Friday 11 July 2014

JOURNEYING THROUGH LIFE - THE WINDSHIELD IS ALWAYS LARGER THAN THE REARVIEW MIRROR



The other day I was reading a personal story of a celebrity I am fond of,  whose screen presence is always wonderful. She got into a controversy recently and had to struggle a bit to come out of it. In a public statement, she said, 'The windshield is always larger than the rear veiw mirror'. 

Are you more focused at life's windshield as you journey through life or is your focus fixed on the rear view mirror? How often have you caught yourself immersed in the pain, losses, suffering or disappointments of the past rather than focusing on the present and moving ahead with confidence and faith?. When we drive, don't we concentrate more on the large windshield looking at the big view in front of us and ahead of us? If we were to be lost looking into the rear view mirror, it's hard to keep our eyes on the road. When you glance back, don't be paralysed by any negative experience, because that only causes unnecessary misery and imprisons you in the past robbing you of joys and opportunities in the present and what's ahead of you. It disrupts your peace and sense of balance. You don't live there in your past any more. Time and again when we glance into our past, it should be to help us make better decisions in the present and for our life ahead. Our past has taught us the lessons we need to equip ourselves for this journey. And there will always be so much more to learn. It's an unending nature's process for our personal growth. 

Who we are and how we choose to travel our path is determined mostly by the choices we make today creating our experiences.  So focus on your large windshield to make your personal journey a great one despite the challenges, hurdles and mistakes. Manouver confidently through the sudden curves, traffic jams, and not let the bad drivers ruin your journey. Tune into your internal GPS - guidance positioning system, as it will re-calculate and guide you if you get lost. Whenever you do glance at the rear view mirror, can you see all the beautiful and good things that have happened too? 

EATING OUT IN BIRMINGHAM - JIMMY SPICES

As a visitor, one of the things I get to do besides sight seeing, is visiting different restaurants I haven't been to before. Sometime during the end of April, my daughter took me for a movie at Cineworld in Birmingham, while  my husband went to shoot nature photography.  We decided to eat out after the movie.  My husband met us outside after the movie got over. It was afternoon and we were famished.  There were a series of questions that popped up, what shall we have for lunch? what kind of food?, which place?, which restaurant would be good? Should we go for something light or something sumptuous? My daughter knowing her parents' tastes, said, 'Dad, mom, you guys will really like Jimmy Spices'. So we walked down the road from Cineworld to this really nice restaurant Jimmy Spices on Broad Street. They had a delightful elaborate buffet spread with cuisines from literally all over the world - Far east, Indian subcontinent, Middle east, Europe and America. And a live cooking station too. I for one, couldn't possibly try each and every item. We tried a variety of delicious food to our heart's content almost surpassing the limits of what our little stomachs could handle. Jimmy Spices is a multi cuisine restaurant you will definitely enjoy. The prices are very reasonable.  

For more information visit Jimmy Spices website

Here are some photos I took.




































Wednesday 9 July 2014

WATCH "THIS IS BIRMINGHAM' - A BEAUTIFUL 30 SECOND FILM



A 30-second film titled ‘This is Birmingham’ features a young woman walking through some distinctive Birmingham locations – from the Symphony Hall to the Custard Factory, Jewellery Quarter and the University of Birmingham.

The film is designed to tempt people who may have little knowledge of the city to explore its vibrant heritage, entertainment venues, culture and beautiful public spaces.

Article and video via:  www.visitbirmingham.com/this-is-birmingham

TWO BEAUTIFUL WEEKS IN UK, PART 2 - BIRMINGHAM

It's my fifth visit to UK and third visit to Birmingham to see our daughter. Beautiful malls, train station, the shopping centres, art gallery, museum, Odeon cineplex, endless restaurants offering tantalizing food, and lots of places of tourist interest were within walking distance for us since our daughter lives in the city centre. There is so much to see and do in and around the vibrant city centre of Birmingham. One could spend hours on end outdoors.

Other attractions are the beautiful parks, zoos,  botanical gardens, museums,  mansions, art galleries, animal farms, Jewellery Quarter, Brindley Place, Victoria Square, New Street, National Sea life Centre, Cadbury World, Think tank Planetarium, Falconry centre, Ruskin Glass centre, Winterbourne House and Garden. The Sandwell Valley Country Park and Farm grows fruits, vegetables and has rare breed of farm animals. It's nice to walk by the beautiful, canals in Birmingham. The Hippodrome holds dance, ballet, opera, comedy shows, musicals, family entertainment and pantomime on a regular basis. The Symphony Hall with it's world class acoustics and stunning auditorium hosts beautiful concerts and shows all year round. There are many theatres in Birmingham that frequently stage beautiful plays. Everyday after breakfast, we would be out visiting and exploring new places. We'd get back to the apartment late afternoon and spend our evenings with our daughter as she would return from work by then. 

If you enjoying shopping, the Bull Ring Mall, Mail Box, Selfridges, Pallasades, Victoria Centre, Pavillions, Great Western Arcade, Burlington Arcade, House or Frazer offer great shopping experience. 

Other places you could visit near Birmingham is the West Midlands Safari Park, its amazing. Startford-Upon-Avon, the birth place of Shakespeare is a  beautiful must place. You could visit Leamington spa, Warwick castle and the award winning spectacular Trentham Gardens. 

Here are links to a list of places of interest in, around and near Birmingham
http://visitbirmingham.com/what-to-do/attractions/
http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do-family/Birmingham/Historical-and-Educational-Attractions

Now for some photos I took in Birmingham during my visit in April/May. There is another post coming up on restaurants we visited in Birmingham.