Merry Christmas!!!

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's December 25th ~ The Most Wonderful Day of the Year!! Merry Christmas!!
Our family loves everything about Christmas & the month of December is a time to celebrate the Greatest Birthday in the World! The Birth of Our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ!

Every year on December 1st we set up our Manger, decorate our Christmas Tree & fill our home with lights & Christmas decoration! Only in the second week of January, the celebration winds up & everything is packed away for the next Christmas! I grew up with such an elaborate Christmas celebration, thanks to my mum! She did this every year & made it a family tradition! Now we continue this wonderful tradition & my children understand that Christmas is very special to our family.

Another wonderful tradition my mother taught her girls was to add something new to the Christmas tree every year! So every year I look for at least one or two new Christmas ornaments to add to my tree at home! My husband keeps warning me that, as years go by my tree will be so full of decorations that it can fall over :-) Well, if that happens we will just have to get a bigger tree!

 
Our Boys love the Advent Calendar with Chocolates & we have made our own little Christmas Tradition of enjoying a Christmas treat every day from the 1st to 25th December!! I love the way my boys wait patiently to open the treat every day from their advent calendar!

Every year we attend all the Christmas celebrations & festive activities around town with our boys, making this festive season something to look forward to every year! From Carol Singing to Christmas Cookie Decoration to a Tea Party with Santa Clause, we fill our December calendar with Christmas activities every Christmas!

 

Christmas is for everyone & if you don't have a Christmas Tradition make one this Christmas!
Here is my Top 25 Must Do to Make Christmas more Christmasy then ever!!

1. Attend Holy Mass on Christmas
2. Make a Manger / Crib in your home
3. Put up a Christmas Tree (however small it maybe!) & decorate it!
4. Buy yourself a Santa Hat! Wear it & you will be singing Jingle Bells!
5. Listen to Christmas Carols
6. Go Christmas Shopping!
7. Believe in Santa Clause!
8. Wear something in Christmas Red / Green
9. Eat Christmas Cake
10. Do One Good Deed (at least!)
11. Share a Christmas Meal with People You Love
12. Wish everyone "Merry Christmas!"
13. Say a Prayer Together as a Family
14. Attend a Christmas Celebration
15. Tell your Children the Christmas Story
16. Learn at least one Christmas Carol by heart!
17. Buy your loved ones Christmas presents! (Don't forget to wrap it!)
18. Do one Christmas Craft / Project with your children
19. Make a tour around town & visit all the beautiful Christmas trees, gingerbread houses & decoration in the city!
20. Bake / Cook something Special for Christmas! (Cookies, Cake, Mince pies, Gingerbread House!)
21. Have a Christmas Party!
22. Drink a cup of Hot Chocolate & munch on Cookies sitting near your beautiful Christmas Tree!
23. Take a Family Photo in front of your Christmas Tree
24. Send out Christmas Cards! (Snail Mail , E-mail, Text! Whatever is your style!)
25. Be Happy & Cheerful spreading the Love & Joy of Christmas to everyone around you!

Christmas is a time of Joy & Celebration when everyone around you is in a festive mood & everything is Christmasy! In the midst of all the Carol singing, Gift exchange, Santa Clause, Christmas Parties & Beautiful Winter, the most important thing is to remember the True meaning & importance of Christmas!

May Jesus Bless You Today!

Merry Christmas!!!

Colombo in a Day!

The vibrant capital city of Sri Lanka is a charming destination with the right blend of culture, history & modern day hustle and bustle. Colombo is a perfect get away for a weekend & a popular transit destination.
The moment you enter the city, you get a very familiar homely feeling seeing the traffic, friendly people & big billboards with the Sri Lankan Cricket Players!!

Leisure, Cricket, Business or Transit, whatever your reason to be here, my theory is to never miss an opportunity to explore the city no matter how brief your stay maybe!
If you stay in Colombo is short then here is the way to have a complete & unforgettable Sri Lankan experience in a day! My top three picks for hotel stay would be Cinnamon Grand, Cinnamon Lakeside & Taj Samudra.

