Star of India And Some Star Sunsets in San Diego
Who said there could not be star sunsets? I’m sure this was a star sunset. To me a star, is something that shines bright. Yes, a star and the sun both shine bright, so let’s just for once call it a star sunset.
Sunset in San Diego at the Embarcadero
I wish the little reflection thing in the water (round green light) hadn’t shown up on my picture, but let it be part of it as I don’t do any retouching of my pictures.
Sunset in San Diego at the Embarcadero
On this same night of the star sunset, just a little earlier, I took a picture of the Star of India. I like to think this could be the Star of San Diego too.
Star of India in San Diego
Even more compelling for the argument of calling it Star of India, and Star of San Diego is when my little girl enters the picture – she is the star of India to me, even though she has not been there yet (India, of course is birthplace of my parents), she is the star of San Diego (her birthplace). She is the star of the UK (my birthplace) and also the star of Italy (her dad’s birthplace). My little star is associated with four different countries. Of course, she’s not really a star in these 4 places, just in my eyes.
Star of India in San Diego
This picture below was not taken this summer like all the other ones, it was taken last year (even time-stamped). I’m not sure if I like the time-stamp feature, I stopped using it. I did some posts previously on the Star of India, you can read it by clicking on this link.
Star of India in San Diego
So, I’m not sharing many pictures today, in fact, I have been quite stingy with pictures compared to usual. Sorry for not writing too much lately. I have been caught up in so many other life events, you wouldn’t believe it. I hope you are all having a wonderful October.
Sand Sculpting Challenge Exhibition in San Diego
What a lovely day! Especially, when you get a day off on Labor Day! Then, why not enjoy San Diego – after all, it’s spectacular! So, we went to downtown San Diego, where it sure is lovely, and saw that they had a Sand Sculpting Exhibition. What a fabulous exhibition, and all the artists are so very talented! Amazing work!
This first picture is my favorite, so appropriate as it sure is a Rat Race, and I’m sure happy that the worker is honored this Labor Day – as I got the day off! I appreciate it.
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge – Rat Race – We Honor The Worker This Labor Day
Here are more, I won’t describe each one
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
Bruce Jenner – U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
I hope you had a fantastic Labor Day, and Happy September!
Cute in San Diego
Did you know there’s a cute memorial of a sailor kissing his girlfriend in San Diego? It’s by the US Midway Museum. It might have got a bit more cuter, with my Chandi posing in front of it. What do you think? I think, cuteness……unlimited!
Cute in San Diego
Chandi in San Diego
Chandi in San Diego
Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
The Indian Independence Day anniversary this year on August 15th, was the 69th one since India got it’s independence from the British. I had a day off from work on Friday, 14th August, and already showed you Day 1, which we spent mostly in Artesia – LA’s Little India. I love visiting Artesia. Here at home in San Diego, we also have a Little India in the Black Mountain Road area of Mira Mesa, but I do enjoy going to Artesia from time to time.
Day 2 of our little mini-vacation started off at Knotts Soak City, which I already showed you in another post, and now I will show you more pictures of the actual Indian Independence Day Celebration in Artesia (part of Los Angeles).
These pictures were taken towards the end of the evening, and show Bollywood star Raveena Tandon on the stage. The first picture shows when she was lighting a lamp as part of the day’s celebrations.
Raveena Tandon at Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
This picture shows the lighting of the lamp a little bit more clearly
Raveena Tandon lighting the lamp at the Indian Independence Day Celebration
This picture just shows Raveena looking very elegant, and beautiful on this great day.
Raveena Tandon at Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
My daughter Niki and I got to the event at around 5:45 pm, and we thought we were late. We were relieved when we found out that it hadn’t started yet, so we walked around. Here is Niki enjoying having the day off from dancing and being able to watch her friends peform instead.
Indian Independence Day Celebration
We walked around and looked at all the wonderful food, I really should have taken more pictures of the other food stations – there were so many. This picture shows Pani Puri. I remember we used to have these back in England, and called them Gol Gappa, not sure if I am spelling that properly. They would puff up a lot sometimes while they were fried, and when they came out of the fryer, we would delight in poking a hole in them, and would pour tamarind sauce in to the hole in the center, and oh my gosh, that was one of the tastiest treats ever! They don’t make them here, like my Grandma made them back in England. We used to eat them right after she fried them, and they were so yummy! I think Pani Puri are just the same as Gol Gappa, but I do have to question it as they don’t taste as good as my Grandma’s Gol Gappa! I think Gol Gappa might be the Punjabi word for Pani Puri.
