Showing posts with label South Asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Asia. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

South Asian Beauties

(UPDATED: April 9, 2012)

Asian beauties of and from South Asian nations will be featured here in this continuation of my "Asian Beauties" series. Ladies from India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan will be featured here. I want to honor all of my South Asian visitors to my blog. I hope this blog post will be to your liking, as well as to the liking of all people not from the aforementioned countries.

Now as of this initial blog post, I was not sure whether to make a separate post regarding Middle Eastern nations or how to actually define South Asia for this blog post. Sometimes, I go on official definitions some people give to certain parts of the world in making up my blog posts.

WARNING: This post contains several YouTube videos, which may hinder your viewing experience of this blog post.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

APR 9 2012 - added another blog (hints: India and Nepal)




--- Asian Beauties: South Asia ---

When most people think of Asian people and things, many people (understandably) think of Asia along the Pacific Rim and many of the outlying Pacific islands around Asia. In this series of blog posts regarding Asian beauties, I will showcase various Asian women as some of the most beautiful from this featured part of the world. I will be sure to feature many more lovely ladies from this certain sector of the world in more posts.

Once the series is complete, you may link to any of the following through the list below. Here is a look at the Asian Beauties series:


--- ASIAN BEAUTIES SERIES ---
• East Asian Beauties
• Southeast Asian Beauties
• South Asian Beauties
• Central Asian Beauties (possible?)

I may plan on doing Middle Eastern beauties separately. Either that, or I may include another blog post in this Asian beauty series to feature Middle Eastern ladies. I am actually not sure how I want to address the South Asia or Middle Eastern beauties at this moment.


Asian Beauties: South Asia.

The following are all the countries/territories represented in this blog post: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

This post wasn't too much a challenge compared to Southeast Asia. However, I eventually want to try my hand at discussing Middle Eastern beauties. Information on some of the featured ladies were tough to come by. So instead of trying to hunt for pictures and videos, I simply just make mention to them and maybe offer a link if you're interested.


How This Blog Post Works.

You will see certain ladies from the represented nations. Here are the represented nations in order:

• India: women from and of Indian descent.
• Pakistan: women from and of Pakistani descent.
• Sri Lanka: women from and of Sri Lankan descent.
• Maldives: women from and of Maldivian descent.
• Nepal: women from and of Nepalese/Nepali descent.
• Bangladesh: women from and of Bangladeshi descent.
• Bhutan: women from and of Bhutani descent.

If you see a hypertext heading for each featured beauty, you can click on it to visit their official home page or some sort of fan page.


So let's get started! Some information on featured people were provided by Wikipedia searches. I may only make mention to certain ladies if I can't find pictures, websites, or videos on each featured lady. Don't forget that I may edit this post from time to time to update my material. I am not including certain images for fear of copyright infringement.

Here is one last look at the aforementioned region:

(THIS REGION: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka)

Now let's talk beautiful women!





--- South Asian Beauties: India ---

Because I had intended this to be about just beautiful women from India, I'll start with India. I have always wanted to treat my loyal readers from India with some quality content. This is hopefully a start. And perhaps, I'll start with a few famous ladies from India. I would like to welcome any and all blog readers from India. Namaste!

If you see a hypertext link within the header of a certain lady, that links you to the lady's official website or a fan page. Fan pages will be noted in parentheses.


Aishwarya Rai.

Often touted by media as being "the most beautiful woman in the world," Aishwarya Rai was the first Bollywood beauty I heard of. This (born: November 1, 1973)-year old is truly one of the loveliest ladies in the world whether you like her or not. She was born in Mangalore, India. Her career includes both modeling and acting. Here's a sample of Aishwarya Rei:




Lara Dutta.

Meet Lara Dutta. This beauty from India is an actress as well as a former Miss Universe winner. The (born: April 16, 1978)-year old has been around the block (so to speak) in a variety of different media outlets, including singing. Here is Lara Dutta singing. This is some more Bollywood music loving for all of you:




Priyanka Chopra.

