrashing their opponents, Monfills cruising over Dimitrov. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Lake George, New York

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake located at the base of Adirondack Mountains in the state of New York. Had a great chance to visit this place with the family on Labor Day long weekend. It was a picturesque sight with two mountains converging and Lake George at the foot hills of the mountain. We took a ferry for an hour which covered the entire Lake George. It reminded me of the Lake Konstanz in Friedrichshafen, Germany. There are lot of restaurants, picnic spots, amusement parks near Lake George which clearly makes it a fascinating holiday resort for a weekend.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Bear Mountain State Park, New York

Bear Mountain State Park is located on the west side of the Hudson River in Orange and Rockland counties of New York. It was drizzling when we went there, so couldn’t do much there. But still we row the boat for an hour and took shelter at the banks of the river. It’s actually a good place for trekking, cycling on a sunny day. Must definitely be a great place during autumn with thick dense forest near the lake. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Sri Ranganatha Temple, Pomona

Sri Ranganatha Temple is located on the beautiful scenic location in Pomona, hours drive from New Jersey. The architecture of the temple with Kopuram and scenic lawn around is breathtaking. There are so many temples in and around New Jersey which gives an idea of the Indian diaspora in this area. Not to forget the delicious food they served there, for that matter in any Perumal temples in any part of the world. ;) Definitely a place to be during Purattasi masam and Vaikunda Yekathesi.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Dingmans Falls, Pennsylvania

Dingmans Falls is a waterfall located in Pennsylvania which is about an hour drive from New Jersey. Naresh, my childhood friend who resides now in Switzerland made his holidays in USA and visited me as well. We did canoeing together for about 6.5 miles which turned out to be an awesome experience in the end which we never expected. The Delaware water was very shallow and one could step out of the boat easily and gaze at the nature. It was a perfect bachelor outing after a long time rekindling all our childhood memories. Definitely place to be recommended for a day's outing. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Long weekend in Connecticut

Recently we got a chance to explore the state of Connecticut during July4 long weekend. Thanks to Susanne, Nilly our German friends in NJ who motivated us to show some really good beaches/spots in Connecticut. First day was totally haunted by rain but still got the chance to explore Yale University in New Haven –Ivy League University which has got some good architectural buildings, nice campus, stalwarts alumni’s. Had a chance to spend quality time with family in the beach, weather was awesome the next day and we could do grilling in the park nearby. It was a short trip but indeed a memorable one.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Anish virtual second birthday :)

Time really flies away. Anish is 2 years old now. I still remember the day when I had to cut the umbilical cord from his mother on February 29th 2012 at night 11.30 and I got the status of DAD :) Had a chance to celebrate Anish virtual second birthday on 1st March 2014 (since he is a leap year kid) in India with my parents, in-laws and friends. During first birthday we were in Germany, so we didn't get a chance to celebrate Anish first birthday in India. It was really nice to catch up with all my friends and relatives after a long time. Thanks to all the well-wishers who stayed during the tough times of Anita’s pregnancy. When I look back these two years, credits to my wife who managed this early parenting period without the support of parents, in-laws, servant maids in India. The celebration was enlightened by the dance performed by various kutties and everybody enjoyed the dinner.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC

When I came to US in April 2013 it was spring season. The flowers started to blossom and I came across the famous Cherry Blossom festival in Washington DC. I made it a point that I should visit DC in 2014 with my family to experience this Cherry Blossom festival. Thanks to Hemanth who motivated me to visit his family in DC and combine the Cherry Blossom festival. The whole city of DC was bubbling around with smile, sunshine, good mood and the colorful flowers adding flavor to it. The interesting feature about this Cherry Blossom festival is that it happens only for a week either in the first or second week of April and after that the flowers starting to fall. It was nice to catch up Hemanth after nearly 10 to 12 years. It was indeed a memorable weekend.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Singapore - Pearl of South East Asia

Singapore, the financial hub of South East Asia impressed me from very long time and it was always in my travel list. Recently I had a chance to explore this country with my dad. There are four official languages in Singapore: Malay, English, Tamil and Mandarin. After being liberated from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore saw tremendous economic growth in late 60’s and 70’s which attracted many skilled workers from different parts of Asia thereby making the strong financial hub in South East Asia. If you are from India especially from Tamil Nadu, Singapore is definitely a heaven. With south Indian restaurants everywhere, Tamil written all around and close proximity to Chennai by Air makes even more ideal location for many expatriates from Tamil Nadu. 

First we went to Zoo which had wide variety of animals from different parts of the world followed by Night Safari which included many shows. Next day we went to Universal Studios which had many wonderful rides and animation shows. Dad even though being 60 was interested in all the fancy rides. The frustrating part was the main roller coaster which was not working because of some maintenance issues. The public transportation in Singapore is simply awesome which gives easy access to important destinations but still there is heavy traffic on the roads. 