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Oh, I have one more picture of another of the food stations
I had a sample of some great chai! Oh, how I love chai! This one was just the way I like it – piping hot and made with chai masala. I ended up buying some mixes as when I am home, I just make tea the English way by brewing it in a cup, and can’t be bothered going the extra step and making Indian tea (chai) properly. However, when I go out to Indian restaurants, I love to drink chai – I want my proper Indian tea then!
Chai Moments At Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
After we wandered around for a bit, it was time to see some performances. It started off with this little boy dancing. Oh, he was so cute. You can see him and the others who performed in the video, directly below his picture (excuse the hand that got in the way).
Performances At Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
Please do watch my video of the Performances, this was the main event of the celebration, and of course, the star of the event was Raveena Tandon.
Then there were more performances, here is an assortment of pictures:
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Indian Independence Day in Los Angeles
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Indian Independence Day Celebration
Did you know there was a Congressman in attendance? Yes, there was. Congressman Ed Royce (R) serves the 39th Congressional District in Orange County and eastern Los Angeles. I made a video of him too, but did not add it to the Performances video!
Congressman Ed Royce at Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
Some more pictures of the performances
Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
Indian Independence Day Celebration in Los Angeles
Then, guess what another great thing happened at this event, they had a great sale and all clothes were only $1 each. Yes, you read it right – just $1 each. I bought seven items and it was so worth it.
Indian Independence Day Celebration
I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures, and the video of the Performances. In case you haven’t yet seen the video that I made of when Raveena Tandon was made upset, here it is:
A Visit to Knotts Soak City And Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour
Today was August 15th – Happy India Independence Day! We left our hotel at the Hilton Garden Inn, and got to Knotts Soak City at around 11:00 am, not at 10am as we should have done, but it was close enough. It was a really hot day, a great day to be in a Water Park – at least for the kids.
Knotts Soak City is close to Disneyland, and right next to Knotts Berry Farm, which we will have to visit next time. Here are a few pictures of Knotts Soak City since we had to leave early, it was way too hot! In retrospect, we should have gone on Friday when we had arrived, and I shouldn’t have listened to the kids. We still would have had five hours almost. As it was, today, they wanted to leave at 2:45 pm, so we only had about three and a half hours there. It was really hot today, I think it actually was over 100 degrees, also, it was too crowded, That’s why it would have been better to have come on Friday.
Still, can’t complain, as the kids enjoyed it, and it was our family mini-vacation. We also got to go to Farrells Ice Cream Parlor later and celebrated my son Luca’s birthday again (you can never celebrate one’s birthday too many times). His actual birthday had been earlier in August.
Here are some pictures of Knotts Soak City:
Knotts Soak City in Buena Park
Knotts Soak City in Buena Park, CA
Knotts Soak City in Buena Park, CA
Knotts Soak City in Buena Park, CA
My kids got to cool off in the Lazy River while I watched their things for a while. It was ever so hot though.
Knotts Soak City in Buena Park
Just at the entrance/exit to Knotts Soak City was this lovely little area with these little fella’s in it, do you like this one’s hair style?
They tried a few more water rides, and then wanted to leave, and they were hungry, so off we went to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour, which we had seen on the way into the Water Park – it is very close by, just on the same road in fact.
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Buena Park
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Buena Park
We ate lunch first, and then had to try the ice-cream – it was delicious!
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Buena Park
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Buena Park
Next, it was time to enjoy the rest of the evening at the Indian Independence Day Parade/Festival, which was close by in Artesia Park. My son and youngest one did not want to go to the event, they were tired so I left them at the hotel at the Doubletree by Hilton in Norwalk.
Doubletree Hotel by Hilton at Norwalk
Doubletree Hotel by Hilton at Norwalk
I wish my two youngest had come with us, as it’s a shame they missed out on the Indian Independence Day activities, but then later on I thought it was actually a good idea as me and my oldest daughter did not get back to the hotel until about 10:40 pm. It was good we stayed another night in the LA area, even though we only live one and a half hours away in San Diego. I would not have enjoyed driving at that time of night though. Also, as you can imagine – I was very tired – that was a lot of things today, a trip to Knotts Soak City, Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour, and the Indian Independence Day Festival in Artesia in the evening. I think I deserved a break – an extended stay in the LA area!
In my next post, I will post more of the Indian Independence Day event pictures and the video of the performances that took place on August 15, 2015. Happy Week!
We Must Celebrate Indian Independence Day & We Did Celebrate!
