Salaam-E-Ishq (con't)

A reply from Mahin:

Mahin: hahahaha, nice!
youre not just a critic, you are a bonified Indian!

Salaam-E-Ishq

I went to see Salaam-E-Ishq ("A Tribute to Love") on Tuesday night. GREAT MOVIE! It takes the place of 6 different love stories, and how they all come together at the end like the movie "Love Actually." The soundtrack is super good - it went well with the dancing and theme of the story, I've been downloading it and listening to it at work! Mahin thinks I'm a Bollywood Critic now, silly girl. Here is the link to the movie (music is available on the website too): Salaam-E-Ishq

Last Full Week in Hyderabad

Can you believe my time in India is almost over? Yep, this is my last full week in Hyderabad :( Am I ready to leave? Definitely not. There is so much MORE of India I'd like to see and experience before I go, there just isn't enough time in the world to do it. There's also a lt of the world left to see and again, just not enough time to do so. I've had a great time here, it's been challenging but extremely rewarding. I've learned so much about the world and about myself being here, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I will miss the people the most, my friends at the Google office here and my friends from other Google offices (Mountain View, Dublin.) In my last week I plan to:

• Go to the tailor and get all the last things I need to be stitched
• See one more Bollywood movie
• Eat at my favorite Hyderabad restaurant
• Go to Malaysia (we're going this weekend to Kuala Lumpr for Jeff's bday)
• Shop as much as I can because everything is SO CHEAP!
• Soak up every bit of India I can: the food (well, not really), the sights, the colors, the people
• Spend time with friends
  

Naveen and Varsha's Wedding Party

Here's a video of us dancing to drums

Saturday night I attended a wedding party -- at first I thought it would be a traditional wedding reception, where everyone would dress up and dance to traditional Indian music. This party was far from it. Naveen and Varsha, the wedding couple, invited only young friends to this wedding cocktail party. They transformed an empty farm house into a huge party set-up. There was a big dancefloor, open bar and an awesome DJ who played a mix of American mainstream hip-hop and Indian pop! I had a great time, this was my first wedding event and a fun one nonetheless. We danced our hearts out til dawn :)

Golconda Fort

Finally, I made it to Golconda Fort! I know, I'm about to leave Hyderabad and this is the place most people first see, but I finally made it here. It's 4 forts together located on the outskirt of the city, with a beautiful view overlooking all of Hyderabad. Simply breathtaking. When we first entered there was a clapping room -- you stand in a specific spot and the sound of the clap resonates throughout the entire fort. It was believed that the clapping notified the king when visitors arrived. Then, we walked deeper into the fort and entered a room with echoing walls. If you stood at one corner of the room and another person stood at the opposite end, you can hear each other if you speak into the wall. Amazing! We then wanted to see the top of the fort, climbed over 1,000 stairs in the blazing heat to get there. A HUGE workout but well worth the exercise, the view of Hyderabad was incredible. For more info on Golconda, click here.

Surprise Birthday!

Happy Birthday Charise McDreamy, 30th Birthday!

No no no it's not my birthday, not even my half birthday but according to my friends, it is! We went to eat at Golden Dragon chinese restaurant in the Taj Krishna hotel (where we have Sunday brunch.) I went to the restroom and returned to a cake being delivered to my plate and everyone singing! The cake said "Happy Birthday Charise McDreamy 3o years old!" When Mahin made the reservation they asked if it was for a special occasion and she told them it was my birthday, 30th birthday! McDreamy, well that's a small side joke...I got her hooked on Grey's anatomy and now we joke about Derrick Shephard's name (McDreamy in Grey's.) Anyway, to tip off the birthday cake, the restaurant lit fireworks outside the window! It was crazy but SUPER funny hahahahs! What a fun way to end a long week. And, Shannon and her boyfriend, Pratap, came to dinner. She's in town for a couple weeks with Pratap attending a few weddings.

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Guru

I went to watch Guru tonight, a new release Hindi film (with no subtitles.) Without understanding a single word said, I found it to be a remarkable and extremely captivating movie. Granted, I had translation throughout but the acting was phenomenal nevertheless. It is a story of a man named Guru who starts a textile company from scratch and becomes India's wealthiest and most powerful business man. The movie also shared a lot of Indian culture (wedding scenes, religious scenes) that helped me visualize a lot of cultural practices. I was told I had to watch a few Bollywood movies before I left even though it'd be in another language, this was well worth the adventure! For more info on the movie, click here.

Adorable Cuties from Mumbai

Courtesy of Mahin, she captured this picture when she was in Mumbai last weekend walking to Haji Ali Mosque. They're ADORABLE!

Cricket Playoff Game

Look who's the allstar cricket player now???



Getting some sun at the game...

Me, Stacy, David, Jeff, Greg, Scott and Christina went to watch the Google cricket team play in a quarter final tournament. It was during the afternoon so this time we stayed for the entire thing! We all had a lot of fun, sitting out in the sun, lazing on a Saturday afternoon with beers in hand. Greg and Scott hit the field during half-time and showed off their cricket skills to the rest of us (show-offs!) Unfortunatley the team lost :( but they played great nonetheless. I'm sure there will be many more tourneys that will come out with wins!

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Celeste Goes Home!

Last night I sent my sister off to the airport, I'm going to miss her SO much! It was really nice to have my family and someone so close to me nearby. She starts school in a few days, she will like the last few days to unpack all my stuff she lugged home (thanks Celeste.) I love you, have a safe flight :) India misses you already!

There she is!



At Angeethi restaurant

Here are photos from her last dinner at Angeethi with a few other expats. She did well and even tried Pan. Way to go Celeste!

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