Happy Birthday Suresh 12:18 PM, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2005 Wishing you many more happy returns of this day! PERMALINK | 2 COMMENT(S)

Singapore River at night 11:52 AM, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2005 Click on the picture for a bigger version of this panorama. PERMALINK | 13 COMMENT(S)

Festival of lights 9:31 AM, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 02, 2005 Diwali (or Deepavali, as it is called in the south) is by far the most prominent festival in India - comparable to Christmas in other parts of the world. The word Diwali (or Deepavali) translates literally to "light from lamps," and hence the term "Festival of Lights." This festival usually falls during late October and early November and is accompanied by lots of fireworks and firecrackers. I remember the last time I celebrated Diwali, about 6 years ago, people start bursting crackers about a week before Diwali. But this time, because of government rules, this has been reduced to pretty much just on the day of Diwali. This year, I was able to celebrate this festival at home. We had a ton of fireworks and my mom made some tasty delicacies. It's a tradition to wear new clothes on the day of Diwali - so, keeping with the tradition, I treated myself to some new clothes, too. PERMALINK | 5 COMMENT(S)