We must celebrate Indian Independence Day, especially if we value freedom. To be given back a country like India that is as rich in diversity, culture and heritage – what’s not to celebrate? This year was the 69th Anniversary of Indian Independence. It has been 69 years since the British gave back India to the Indians. That is reason to celebrate. So celebrate we did! First, I took the day off from work on Friday, August 14th. If a country won’t give us our own holiday (I guess we can’t expect it here in the USA), we must give ourselves the holiday.
So, we drove up to the Disneyland area and were supposed to go to Knotts Soak City today, but the kids said we had arrived too late as our arrival time was about 1:15 pm, and they would only have about less than five hours at the Water Park, they wanted the entire day from 10 am until 6pm, so we decided to just go to Artesia and have lunch somewhere. We really like Ashoka The Great, and have been here before many times, so this is where we ate lunch.
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Ashoka The Great Restaurant in Artesia
Ashoka The Great in Artesia
Ashoka The Great in Artesia
These are my three kids enjoying the buffet at Ashoka The Great
Ashoka The Great Restaurant, Artesia
This is me and my three kids
Ashoka The Great in Artesia
My little girl Chandi loves fruit, and Ashoka has a great selection of fruit for her right after she eats enough of the other lunch items. I love Khadi Pakora, it’s my favorite curry (the yellow one below) and I love Saag (spinach – right behind the Khadi Pakora).
Ashoka The Great Restaurant, Artesia
Ashoka The Great Restaurant, Artesia
Ashoka The Great Restaurant, Artesia
Then we walked around a bit, and went to a few different stores. I bought some bangles for Chandi and Niki, and decided it was time for a visit to one of my favorite Sweets & Snacks restaurants – Ambala Sweets & Snacks! The kids had just enough space for banana milkshakes, and I had space for a cup of tea, and one of the sweets from the assortment that I bought – see the picture of sweets in the box below. The rest of the sweets I could eat at the hotel or back in San Diego (if there was any left).
Ambala Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Ambala Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Ambala Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Ambala Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Then we headed to the car which was parked in the parking lot of Bombay Sweets & Snacks. I had to go inside, and get another cup of tea. I sometimes just love the atmosphere of different restaurants, and when they have TV screens that play Indian movies or music videos, I just love relaxing there with a cup of chai. Chandi just hung out with me while my other two sat in the car, even though it was an extremely hot day – they were fed up of me and my cups of teas. I love the food at Bombay Sweets & Snacks too, but how much can you eat after a buffet? I sometimes stay full all day after a buffet.
Bombay Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Bombay Sweets & Snacks, Artesia
Our stomachs were full, and we got to the Hilton Garden Inn in Anaheim at around 8 pm. What a lovely hotel, and the service was very nice.
Hilton Garden Inn in Anaheim
Next morning, I had coffee in my room, and then enjoyed another cup in the lobby, before we headed out to Knotts Soak City.
Hilton Garden Inn in Anaheim
In my next post, I will continue writing about our celebration of the Indian Independence Day. We started celebrating one day early, and celebrated all day Saturday, and then Sunday too!
Indian Independence Day in Los Angeles, CA – What A Memorable Occasion!
Indian Independence Day in Los Angeles, CA was a very memorable occasion. Why do I care about Indian Independence day? Of course I do! I am Indian, and even though I was born in England, I know my roots. August 15, is India’s Independence from the British. It might seem strange for some of you that I have an allegiance for India, and celebrated it’s independence from my other country. All I can say is I love England, and I love India, and now of course, I love the USA. I am very grateful though that the British gave India back. No country has the right to rule another.
We went to LA and stayed overnight for two days to celebrate my son’s birthday at Knotts Soak City, and then went to visit Artesia (Little India), and get my share of Indian culture. Oh, how I love visiting that area, and having a buffet lunch somewhere, followed by another visit to a smaller place to have Indian sweets and a cup of chai.
Well, imagine my delight when someone told me there would be a parade for Indian Independence Day the next day on Saturday – this was perfect, since we were in the area anyhow. I vowed to visit it, and furthermore, my daughter told me that her group was going to perform, and she wanted to see them. She took the day off from dancing this time, I think it was because I told her not to plan anything this weekend – since it was her brother’s birthday. She knew Raveena Tandon was going to be there in Los Angeles, but she didn’t realize that she was going to be at the same event or that her friends were performing at the same event as where we wanted to celebrate Indian Independence Day. Little do we know! So, when she said “Mum, the event that you want to go to is the event where my friends are performing, and where Raveena Tandon will be!” I thought perfect. Even more of a reason to attend! You may not know about Raveena Tandon, but she is a big mega-superstar, a Bollywood actress with many hit movies. She is an icon of Indian cinema.
