They were temporarily calling it Empire State Rebuilding because they were making maintenance and enhancements to beautify this tall observatory. Since they were Rebuilding, we had to catch the serpentine queue through a labyrinth of halls and rooms which lead us to a tiny room with about 6 elevators. We got into one of these and went up till the 80th floor. We were dropped off there and had to go through another maze of rooms with AC vents and wires hanging off the ceiling that lead us to another set of elevators which took us till the 86th floor.
We were so restless that we were wondering if we will be made to catch a hot air baloon at the 86th floor, jump off from there with a parachute, cut off the parachute at a certain altitude, grab hold of a pole, slide down, catch a rope and do a MI-3 stunt to get back on top of the building. But the 86th floor was there and we just had to walk out into the observatory. It was actually just a tiny row around the top of the building that definitely cannot handle a lot of people. We did manage to enjoy the aerial view of the city but were unable to name the buildings that we saw – Building 1, building 2, building 3 with the Crown, a church, Building 4 with Thundu and Jatti drying in Mottai maadi, you know all that stuff.
All of this lasted only about 10 to 15 minutes before Varuna bhagawan (Rain god) decided to do his act. It was getting stormy with lightening and we were asked to get inside the glass shelter, through which we could still see the ground act but not so enjoyable. I liked the Space Needle in Seattle and John Hancock center in Chicago much better than this one.
If you would like to visit Empire state make sure you check these 2 things:
1. That it is not rebuilding.
2. That it is not raining or going to rain or chances of rain.
Commentakshari
Did you like to play Antakshari while going on a trip during school or college? We used to love it because, whenever we cannot think of a song for a letter, we just sing “Tunuk Tunuk Tun, Tunuk Tunuk Tun, Tunuk Tunuk Tun, Tanana!”.
This particular tag reminds me of that game, where you sing a song starting with a letter the previous person ended with. The rule of this tag is similar to this:
You are assigned a letter by the person, when you leave a comment and the person has to write 10 things you like, that starts with that letter.
I am assigned the letter ‘R’ and these are the 10 words I like that start with R.
RAIN
I love the smell of the ground when the first drops of rain fall. I love the rain that falls for an hour and disappears after that to reveal a mild sun through the clouds. It is a very pleasant feeling. It is like the nature wanted me to cool down for a little bit.
RISK
Sometimes you need to take risks to get what you need. While I don’t like to call myself a big risk taker, I like to take risks when it really matters, when I feel that I am supposed to take that risk.
RIVER
It is a unique property of water to blend with the shape of its surrounding. When water flows in the plains over sand, rocks and plants, a beautiful phenomenon called the River is formed. The sand and rocks might not be beautiful by itself, but when the water drapes around it to form the River, it is simply amazing.
REFINE
There is always room for improvement. So, I keep myself open and refine as and when I can.
REFRESH
A nice calming cool shave and a face wash or warm shower or a evening cup of tea is always refreshing. But refreshing is more than physical. So I like to empty my mind of whatever I have been thinking once a while, that way I can allow fresh thoughts to emanate. That doesn’t mean I forget, it is just that I clear my cache and browser history and start afresh once a while. It is refreshing and I like that.
RESOLVE
A problem has to be resolved and I like it when I have to resolve. I do not like it when I don’t resolve or if it doesn’t get resolved.
RANDOM
Because everything around us seem to happen in a Random fashion. I like Random and I dislike it at the same time and that makes that word very special.
RAILROAD
I like to look at the rails during the train journey. I like the way it splits and joins. It is like, it is alive and does all this as the train moves.
RESPONSIBLE
If I take a task, I like to take the responsibility of doing it on myself. That is the only way I can do it whole heartedly and give my best.
REJECT
It is not a very positive word. But it can be of tremendous importance when used in the right sense. The challenge of creating something is not in knowing what you need, but in rejecting all that you do not need. Once you master the art of identifying and rejecting what you do not need, you will be able to create what you need. I am not a master at this, but I try to do this.
Now, It is your turn. If you would like to play “Commentakshari” you can pick the starting letter of the word from your comment number. For example, if you are the 3rd commentator, you can pick the first letter of the 3rd word in your comment. If you do not have a blog, you can write your words in the comments section. If you do not like to play “Commentakshari”, you can comment on my post but you are free to reject it and move on.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!