Priyanka Chopra, or "Piggy Chops" (from the co-stars of "Bluffmaster!") is an actress and the 2000 winner of the Miss World pageant. The (born: July 18, 1982)-year old's first movie was "Thamizhan" in 2002. She'd enter the realm of Bollywood movies with "The Hero: Love Story of a Spy" as well as "Andaaz." She won the Best Female Debut Award for her role in "Andaaz." Priyanka was so good as being so bad when she won "Best Villain" for her villain role in "Aitrazz" in 2004. Besides acting, she has recently taken up on singing. This beauty from Jamshedpur, Jharkand, India is really one of the finest in Bollywood media. The video below features this beautiful Indian actress:



That video was from her own YouTube channel. Want to see more of her videos? Find this Indian beauty on YouTube at youtube.com/PriyankaChopra.


Parvathy Omanakuttan.

(December 20, 1987)-year old Parvathy Omanakuttan is a lovely, young, Indian beauty. The native of Kottayam, Kerala, India won Miss India World in 2008. She stands 5'8" tall. Parvathy has done some acting. Her acting career includes three Bollywood flicks. It began with "United Six," and she even acted in "Umamaheshwaram" and "Billa 2." Allow Parvathy to introduce herself to you:




Shreya Ghoshal.

Introducing Shreya Ghoshal- a lovely singer from India. Born on March 12, 1984; this indulgent Indian beauty is mostly known for her playback singing in various Bollywood movies. She was born in Durgapur, West Bengal, India.

Here is one of Shreya's songs. It is called "Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hain." Have a listen and a look:



IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: If you like her music (or her in general), "like" her on Facebook: Shreya Ghoshal's Facebook Fan Page


Poonam Pandey.

Poonam Pandey
^ from: firstain.com - Poonam Pandey is one of India's hottest young beauties.

India can get pretty hot, but no Indian woman brings the heat quite like the young (born: March 11, 1991) and sexy Poonam Pandey. This video below shows you just how attractive she is. This is Poonam Pandey. Warning: this video may not be safe for work, so if you want to see Poonam show you why she's so hot, view the following video mat your own risk: "Poonam Pandey" on YouTube.


Shraddha Sharma.

She became the hottest singing sensation in India. She is a sweet-faced young cutie. She has also done some acting before. Who is she? Her name is Shraddha Sharma, a teenage girl (she's 16 as of the date of this initial blog post) proudly representing Dehradun, India. She plays acoustic guitar while singing sweetly. This is a video of her singing without her guitar, to a song called "Zara Zara" (Turn up the volume because it is not very loud):



if you want to know more about this online singing sensation, visit these links:

Shraddha Sharma's Facebook Fan Page
Shraddha Sharma on YouTube


Shweta Tiwari.

Shweta Tiwari
^ from: www.india-server.com - Shweta Tiwari.

Shweta Tiwari is an actress who was born on October 4, 1980 in born in Pratapgarh, Uttah Pradesh, India. Her career even includes modeling and producing. Shweta has done many television shows and commercials as part of her career, and she has even been in films and done other media projects. Her career even includes multiple nominations and awards for the Star Parivaar Awards as well as one Indian Television Academy Award in 2003. Besides her illustriuous career, she was known as the first woman to win the Bigg Boss reality TV show competition.


Kritika Kamra.

Kritika Kamra
^ from: www.katrinakaif.ind.in - Actress Kritika Kamra.

This is an interview actress Kritika did long ago. Get to see and hear this Indian beauty:




Aarti Sequeira (Facebook fan page).

Aarti Sequeira
^ from: slashfood.com, courtesy of Food Network - Aarti Sequeira won Season 6 of "The Next Food Network Star." Her show, "Aarti Party," came as a result.

(ADDED: November 23, 2011)
In my initial blog post, I absolutely forgot to mention this lady I blogged about once. Sometimes, I think too much about forgetting to include certain things. One of those was Aarti Sequeira. (Born: August 19, 1978)-year old Aarti Sequeira is a Indian beauty born in Mumbai, India; and she was raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She was a contestant of "The Next Food Network Star" Season 6. I always thought she was a humble and sweet person though I've never seen a single episode of "The Next Food Network Star." I have, however, seen "Aarti Party" on Food Network before. Aarti showcases Indian cuisine as well as add an Indian twist to various foods and meals. Away from cooking, Aarti is both an inspiration and a beautiful woman. Aarti Sequeira went from taking various cooking lessons and not knowing where her life would lead next... to being the host of her own cooking show on Food Network by winning "The Next Food Network Star." She went from hosting her own cooking show on YouTube to hosting a cooking show for people to watch on TV. Her mantra to the world: "Eat. Giggle. Repeat."

IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: This is my old blog post on Aarti Sequeira: "Aarti Sequeira" on John's Blog Space.


My Sugarless Style.

(EDITED: April 9, 2012) Shruti is the woman behind the "My Sugarless Style" blog here on Blogger/Blogspot. Formerly known as "Hers'" and as "Ramp or Not!," this fashion blog features Shruti's lovely sense of style. Her blog can be visited by clicking on the header for this section. Feel free to follow her blog if it interests you.


Chappals and Stilletoes.

The "Polka Princess" from eastern India lends her love of fashion to the world. She is a sweet-faced Indian woman named Chandara with colorful and fun style. Visit this young lady's blog to see her style in action.


My Unfinished Life.

(ADDED: April 9, 2012) Here is a woman from India who runs the "My Unfinished Life" blog here on Blogger/Blogspot. She is from around the New Delhi area and exhibits both her fashion as well as her photography. So expect a little of everything from this lovely Indian blogger.


India has many lovely ladies; this blog post features only so many. I was working on a Bollywood music post for "John's Blog Space." I still haven't ruled out releasing a post on that topic in the future. I really want to try to expand my international reading audience.




--- South Asian Beauties: Pakistan ---

Initially intended to be part of a blog post on Middle Eastern beauties, I have now offered one of the different nations of the Middle East as part of this blog post. These are beautiful women from Pakistan. I would like to welcome my Pakistani blog readers to John's Blog Space.

Mahleej Sarkari.

Mahleej Sarkari
^ from: www.pkhope.com - The winner of Miss Pakistan for 2007 and 2008 is Mahleej Sarkari.
The winner of Miss Pakistan 2007/2008 is the young Pakistani lady named Mahleej Sarkari. She is a Pakistani-born (from Karachi, Pakistan) Canadian citizen.


Veena Malik.

Veena Malik
^ from: connect.in.com - The lovely, yet controversial Veena Malik.

While Veena Malik is a lovely lady (otherwise... why would she be in a "Beauties" post of mine?), controversy arose as this Pakistani actress was given lukewarm reception from her own Pakistani audience for how she portrayed Pakistan in the fourth season of "Bigg Boss." She was born Zahida Malik and is a native of Rawalpindi, Pakistan (northern Pakistan, near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad). Many have either loved or loathed Veena for her character and her views.


Sheena Melwani.

Sheena Melwani is a beautiful South Asian lady with an equally beautiful voice. I was blown away when I heard her voice. She sang a rather dramatic version of "Fireflies" from Owl City. Her voice made me cry because it sounded so beautiful. As much as I like "Fireflies," her version was beautiful. According to an interview I read online, Sheena is Sindhi, which is a region of southern Pakistan. This is Sheena Melwani and the first video of hers I've seen. It led me to admire her voice:



IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: This is my blog post on her: "Sheena Melwani" here on John's Blog Space


If I find any more to feature in this area, I will add more as need be.





As important as providing content is, keeping this blog performing well and efficiently is equally important. So I will provide a Jump Break in case you are visiting this blog and not reading the full post. I want you to read this entire blog post if you aren't already. If you enjoyed what you read so far, and if you are not reading the full post, click "Read More" to see the rest of this blog post (or disregard this area if you are reading the full post)!

Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow!






--- South Asian Beauties: Sri Lanka ---

The island south-southeast of India is Sri Lanka. What you will see in this section are some ladies from and of Sri Lankan descent. So check out some of this country's ladies here.

Since I often times get blog hits from Sri Lanka, I would like to welcome all blog readers of mine from Sri Lanka. Hopefully, my blog post will be to your liking.


Anusha Damayanthi.

Anusha Damayanthi is a sexy Sri Lankan actress born in Colombo, Sri Lanka (the capital of Sri Lanka). Any information on her career and/or her accomplishments is beyond me. Pictures of her can be seen from this HubPages article on Anusha Damayanthi.