On a perfect Colombo morning wake up early & take a dip in the hotel swimming pool! There is nothing better than a grand breakfast after a swim. Most hotels in Colombo have an interesting breakfast buffet which is complimentary with your stay.

After breakfast go on a City Tour & see the landmarks & attractions of the city. Make sure to see the Galle Face Green, Victoria Park, National Museum, Town Hall & the Beira Lake in the heart of the city. After the City Tour pick up some stunning souvenirs & traditional Sri Lankan handicrafts from 'Lakmedura' Handicrafts Center.Tea is the most popular souvenir followed by handicrafts in wood & coconut shell. You will also find lots of batik prints on different kinds of fabric & classic Sri Lankan souvenirs like wooden elephants. Shopping in Sri Lanka is not very expensive & if you love souvenirs like I do, you better buy an extra bag too!

After picking up your souvenirs head straight for a authentic Sri Lankan lunch at Raja Bojun. The lunch buffet with an elaborate selection of vegetarian & non-vegetarian specialties at Raja Bojun is culinary treat for your taste buds. The restaurant is usually packed for lunch with tourists as well as locals.

After lunch our next stop is Odel, Sri Lanka's most popular fashion retailer. The flagship Odel store at Alexandra Place is the most impressive with its colonial architecture & largest collection of products. After you have satisfied your shopping craving, have a cup of Ceylon Tea & local delicacies at the quaint cafes at Alexandra Place.

Promising an unforgettable evening our final stop is The Dutch Hospital! The Dutch Hospital is the coolest & most happening place in Colombo. With magnificent Dutch architecture this colonial courtyard is the oldest building in the Colombo Fort Area. You can find everything from Barefoot to Ministry of Crab at Colombo's best shopping, dining & entertainment courtyard! After exploring this amazing place pamper your taste buds & eat dinner at Semondu! Semondu is an absolute treat & well worth a second visit!
So take a day's break & experience the magic of Colombo!   

It's Raining!!

It's July & the summer sun is shining brightly in Qatar! All I can think about now is that it is raining & pouring back home this very moment as I write my blog! Kerala Monsoon is magnificent & breathtakingly beautiful.
Monsoon always gives me a happy feeling, bringing back childhood memories & special moments that I will always cherish. Every year on the first day of school, the first drops of the monsoon arrive! When we were little our new school year shopping would include 'rain shoes', a waterproof school bag & a fancy umbrella!
I always thought it was a great way to start a school year with the sound of raindrops in the background during every new lesson learned. My sister & I always looked for an opportunity to jump in puddles & play in the rain, especially if we had grandparents around to plead our case to Amma! Having cousins around was a bonus for more time in the rain! They say, if the rains are very heavy, then there are lesser chances of falling sick! At least that was our favourite excuse!

By the time you are in high school you grow out of splashing water around & you enjoy the monsoon differently! My most fond memories were my basketball days in school. Our team used to boast saying that if it started raining, there is no team who can beat us in a basketball match! Honestly we were pretty good at winning a match in the rain :-)
I was away for college & in my hey days rains were all about sipping a cup of coffee & looking on. I had the greatest roommates in hostel & we never missed enjoying a single rain! A cup of coffee was almost a must have if two raindrops were falling from the sky!

 

I love the rain anywhere & everywhere but in Kerala, it is something else! I think it is the way the whole place looks after the onset of the monsoon. One monsoon we went to this lovely little coffee shop in Fort Kochin to have their home-made chocolate cake & ice-tea when it was pouring! Every mouthful of chocolate cake got better with the rain getting heavier! I will never forget the look on Amma's face that day, just feeling so cozy & content with her two little girls on either side!

My husband loves the rain more than I do!! It rains in Qatar for 2-3 days in a year & in this rare downpour if you see two very excited people with two very excited kids driving in the rain, then there is a very high chance that it might be us! We call ourselves 'rain people' who get most excited at the sight of a single raindrop! Whether back home or anywhere else in the world we have travelled to, the rains have been very special to us! A hot cup of coffee, some butter-cookies & people you love is the combination to enjoying every rain!


