Badminton finals
A test of fire
watching the action
A test of fire
watching the action
6 December 2010
7 November 2010
1 November 2010
20 October 2010
Bird list @ Fraser's hill
1.Oriental Honey Buzzard
2.Blyths Hawk eagle
3.Brown Wood Owl
3.Black Eagle
4.Changeable Hawk Eagle
5.Crested Serpent Eagle
6.Large Hawk Cuckoo
7.Mountain Imperial Pigeon
8.Little Cuckoo Dove
9.Green Billed Malkoha
10.Raffles Malkoha
11.Large Niltava
12.Great Hornbill
13.Wreathed Hornbill
14.Fire Tufted Barbet
15.Black Browed Barbet
16.Red Crowned Barbet
17.Brown Barbet
18.Greated Yellow Nape
19.Lesser Yellow Nape
20.Crimson Winged Woodpecker
21.Bay Woodpecker
22.Malaysian Cuckoo Shrike
23.Brown Shrike
24.Grey Chinned Minivet
25.Orange Bellied Leafbird (M & F)
26.Black Crested Bulbul
27.Mountain Bulbul
28.Yellow Vented Bulbul
29.Ochraceous Bulbul
30.Ashy Bulbul
31.Bronze Drongo
32.Lesser Racquet Tail
33.Greater Racquet Tail
34.Black & Crimson Oriole
35.Green Magpie
36.Magpie Robin
37.Blue Nuthatch
38.Streaked Wren Babbler
39.Golden Babbler
40.Grey Throated Babbler
41.Buff Breasted Babbler
42.Black Laughing Thrush
43.Chestnut Capped Laughing Thrush
44.Chestnut Crowned Laughing Thrush
45.Silver Eared Mesia
46.Blue Winged Minla
47.Mountain Fulvetta
48.Long Tailed Sibia
49.Chestnut Crowned Warbler
50.Artic Warbler
51.Mountain Tailor bird
52.Dark Necked Tailorbird
53.Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher
54.Asian Brown Flycatcher
55.Verditer Flycatcher
56.Little Pied Flycatcher
57.White Throated Fantail
58.Grey Wagtail
59.Black Throated Sunbird
60.Streaked Spider Hunter
61.Buff Bellied Flower pecker
62.Everett's White Eye
63.Sultan Tit
64.Red headed Trogon
65.White Rumped Munia
66.Asian Fairy Blue Bird
67.House Swift
68.Large Billed Crow
69. Speckled piculet
70.Rufous bellied eagle
71.Black-eared babbler
72.White browed fantail
14 October 2010
diaries from malaysia
On the 10th of October, i left for Malaysia. I was really excited and i just couldn't wait. When we landed at Kuala Lumpur, we took a bus from the airport (which is 1 hour away from the city) to KL Central.
At KL Central, suja massi picked us up, It was about 11:30 in the the night when we got to her place.
The next morning,we went to the KL CC, the mall between the two Petrona's towers. The mall was great but the Petrona's towers were even better.
Anyway, after seeing the towers we went and had lunch at the mall. I had a Malaysian satay (which was absolutely awesome). After a great lunch we roamed around the mall a bit and then went home.
In the evening,we went to Chinatown. Where there was the most hustling bustling and colourful market i have ever seen. Every body was just screaming prices at you.It was lots of fun.
After loads of bargaining, buying and walking around, we went to to this place called Neroteka for dinner.
In the next few days we went to many places in Kuala Lumpur.We went to this mall called the 'mega mall', and it was HUGE......it even had north, south, east and west courts. That was where I had this dish called 'murtabak', which is a kind of a pancake with eggs and meat...it was really good.
We went to this Chinese restaurant where they have really good crabs, and it seriously lived up to its expectation. They were awesome....and the best part, of course, was breaking the crab open (with a hammer)
After 3 most enjoyable days in kuala Lumpur, we left for Fraser's hill.
Fraser's hill is one of the birding hot spots in Malaysia , and is only a 2 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. As we reached the gap and went on up to Fraser's hill the landscape changed completely, i had never seen anything like it.The forest was just so thick, all you could see was greenery.
When we reached Fraser's hill we met Mr.Durai.....who was a birder himself and was going to guide us in Fraser's hill. He seriously was as good as everybody said he was and he had a really great passion for birds too.
Anyway, so after we met him we went to our apartment and then went straight off to do a bit of bird watching. Our first sighting was of the Mountain bulbul......which waited for us to watch it for as much time as we liked. We had a brief sighting of the long tailed sibia and then as we were leaving that area a Black eagle cruised over us.
On our way to an area around a waterfall,there was a whole flock of birds which contained huge variety of different species were moving around in the trees.We saw Golden babblers, Blue nuthatches, Chestnut capped laughing thrush's, Mountain fulvettas, an Arctic warblers and to top it all a Speckled piculet. it was reall wave of birds but all the birds drifted away slowly.