Another thing which is worth mentioning is the weather where sun shine is guaranteed throughout the year, no regular monsoon season and April May being the hottest months. Singapore is undoubtedly secure which is not common in many Asian countries. The Singapore flyer gives a good panoramic view of the city of Singapore and the Skyscrapers.  Thanks to Seshadhri, my college friend working in Singapore accompanied us for the whole day. Special thanks to Shen, my MBA classmate from China also took her time to meet us for an Indian dinner. Sentosa Island offers wide variety of attractions with all sophisticated modern shows, theatres, sporting activities etc. We had a chance to take the cable car one way which was simply breathtaking. Underwater world was indeed a great experience for appa to see the big fishes from the glass door. 

Songs of the sea near Sentosa beach station is a memorable experience with colorful musical laser water shows. Jurong Bird Park offers wide variety of shows with different kinds of birds and the highlight was Parrot singing happy birthday song. The flamingo lake, eagle show, penguin parade are worth seeing in Bird Park. The Science Centre in Jurong East is an eye opener for many school students who wants to take Scientific path in their life. The fire show in Science Centre was simply one of the best demonstrations there. The Snow Centre near Science Centre is a good experience for people who haven’t seen snow in their life. The sliding from top of the hill to the bottom is worth trying.

The new attraction in Singapore is Gardens by the Bay. The Cloud Forest and Flower Doom are the two important attractions in Gardens by the Bay. All in all, it was a memorable experience with my dad in Singapore because of the fact I hardly get a chance to spend time with him in a year. I can strongly recommend Singapore as touristic destination and also for people in Banking sector to give it a try to work in Singapore, the pearl of South East Asia. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Florida, the sunshine state of USA

Having raised in Chennai, I was taught Marina Beach is the second longest beach in the world and there was always a question which one is the first longest beach in the world. Miami in Florida came as an answer and it was always my long dream to visit this place in Florida. What so fascinating about this place Florida and why everybody wants to visit this place? The first striking feature of this place is the weather which is warm throughout the year especially during winter when Northern states of US are shivering in extreme cold. We decided to travel by train from Newark to Florida as an adventure. It took nearly 24 hours one way to reach Florida from Newark. I never thought that they were trains in US but this indeed was a classical experience from Amtrak service.

Thanks to Vincy and Karl, my Hamburg friends who live six months in Hamburg Germany and six months in Vero Beach Florida gave a great motivation to visit them. Also had a great chance to meet my American friend Andreas who was also living in Orlando, Florida after nearly three years. Florida has many attractions to cover for a week. The Sea World Orlando is definitely a must see for me. The various dolphin shows, the whales outing, the adventurous rides, 3D shows, Atlantic tour are worth experiencing. The South beach in Miami is a great experience for many tourists. We didn’t go to Disney world since we thought it was too early for Anish to experience Disney world. Key West is another attraction in Florida and the drive from Miami to Key West is definitely one of the best road trips. 

Another experience which one shouldn't miss in Florida is the Alligator tour in the swamps. If you have a good sunshine, one gets a chance to see lots of them, if it’s cloudy and rainy, hardly u can find any of them. The color of the water in Florida beaches are worth mentioning, they are completely green from the outset. The weather stayed absolutely fine throughout the trip with minor showers here and there. Had a chance to go to swimming with Anish for the first time and indeed it was a sweet one. Thanks to Vincy who cooked awesome food for us and more importantly accommodated us for a week during our stay in Florida. All in all, this trip would remain in our memories forever.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Cruise to Nassau, Bahamas

Travelling by Ship for many days is an experience which I never tasted till now and I always thought it must be boring after couple of hours. But the cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas gave a different perspective of cruise ride and in the end it turned out to be one of the memorable experiences of our lifetime. If one wants to shut down from regular life and really make holidays, Cruise could be an ideal choice. If you have a good appetite, then Cruise is a place to enjoy different kinds of cuisine. 

There are so many entertainments in Cruise such as comedy shows, dance shows, games, swimming, water rides, pubs, magic shows, Jacuzzi and also options for babysitting. Thanks to Vincy who motivated us to try Cruise when we visited them in Florida. It was a peek time between Christmas and New Year but still it was considerably a decent deal. Nassau, the capital of Bahamas is indeed a great place to visit. The colors of the waters, the fort Charlotte, the hotel Atlantis are worth mentioning. There are many options to try water sports in Nassau. Everybody thinks Bahamas belongs to Caribbean but it isn't. But Bahamas do have a national cricket team.

After the cruise, there is definite chance of increasing the weight by 5 kgs, so please watch out for what you eat :P The dining in the cruise is simply worth mentioning, the ambiance they have, the chef’s attire , the various menus they offer and the background music are great experience. We had lot of apprehensions of sea sickness for Anish but in the end, it turned out to be a great experience for him as well. I can strongly recommend making a cruise ride if you are located or visiting any sea coast in Florida. Normally the cruises start from Port Canaveral or Miami. Thank god I got this wonderful opportunity to explore Florida and Cruise to Bahamas with Anita and Anish when I am working in USA. Florida, certainly the sun shine state of USA.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S