Anarkalli Aakarsha.

Also born in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Anarkalli Aakarsha Jayatilaka is a (born: July 11, 1987)-year old Sri Lankan beauty involved in acting, singing, modeling, and politics. She won Miss World in 2004. Her acting career dates back to 1995 in the teledrama "Iti Pahan," and her film acting career dates back to 2003 with "Eka Malaka Pethi." Very interesting how a young lady like herself has gone so far and whose star has risen so highly and brightly. Anarkali has a very sweet voice. Have a listen in this advertisement:




Kanchana Mendis (Facebook Fan Page link).

Kanchana Mendis is a beautiful Sri Lankan model and actress with a sweet smile and a lovely hairstyle. She debuted in 2000 as an actress in "Raajya Sewaya Pinisai," where she'd win the Presidential Award for Best Supporting Actress.


I may edit this if I find some more Sri Lankan lovelies to feature.



--- South Asian Beauties: Maldives ---

This section pertains to the Indian Ocean atoll known as the Republic of Maldives. This island nation of various atolls is located south-southwest of India and to the west-southwest of Sri Lanka. Maldivian beauties is what this section is all about. All I know about the Maldives is that its beautiful capital city is Malé. Here are some ladies from Maldives I will make mention to:

Pictures and videos of these ladies have been tough to come by. So if you want to see ANY sort of material on them, you'll have to visit a few links. Is that okay with you? If so, here goes:


Raufa (links to an article on another site).

Raufa is a professional makeup artist from the Maldives. Only true pictures of her can be found by clicking on the hyperlinked header for this Maldivian beauty.


Niuma Mohamed (links to profile on another site).

I hate not being able to find anything for a given nation. The hyperlinked heading is the best I can do by letting you know more about the Maldivian actress, Niuma Mohamed.


Lahfa Faiz (links to profile on another site).

The rise to fame for Lahfa Faiz has been in her singing.


Ranya (links to article on another site).

While the link takes you to some of Ranya's (or Raniya's) modeling pictures, that same link also expressed her giving up as a supermodel. With that said, enjoy the beautiful pictures of her in the online article I linked to from this Maldivian ex-supermodel.


Aishath Zeeniya (Annie) (links to article on another site).

This dark-skinned Maldivian beauty is Aishath Zeeniya (better known as "Annie"). She is a supermodel.


Hopefully, I can find more Maldivian ladies to feature in the future. I feel like I'm doing you all wrong by not featuring more ladies from the Maldives. I do want to thank fashion designer Riffath for supplying maybe the best information I could find online for each of these Maldivian ladies. Otherwise, I would not be doing my Maldivian audience any justice.



--- South Asian Beauties: Nepal ---

Home to the world's tallest mountain- Mt. Everest- Nepal has some beautiful ladies whose beauty stands as tall as Mt. Everest. Here are some for you:


Namrata Shrestha.

Actress Namrata Shrestha is a petite beauty (5'1.5") born in Dharan, Nepal. This actress has also done some modeling. This (born: June 14, 1985)-year old is fairly young in the acting business, having done her first movie in 2008. You can see and hear this Nepali lovely with this video interview:



If you want to see more YouTube videos from her, visit youtube.com/namratashrestha. The above video is the channel I embedded this video from.


Suesha Rana.

Suesha Rana is a Nepali actress. Here is an acting reel of Suesha Rana:




The Electric Heart Girl.

(ADDED: April 9, 2012) This is the blog of a young Nepalese fashion blogger named Tenzin Kelsang. She shares her insight through a number of blog posts in her blog. You are free to visit and check out her blog if interested.


I will be sure to add more lovely ladies from Nepal if I find some online.



--- South Asian Beauties: Bangladesh ---

It's time to say hello to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and all of my Bangladeshi readers. Bangladesh is a place where I sometimes get some blog hits from. So it's time I let my Bangladesh readers see me feature some of their women. It is a country surrounded by the eastern portions of India, and to the south of Bangladesh is the Bay of Bengal. Its capital is Dhaka. Only other city I know of in Bangladesh is Chittagong in southeastern Bangladesh.


Sonia Gazi.

