Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham), Robbinsville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham) in Robbinsville, NJ with the whole family. It is planned to be spread over 162 acres, making it the largest Hindu temple in the world in terms of acreage. The final construction is planned to be completed by 2017. The whole temple is constructed with white marbles and definitely a master piece for Indian art, culture, tradition in the area of NJ. Just to show the amount of Indian diaspora living in New Jersey to build such a shrine. Looking forward for the completion of this temple and I am sure it’s a definite place to be in New Jersey. I can be a real hero to my mom if I take her to temples :)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Round Valley, NJ

Recently we had a chance to do picnicking in Round Valley Reservoir in NJ. The reservoir is named after the naturally formed circular valley surrounded by Cushetunk Mountain. We reached the park so late at around 12.30 and by that time the park was closed and it was so disappointing that we couldn’t enter the park after all the preparations done by Anita for grilling. Finally we decided to give away the stuff to our friends who already entered the park in the morning. Adding fuel to the fire, the mobile signal was so weak and we couldn’t reach any one of them. 

I walked the whole park for about an hour and finally reached the entrance once again. My good friend Sivaraj was waiting in the entrance and thanks to his politeness, patience and persistence with the authorities, it worked well for us and finally the authorities let us go inside the park. It was gala time with our good friends and family by performing grilling near the lake and swimming with Anish. Thanks to Sivaraj’s, Siva’s and Vikram’s family for making this happen. It was a day to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

One World Observatory - World Trade Centre

Recently we had a chance to explore the newly opened Freedom tower also called as ‘One World Observatory’. This tower has been built as remembrance of twin towers which was destructed on Sep 11 2001 and that’s why called as ‘One World’ tower. This tower is so easily accessible from World Trade Centre path station and the newly built pathway from the station to the tower is simply fascinating. There are 102 floors in this tower and the top observatory deck gives the panoramic view of the whole city of New York. Appa totally enjoyed this top of the tower view. Out of Empire State, Rockefeller centre and one world tower, Rockefeller centre is the stand out for me with nice view of the New York City. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Chennai Open 2015

I had a chance to go to Aircel Chennai Open 2015 for the second time with my cousins when I was in India and first time in 2013. This tournament has been so successful over the years and it completed its 20th anniversary in 2015. Adding to the flavor, it’s the only Master’s tennis tournament in India. Chennai Open has seen many celebrities like Nadal, Federer over the years. Wawrinka from Swiss emerged as winners in Singles edition and unfortunately Leander Paes pairing with Klaasen from South Africa lost in the doubles finals. It was so nice to watch the flood light matches in a well-built architectural stadium. My cousin sister's house is so close to the stadium and we took lot of breaks and stuffed ourselves between the matches ;) A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Strawberry picking, Alstede farms, Chester, NJ

On a sunny day, we decided to go to Alstede farms in Chester which is about 30 minutes’ drive from our house. During this time of the year (May), it’s famous for strawberry picking. Appa and Anish thoroughly enjoyed the strawberry picking and picked quite lot of fresh strawberries. After picking from the farm, one has to weigh and pay for the picked strawberries. The tractor drive from the farm to the entrance is worth taking and one gets a sightseeing of the complete Alstede farms. Definitely a place to visit when the weather is good.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Thalankuppam Pier, Chennai

Thalankuppam is a small fishing hamlet to the north of Chennai, near Ennore. The place’s claim to fame because of the climax of the Tamil movie ‘Kakka Kakka’. It was a good drive from Avadi to this pier since there were so many by passes and much improved roads. It would have been a long drive from Avadi to Ennore before some years. Appa accompanied me to this place and he was so afraid to climb up the pier. It’s a lovely stroll on the pier on a sunny morning with blue skies and Bay of Bengal gushing to the pier. Definitely a place to be if it’s maintained properly. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Chennai vs Kolkata IPL 2015

Recently I had a chance to go to MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai with my dadafter a long time to watch an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It was a low scoring thriller and in the end CSK snatched the victory from KKR by just two runs. It’s always a pleasant sight to watch a cricket match in Chepauk with the fans supporting the local team and chil mild breeze from Marina beach towards the open stands. Unfortunately, some stands were closed since Tamil Nadu Cricket Association didn’t get proper approvals from local body authorities before building those stands. 

Irony is spectators were sitting in those stands for many years and nothing happened during those times. Because of that they increased the minimum price of IPL ticket from Rs. 500 to Rs.1500 to compensate for those stands. Ultimately, the fans and Cricket are the losers. All in all was a wonderful evening spent with my dad for a cricket match and the best team won which is none other than our Chennai Super Kings  Chennai Super Kings ku whistle podu…. ;)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Indian Super League 2014

It took so long for me to write an article about Indian Super League. I had a chance to go to Nehru Stadium, Chennai to watch an ISL football match between Chennaiyin FC vs Mumbai City FC with my dad in November. Hope this league attracts young footballers in India and produces some world class players so that India can have strong presence in World Football in the coming years. It’s always good that a sport other than Cricket gets importance and significant in India. It was a clear domination from Chennai against Mumbai on that particular day and the score line 5-1 for Chennai answers everything. Chennai went all the way to the semifinals of the first edition and Atletico de Kolkata emerged as winners. Definitely the league to watch out for in the coming years in Asia. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

High Point, New Jersey

Recently we had a chance to go to High Point, NJ hour’s drive from our place. It is the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey at 1,803 feet. At the peak is the High Point monument built as a war memorial. It was a perfect sunny weather after a long winter and perfect day to spend our fifth marriage anniversary in High Point. Thanks to our good friend Siva and his family who made the day even more pleasant and enjoyable. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hershey's Chocolate World, PA

Recently we had a chance to go Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania which is about 2.5 hours drive from NJ. It’s a perfect place for the kids with virtual tour of the chocolate factory, 4d film about Hershey, create your own candy bar, Hershey trolley works. Hershey's Chocolate World is located off of Hersheypark Drive, in Hershey, PA, and is in an entertainment complex which also includes Hersheypark, Hersheypark Stadium, Hersheypark Arena, Hershey Museum, and Giant Center. It’s definitely a place to hang out for a day with kids.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

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