 
 

Top 5 Burgers of 2013!

Doha is a fast food paradise! Burger, Fries & Cola is everyone's favourite meal! After lots of good burgers one fine day I discovered the Hardees Angus Mushroom & Swiss Thickburger.....One bite & I knew this was going to be my all time favourite! It was perfect. The Hardees Angus Mushroom & Swiss Thickburger has inspired this post & I dedicate this article to the biggest foodie I know ~ My Dad!

#1 Hardees Angus Mushroom & Swiss Thickburger

The Hardees Angus Mushroom & Swiss Thickburger tops my list at #1. Angus beef, covered in Hardee's unique Mushroom sauce, melted Swiss Cheese and special Pepper May sauce, all inside a fresh Wheat bun! It is the perfect burger, hands down! Curly Fries complements this burger & makes it even more desirable!!


#2 Shack Stack Burger from Shake Shack

A perfect Cheeseburger & a crisp fried Portobello Mushroom filled with melted Muenster and Cheddar Cheese topped with Tomato, Lettuce & Shack Sauce!! Have this mouth watering burger with crinkle cut potato fries topped with Shack cheddar & American Cheese Sauce & a thick chocolate milk shake!


#3 Burger Kings Mushroom Steakhouse Burger

The Mushroom Steakhouse Burger is third on my list. Beef burger with Mushrooms, BBQ sauce, Swiss Cheese, Bacon & Crispy Fried Onions inside wheat bun! The secret ingredients that make this burger unique is the slice of bacon & crispy onions!!  Have the Mushroom Steak House Burger with Classic Fries & Cola!


#4 McDonald's Double Cheeseburger 

 A classic double cheeseburger with two slice of cheese & pickles!! For Qr 5 this is a real treat for cheeseburger fans!! The McDonald's Double Cheeseburger is the least messy & the most recommended for drive thru meals!


#5 The Whopper, Burger King

No list is complete without everyone's Favourite 'The Whopper'! A classic Beef Burger with Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Ketchup & Mayo! You can choose from a Jr. Whopper to a Triple Whopper to satisfy your craving!! The Burger King Whopper was my mother's all time favourite burger!

Hungry????? Well I just finished eating a fantastic Hardees Angus Mushroom & Swiss Thickburger!! :-)

Fuwairit Beach

Fuwairit, a beautiful sandy beach is the best secret spot we stumbled upon this year! Located on the northern shores of Qatar, Fuwairit is a perfect destination to spend a day. It is a straight drive on Al Shamal road to get to the Fuwairit intersection from Doha. The sign boards are clear & the drive to the beach will take you little less than an hour. There is a small village at Fuwairit with few old houses & a horse stable. The Horse stable was as exciting as the beach for my children! Once you reach the village you need to drive off-road to get to the beach.



The sight of the white sandy beach & turquoise blue water always makes my heart skip a beat & the first sight of Fuwairit did just that!! A weekday morning would be ideal if you want the beach all to yourself! Be sure to take a beach chair, lots of beach toys & pack a picnic basket to have a great day at the beach. A morning at the beach is a perfect way to relax & have a good time with your kids!



On the weekend, Fuwairit is the most happening beach in Qatar! You can expect a hip crowd, lots of beach BBQs, pretty kites in the air, family picnics & lots of excitement. It is the best time to visit the beach with family & friends. On the weekend you can hire ATVs & go on fun horse rides too at Fuwairit.

The sand of the northern beaches of Qatar is perfect for turtles to nest. Fuwairit beach is closed every year from April to July as the Hawksbill turtles nest here!! Every year baby Hawksbill turtles get ready for their first swim from the Fuwairit beach! Well, that's a great story to tell your children when you visit Fuwairit!

The best time to visit would be from Jan - Mar / Sept - Dec. In your beach bag take everything that you need to have a great time & when you leave don't leave anything behind!