As we went down to the waterfall path we saw a few more birds like the Green billed malkoha and the Black throated sunbird. As we were coming back we had the most wonderful experience.....a family of Black gibbons crossed over in the trees right above us.
After this we went to another area called the telecom loop. I don't know what was with Suja massi and the birds here but they had certainly taken a liking for her. In the first stop we had taken here..me, Mr.Durai and my mom had walked forward..we heard a suja massi calling us from the back and just as we arrived just in time to see the huge Blyth's hawk eagle take off from the tree.
We went ahead we found a flock of Blue Winged minlas and Moutain fulvettas.......as i was taking pictures of them suddenly through my viewfinder i saw a flash of black and yellow....i looked and i couldn't believe my eyes.It was a lifer as I saw the Sultan tit sitting majestically only a few feet away from me.
There was a great birdwave at the time and we saw the Orange-bellied leafbird and the Malaysian cuckoo shrike...and also a few others like the Black eared babbler and the Grey throated babbler. We even caught a glimpse of another lifer..the Brown wood owl.
As we went further ahead we reached a spot where the whole valley opens up in front of you.we sat there for two minutes and suddenly we saw this huge Hornbill flying towards us...a Wreathed hornbill.It was a truly magnificent sight..but it got even better soon later on the other side of the valley were a pair of great hornbills....I dont know how Mr.Durai spotted them but he did and they were absolutely amazing.
Later i got my first sight of the Silver eared mesia...an absolute marvel
I also got first glimpses of the Green magpie, the Greater yellow naped woodpecker...and the Black and Crimson oriole.
After this we called it a day....and went back to the apartment and had a good nights sleep.................... .
The next morning we met Mr Durai at 8:00 in the morning and we went birding to the new gap road....... .
We saw the Oochraeceous bulbul....at first and then came a big surprise..the raffles malkoha which was a pleasure watching jumping around in the trees.while watching this there was two families of gibbons trying to fend off each other and the whole valley was ringing with their calls which were surprisingly loud.
As we went on we saw quite a few raptors flying up in the sky, six different ones actually...the Crested serpent eagle, Honey buzzard, Black eagle, Changeable hawk-eagle, Blyth's hawk eagle and the Rufous bellied hawk eagle.
Talking about the sky, we saw a pair of Wreathed hornbills fly over us 3 times. We also the Brown barbet, Chestnut crowned warbler and the Black crested bulbul. We also go to see the Asian brown and the Canary flycatchers.
After this we went and had lunch at a chinese restaurant.
Then we went to a trail where we saw two more lifers the Large niltava and the Streaked wren babbler. The Large Niltava female gave us a really amazing display of it's elegance.It was bird my mom really wanted to see.The Streaked wren babbler was a bird that moved so amazingly fast on the ground and it was really tough to see but we managed to see it really well. After that we went to the telecom loop but surprisingly it was very quiet so Mr.Durai said we should try out the waterfall road and that was where we saw this beauty: the Crimson Winged Woodpecker.
We also got to see the Sultan tit and the Blue nuthatch again, and then another amazing woodpecker appeared..the Bay woodpecker, it was far but through the binoculars we got to see them very well.
It was getting dark by then so we left for dinner and went back to the apartment. The next morning was our final morning at frasers,so we did our last bit of birding with Mr. Durai.The day started off with a Streaked spiderhunter....which was one of the bird i really enjoyed watching...
One thing my mom really wanted to see was the male large niltava which is a brilliant indigo.
Mr.Durai promised my mother that tomorrow morning we would see Mr.Niltava. As the morning went on we saw had a glimpse of the Black eagle and then the White rumped munia but then................we saw THE lifer and one of the birds i really really wanted to see......
The Read Headed Trogon.... .
We then went ahead towards where we had seen the niltava female on the earlier day....just outside that trail there was another huge flock of birds.....the Greater yellow naped woodpecker, Long tailed sibias, Chestnut capped laughing thrushs and then we had the most amazing view of the Green Magpie.
We had to leave soon and so we went on to the trail which was the last bit of birding at fraser's hill and a last effort to see the male niltava.This was birding you know, sometimes you see what you want to see and sometimes you dont.....and the same thought was running in my mind as we walked into the trail. A second later all the thought was abolished because Mr.Durai said "mona (my mother) mona see there's your boyfriend"...and would you believe it...10 feet in front of us was Mr.Niltava, sitting there as if he was waiting for us.
While watching the Niltava, the Streaked wren babbler gave us another beautiful sighting and this time it was only a foot away from me. A Buff-breasted babbler also gave us a glimpse.
It was an awesome end to an awesome birding trip, and sadly we had to thank Mr.Durai and leave Fraser's hill.
When we reached Kuala Lumpur, we went straight home and lazed around for the rest of the dayand in the evening me and my mom went for a swim in the pool but otherwise we didn't do anything.
