Visit to Hampi!

Visited Hampi with my family last week! It was fun we saw all the sites! Thanks to our guide Mr Ravi Kumar.  We stayed at the Hyatt Place and visited Evolve Back. Definitely going back again for a stay at Evolve Back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel, Gifts and Labubu! Voici mon secret, il est très simple.

One of the fun things about travel, is the gifts. In the past when I lived in the US... I used to buy Knick knacks and things that I found cute from my little road trips or trips to the mall and put them in my suitcase and then finally when it was time to leave I had a bag of goodies to gift my family when arrived! So I was  pleasantly surprised when I received a bag of goodies from my sister arriving from Dubai! 

I was excited to get my first Labubu, it was from the Big Into Energy series, the Red Love colored one! My next Labubu is going to be from the Coca Cola series! See how cute he looks next to the tin houses! One of the reasons I love Labubu, is that his name is so much like my nick name Babli, Babli - Labubu - get it!!

This mug and magnets from Sea World! And a jute bag from Warner Brothers Abu Dhabi!

This Pink Elephant pouch from Bed, Bath and Beyond! And Care Bear Stickers!

Toblerone and a bunch of chocolates from Dubai! Still have to taste the famous Dubai Chocolate!!

A King Disney Mouse! 

Of course I gifted my niece many books, a cute pink suitcase and a silver frame! And I'm about to order a copy of Le Petit Prince By Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for her as it's her favorite subject in school, and is one of my favorite books!

Voici mon secret, il est très simple.

On ne voit rien qu’avec le coeur.

L‘essential est invisible pour les yeux.

(Here is my secret, it is very simple

We only see with the heart.

What is essential is invisible for the eyes)

TV Part 1

Here's what I watched recently on TV

The Minecraft movie. Really cute and what I expected from Jared Hess; might be better  to watch on the big screen. Watch on Amazon 

In transit. Poignant and positive documentary about Trans people in India from Zoya Akhtar. Loved the stories and courage of the protagonists. Available on Amazon. 

Mountainhead: A picture about millionaires in a house in Park City. On Netflix

The Brutalist: Movie about an Architect and his work in Post World War 2 America. On Amazon Prime

Cheers to Life: A Portuguese? movie set in Israel, a cute romance about finding your family and filmed at lot of great locations in Israel! Watch if you've visited The Holy Land. Hava Nagila!

Here's a picture from my garden from a few days ago. 

Movie Review: Materialists

                                                                     

                                                                 

One of my favorite things to do is watch movies. Yesterday, when I went to the mall (my happy place, along with the cinema), I was surprised to find out that Materialists was playing in the cinema there, so I quickly bought tickets as I've been wanting to watch this film.

Materialists stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal and Sawyer Speilberg (who I follow on Instagram!!!)  and is directed by Celine Song. I've watched all the 50 Shades of Grey movies ( 2 when I lived in Los Angeles) and have loved them. Dakota Johnson is so good in each of them. 

Chris Evans from Captain America and Pedro Pascal from Narcos and the Last Of Us. Celine Songs previous movie Past Lives is a masterpiece! 

Go in expecting great things from the movie, watch it for the soundtrack and the beautiful visuals. The story is cute. It was nice to watch a rom-com; if you can call it that after ages. Definitely watch this movie. I give it a 10. So what movie will I watch next?

Here's a song from the Materialists Soundtrack; My baby got nothing at all by Japanese Breakfast

                 

 

Blacky's painting by Sasha Spielberg

Thank you Sasha Spielberg for this lovely picture of my dog Blacky! Love this!!! Going to get one of my cat!!!

Doesn't he look like a Disney-fied version of himself?

                                                               

Vacation!!!

Using up three weeks of my yearly vacation! It's a great benefit that we have at my college. Nice to just relax at home with a good book during the rain. I am fortunate to have very helpful and supportive colleagues and I'm grateful for this opportunity! I'm looking forward to new ways to mentor in the future!
Below are some pictures I took of my workplace!
Cheers Y'all!-Natasha

Udipi Sri Krishna and the best Fish Fry!

Below is  a statue of Udipi Sri Krishna that I like, it stands tall near the Krishna Temple area. I remember clicking a picture of it years ago, and I clicked one today when I wanted to fix my phone.

                                                      

                                                        

                                                        

Visit Hotel Vishwas, branch of Thimappa's in Manipal for the best Fish Fry, marwai and chicken sukka. It's a tiny hole in the wall but is worth the effort finding, and trust me it was a lot of effort getting here in this rain.

Cest La Vie

                                              

Found these two cuties yesterday. The Girl reminds me of someone coming back home from a long journey maybe from Paris, or somewhere European. The Dog is cute because I've gotten really into pets recently. I have a dog and a kitty. 

 I've seen these before in shops in India when I used to live here 20 years ago; and finally they are back in stock.

  

Many songs today: Feist, Lobo, Amy Grant and J Balvin

            

St Columba

  

In Iona of my heart, Iona of my love,
Instead of monks' voices shall be lowing of cattle,
But ere the world come to an end
Iona shall be as it was.

Today is St Columba's Day, and the above is a poem by him; also you have a picture of the island he loved; Iona! From Catholic Culture Support this site if you can! Great resource!

• From Google Gemini

  Iona is renowned as the site of an ancient monastery founded by St. Columba, which served as a center of Celtic Christian learning and missionary activity. The shift described in the lines could refer to changes in the island's religious landscape, perhaps following periods of decline or external pressures. 
• Historical Context:
• Hope and Faith:

  The poem expresses a strong faith in a future restoration of Iona to its original glory, suggesting a belief in the power of faith and the cyclical nature of history. 

Amen to that!!!   

Some Iron Maiden and Hymn to St Columba to get you through the day.

I will come back, I will return!!! ( Song of course refers to the beast from the Book of Revelation)

     

Wendys

Wendy's Korean Fried Chicken Burger is Chef's Kiss. I had a Wendy's Burger after ages,  they just opened in my hometown. Reminded me of all the impromptu team lunches we would go for in the middle of long workdays in the US! 🌎#GodBlessAmerica

Also, if you've driven in America you will have seen many Wendy's on the highway, especially if you're on a roadtrip. Going to the actual Wendy's tomorrow. This was a Swiggy delivery.