Its that time of the year to clear leaves and also to stretch your legs and relax.  What better time to spend Christmas back home with family and friends.  Going back home to Hyderabad tonight.  Will be back in Singapore only in the new year.

Lots of cakes, cookies, appam, stew, hyderabadi biryani and the festivities await.  This will be our first Christmas back home since I got married.  Really looking forward to it.  Looking to go around the city and take the sights and sounds of the city i lived in.

Its really been a wonderful year. Tough no doubt but, professionally satisfactory.  At the beginning of the year moved to a new department, attended a course and got certified.  Worked in a more structured way.  Learnt the importance of documentation and keeping my foot down to say NO.

Raring to go into the new year.  Lots of things planned for the new year.  Gotta make some really radical decisions.  Cant wait.  Not to mention, completed 11 years in Singapore on the 4th of December 2011.  Time has just sped by.  Have spent a third of my life here in one of the most progressive and dynamic cities in the world.  Have made some great friends for life.

Let me take this opportunity to wish the best of the season to all of you and your loved ones.  Have fun and enjoy the holidays.

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Tree inside Takashimaya

Ion Orchard

Orchard Central

Orchard Central

Orchard Central Orchard Road

Paragon

Tangs

Takashimaya

Plaza Singapura

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Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones.  May the almighty bless you with lots of happiness, success and love in the years to come.

Happy Holidays

Above pictures courtesy: EFN & Krisdecurtis

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Its the final week leading into my faviourite times of the year.  Its Christmas time.  I love the feeling.  Wish i was back home to the cold, wintery temperatures of Hyderabad.  Not to forget the warm cakes, appams, chicken stew and other eatables, the christmas trees, the star in front of the house, the singing of carols….

Put up the Christmas tree at home quite early this time.

Happy Holidays

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Wishing the best of the season to all of you and your loved ones. Happy Holidays.

PS: Ignore the dates on the pictures. I forgot to set them properly.  And neither do i have the patience to edit them

Bugis Village

A Christmas tree made up of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Not sure if they were real / fake

UOB

Tangs

ION Orchard

Heeren

Paragon

Some funny looking tree

and finally, the one at my home

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The Birlas built six temples (India always being in urgent need of more religion). They built temples in Jaipur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Patna and Kolkata. Most of these are to Lakshminarayan, and these are only the big ones. No Indian family has built more, or bigger, temples than the Birlas, and that is their contribution to our culture.

Mukesh Ambani is building on Altamount Road a structure called Antilla, the most expensive home in history. Its architects Hirsch Bedner say their estimate for it is around $2 billion. That is Rs9,000 crore, and four people will live in this house. That is Ambani’s contribution to our culture.

The Birlas built schools for the rich, and the Ambanis made a school for millionaires. BITS-Pilani’s fee is Rs1 lakh per year, Birla Vidyamandir’s fee is Rs1 lakh per year and Dhirubhai Ambani International School’s fee just for classes XI and XII is Rs7.57 lakh.

At the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital (“Compassionate Quality Healthcare”), a check-up for headaches costs Rs2,850. At the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (“Every Life Matters”), the wellness check-up costs Rs5,000.

At the Tata Memorial Hospital, which treats cancer, healthcare is free.

Of Tata Sons’ 398,563 shares, 65.8% is held by charitable trusts (Ratan Tata owns 0.84%). How much money are we talking about? Tata Sons’ net profit last year was Rs3,780 crore.

Tata Sons owns 74% of Tata Consultancy Services and 84% of Tata Motors. If wealthy Indians want to give back to society, they need only buy Jaguar and Land Rover, and not Mercedes and BMW. Tata Sons owns 31% of Tata Steel, 20% of Tata Teleservices and 22% of Tata Tea.

Last year, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust gave away Rs201 crore. Sir Ratan Tata Trust gave away Rs153 crore. This is not CSR (corporate social responsibility) or other corporate varnish: It’s pure philanthropy. Witness its quality: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Energy Research Institute (Teri), Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for the Performing Arts. That is civilization.

Read the rest of the article here

Read all of Aakar Patel’s previous articles on Mint here

An aside, have been reading a lot.  Simultaneously reading business books, magazines and not to mention have been visiting library more often.  Have passed on the reading bug which i had caught from my dad to biwi ji.

Though, its been pretty boring last few weeks of the year.  Its been raining like crazy in Singapore and is good to snuggle in bed with no intention of  going to work.

Its the last month of the year and Christmas is round the corner.  Singapore is all decked up like a pretty girl, still the festivity of Christmas at Hyderabad something that i miss. The smell of cakes being baked, the waking up to cold mornings, blowing invisible cigarette smoke into the wind, the Christmas tree at home, the decorations, the lighting up of home, the star hanging outside the balcony….i miss them all.

At least biwi ji is here with me this Christmas.  We plan to put up a small Christmas tree at home along with some decorations.  After the disaster of baking a cake for birthday, no such adventures are in mind for Christmas.  We just plan to buy one.   Since Christmas falls on a friday this year, its going to be a long weekend.

Hope the rest of the year passes off with peace and happiness all around.

Picture source: Wikipedia & VickyB

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Wishing all of you and your loved ones, Merry Christmas.  Have a great holiday with family & friends.

Pictures source: Yahoo Greetings

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUqtKJ13eH4]

Youtube link

Silent Night – Jewel

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHNWJVm0LjA&feature=related]

Youtube link

Oh Holy Night – Celine Dion

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jr-2eyRtV4&feature=related]

Youtube link

Hallelujah Chorus Nuns

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D09DCZryG2U&feature=related]

Youtube link

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Have a few errands to run on my trip, but would also like to meet up with anyone in Hyderabad. Do drop me a mail at full2njoy(at)gmail if interested, and lets hope to catch up. I would love to take this opportunity to wish all of you and your loved ones

Eid Mubarak aka Bakrid aka Hari Raya Haji

Merry Christmas

A fabulous New Year – 2008

May the new year bring loads of investments to India. May millions of jobs be created. May millions of families break the shackles of poverty. May the stock market boom. May we all make tons of money in the boom

May God bless India.

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