It was our last day in Kuala Lumpur,the whole morning we were just relaxing but later in the afternoon, we went to this food market. For dinner,Suja mass's friend had come over and Bose taught me how to make molten chocolate (which was AWESOME).
The next morning,sadly, we had to leave for the airport godbye's & thanx to Suja maasi & Bose for a memorable trip and we arrived back in delhi by around 8:00....
and now back to school......... Sigh !
24 September 2010
26 August 2010
23 August 2010
20 August 2010
15 August 2010
sketches series...... 14. Football fever is back & this year it will be Arsenal
With the rains pouring & the Simla Youngs ground flooded most of the time, not much football is happening, also been down with a viral.But to mark the return of good soccer on T.V with EPL & the Spanish Liga.......
a sketch from me for Barca & Arsenal....
10 August 2010
sketches series......13. Heron fishing
Sharing a sketch which i made sometime back...... of an Heron fishing
30 July 2010
MBK vs Shikshantar
Even though we practiced hard for about 2 weeks
& we had a great team spirit going
i was kind of nervous in the morning
also those guys looked tall & big...
finally its 8.30 am
the whistle is blown.. & the match starts
before we could blink
our lynch pin in attack, Karan strikes
then again & again it just rained goals
after a while it didn't matter what the scoreline was
Shikshantar was pulverised
final score 13 -2 ....
after a while it didn't matter what the scoreline was 
Shikshantar was pulverised
final score 13 -2 .... or something like that 
They seem relieved to leave the field.....
sorry guys,
we were just too good today
26 July 2010
A big thankyou to everyone........
for all the phone calls,for all the good wishes in face book & through mail
for maasi for the cakes & lasagne
for all the gifts
& for all who came & had a mad time.......
25 July 2010
sketches series.....12. Eagle
Very difficult to take a good snap of something which is framed,
because of the reflection & light issues,
anyway a side angled shot of a sketch of an Eagle i had made sometime back !!
12 July 2010
I am almost Catalan
A Cesc Fabregas passfor Andres Iniesta
a moment worth waiting for
When Spain lost in the opening match against Switzerland all my friends laughed at me.
&
now they want a treat.
24 June 2010
Common Iora
My first sighting of an Common Iora.
While walking along my farm, i saw this dash of Yellow & Black in the Karvanda shrubs.
Its a male & may be in breeding plumage
I also saw pair of Short Toed Snake Eagles glide past, then a huge owl (i could not identify) which flew past us while driving back in the evening.More news from the farm in October.......
23 June 2010
SPAIN......my favourite for this years world cup !!!!!
I am an ardent fan of Spanish football team & i support Spain for this years World cup and I'm sure Spain is going to win it!!
But i hope at no time till the finals will there be a clash between Spain & Brazil !! That will be heart wrenching.
I had supported Spain during the Euro 2008 also when no one gave them a chance. Friends & cousins laughed at me & i had the last laugh !!
Fernando Torres & David Villa have been my favourites for a long time.
Actually, infact i like the whole team & just love the way they play, especially their deft triangular passing, the attacking defenders who are always spotted in the rival penalty area, creative midfielders who can keep possession for hours & awesome, clinical finishers...... the goals of David VIlla the other day were just too good, so was Xavi, Navas & Ramos.....
Surely by the next match Torres, Iniesta & Fabregas will get into top flight....
Watch out....... for the Spanish matadors
Viva la Espana !!
18 June 2010
My longest road journey & the end of summer holidays
Within a couple of days of reaching back from Camp Himalayan, we were off to the longest road journey i've taken till now.
4.30 am...... New Delhi to Udaipur. We reach Udaipur at 3.30 pm. Swim in the pool & chill & night stay in Udaipur
next day.....
Leave Udaipur at 9am for Ahmedabad.
Break for lunch for a sumptuous guju thaali & meeting vinay kaka& charul maasi.
Leave Ahmedabad at 5 pm
Destination for night stay is in my old house in Dahanu.
We reach at 1 am
We crash to sleep.
2nd day
Wake up in the morning, a ride on our 'ole scooter, check out the stuff at the good 'ole Agni Bakery, meet my 'ole friend Pehzaan & a quick hello to Brian Kaka & Farida aunty......
10 am Dahanu to Bombay.....we reach for lunch in Bombay, which is our destination.
A total of almost 2,500 kms on road, & in a space of 5 days we weaved through Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat & Maharashtra & surprisingly it was not stressful at all. ( Yes, except for the Traffic cops at Ahmedabad city who kept extorting bribes out of us like a mafia gang)
I spend the rest of of my summer holidays with my cousins in Bombay. Watched movies, football matches, played, laughed, cried, fought, enjoyed, had kulfis, ice creams, pav bhaaji, bhel puri's, paani puri's, doughnuts, enjoyed the company of my aunts & uncles & my maternal grand mother, i saw & received the first rains, visited my farm near Pune .........
& now i am back to the grind.
Time & days seemed to have moved fast......
Lots of school work to complete before it re opens on the 28th.
Wish me luck........
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