So we got to the event at around 5:45 pm. I’m pretty sure she told me that one of her friends was supposed to be performing at 4:30 pm, and her group was going to be doing their dance at 5:30 pm. She was kind of upset that we might have missed it already when we got there and saw that practically all the seats were empty. We didn’t realize that the event had not started yet, we thought it had just finished. When I asked someone if it was over, she told us that it had not started yet, and we were so relieved. We wandered around, had samples of delicious chai and saw all the food vendors, and clothes displayed for sale. What a fabulous event, I thought – even before it began. Later in the evening, I tried the food.
Raveena Tandon arrived a little later than expected, and of course I captured most of her presence on the stage. Here are some pictures. You know I like taking pictures and videos! Here are just some of the pictures:
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
Raveena Tandon at Los Angeles Indian Independence Day Event
You will not believe what happened next at this great event. Well, someone made her upset, and of course I captured it, and I didn’t even know what was happening, as I was busy looking through the lens, and knew that something was brewing. Anyway, long story short, Raveena has seen my tweets of the videos, and apparently is happy that I posted the videos as they show what happened.
Here’s the video of where Raveena was upset:
I just wanted to give you some context of what is about to appear in my next post as for the first time ever, there will not be a single picture in that post. Also, I will not be introducing the Indian Independence Day event, the significance of it, or anything of that matter. That is why this post is being published first.
The organizers are called UFICA, and they responded to her tweets about their version of why the ending was not the way this great event should have ended. They publicized their letter on Twitter, and Raveena and her manager have asked me to publish their letter. That is coming up next.
I do want to say that no matter what – I really enjoyed the event, and I say that in all sincerity. There are always two sides to the story. Also, to read more about the event click here: http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/raveena-tandon-ed-royce-grace-fia-ufica-independence-day-event/article_4e45b512-46ae-11e5-8384-ebe722be66ec.html
It’s Not Just A Yard – It’s Neal’s Yard!
Oh, the wonderful places near Covent Garden. But remember, when I told you it’s not just a garden…..it’s Covent Garden – well now, there’s a yard thrown into the picture too. However, it’s not just a yard…..it’s Neal’s Yard! It’s a most colorful looking place, close by to Covent Garden. Don’t miss it! Just ask anyone when you’re at Covent Garden where Neal’s Yard is, and they should be able to tell you. Here’s some pictures.
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
Neal’s Yard
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
In case you are wondering, you will find Neal’s Yard on the corner of Neal Street and Shelton Street
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
Now, you will see Neal’s Yard close by to Shorts Gardens – you have arrived!
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
Close To Covent Garden Is Neal’s Yard
Fancy some tea?
The Tea House, close to Covent Garden
Fancy some cake?
Lola’s Cupcakes, near Neal’s Yard
How about now? I think it’s tea time!
Lola’s Cupcakes, near Neal’s Yard
As you can see these are not just any gardens or any yards, they are special places and getting to be quite well known now. Don’t forget to look out for them when you go to London.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Neal’s Yard via my post, and I hope you have a great week!
On The Way To Covent Garden, London
I find everything worth taking a picture of, especially in London. So, you won’t be surprised that I took several pictures on the way to Covent Garden when I was there last year. Here are the pictures:
Close to Covent Garden
Close to Covent Garden
Close to Covent Garden
They have the most interesting names of pubs in England, don’t you think?
Close to Covent Garden – The Nags Head
Close to Covent Garden – The Nags Head
Close to Covent Garden
Do you think that I wouldn’t take a picture of this place – The Chandos? Why would I not, when it’s kind of named after my little Chandi. Didn’t get a chance to go there though, but will pop in next time.
The Chandos on St. Martins Lane, near Covent Garden
After we visited Covent Garden, pictures of which I showed you last week, we went to a street not too far away, and found some really lovely places to gaze and gawk at too.
The Tea House, close to Covent Garden
More, next time.
I hope you liked the pictures close by to Covent Garden, sometimes, it’s not just the destination, but even the trip that’s worth it. Always remember to take as many pictures as possible, or you might just forget what you saw on your way.
It’s Been One Year Since I Visited London!
Oh, it’s been one year since I visited London, and I miss it already! I have a video to share with you, something really short. Perhaps you will be able to see that the Underground gets packed, and the stops are very brief. Keep in mind that exiting passengers should be allowed to get off first, before new passengers board. Always remember to Mind The Gap!
I think we must have been on our way to see my favorite Bridge – Tower Bridge. I have to include at least one picture – so here it is.
Tower Bridge, London
I really wish I was in London. Sad, sad, sad!
luchanik 