Miss Bangladesh was last held in 2001, won by Tabassum Ferdous Shaon. The 2000 winner of Miss Bangladesh was Sonia Gazi. The winner of Miss Bangladesh usually would go on to be part of the Miss World pageant. Unfortunately, she was not among the top 10 of the 2000 Miss World pageant as Priyanka Chopra (whom you've read about earlier) won Miss World 2000.


Farhana Mili (Facebook Fan Page).

No Bangladeshi beauty boasts such a cute face and a sweet smile like Farhana Mili. This actress from Dhaka, Bangladesh is known for her role in "Monpura." She says in her Facebook fan page that she is gives new hope for the Bangladeshi film industry.

Purnima.

Purnima (also known as Rita) is an actress from Bangladesh was born in 1981 in the southeastern Bangladesh city of Chittagong. She was a blessing for a 1997 movie called "E Jibon Tombar Amar," where Purnima began her acting career. Purnima would become a fixture in many Bangladeshi films and Bengali films, including the vastly successful "Moner Majhe Tumi" in 2003. A gallery of images of Purnima can be seen here: "Bangladeshi Actress Purnima" on www.bdactress.com.


Nipun (Facebook Fan Page).

Nipun
^ from: mediabangladesh.net (best I could find) - Actress Nipun from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Nipun is one of many actresses featured in this blog post. She has been in movies, including "Pitar Ashon" among others.


Banna Mirza.

Banna Mirza is an actress who is told to be the best acting talent Bangladesh has to offer. Over a decade's worth of acting has been done by this actress. Most of this includes a lot of mainstream TV acting and various acting roles in Bengali cinema. I am sorry I can't find any good pictures of Banna Mirza to feature in my post. :(


This will conclude the Bangladesh portion of this blog post.



--- South Asian Beauties: Bhutan ---

Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, it's time I talk about some of Bhutan's most electrifying and beautiful ladies. It's a look at some of the most beautiful women from Bhutan. When I got my first blog hit from Bhutan, I was interested about this country since I have had very little knowledge of it. It's a very fascinating place to me. Very beautiful. Hello to all readers from Bhutan as well as all of you Bhutani folk.

Tsokye Tsomo Karchung.

In 2008, Tsokye Karchung of Thimphu, Bhutan (the capital of Bhutan) competed in Miss Earth. She was born on August 20, 1984 and stands 5'8". Her birth name is Tsokye Tsomo Karchung. This music video is a look at the Miss Earth 2008 winner:




Namkha Lhamo.

Namkha Lhamo is a beautiful singer from Bhutan. I learned that she is also an actress as well as an acting teacher. Do you want to hear Bhutanese music? Let Namkha Lhamo provide you with Bhutanese music. This song is called "Gayser Jang Lu Jonpi Gang." Here, you can get a nice look at the beauty of Bhutan (including the beautiful Bhutanese lady singing this song):




Any more lovely Bhutani ladies you want to make me aware of? If I find any more that I think are lovely, I will feature them in future edits.





--- A Note for All Readers ---

I had taken a break doing the Asian Beauties series of blog posts. Most of my selections for South Asian beauties was something I was not too educated on. One thing I always try to do is understand whatever it is I want to blog about to make something professional and worthwhile. It wouldn't be John's Blog Space, and none of my posts would be of JBS quality if I didn't produce something worth reading and enjoying.


Are You From Any of the Aforementioned Countries?

If you are from any of the aforementioned countries in this blog post (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), I would like to send a special salute you and a special thank you to all of you for reading my blog post. I am trying to get as many loyal readers (those who neither spam nor post suspicious comments) and fans as possible to expand my international reading base as well as meet more people.

I hope this post has helped in meeting more of you and getting a little more respect from an international audience.



I am pleased to keep doing these posts for all of you. Thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JBS, and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS) Subscribe to John's Shop Space (JSS) Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space (JGTS)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Buddh International Circuit

(UPDATED: October 31, 2011)

India will get to enjoy the experience of Formula 1 racing at the new Buddh International Circuit (formerly the Jaypee Group Circuit). While it is not the first motor racing track in India, it is certainly a modern facility worthy enough to host a modern F1 race. There have been racing talent to grace motorsport from India. The one that comes out to me right away is former F1 racer Narain Karthikeyan. If you're a fan of the Force India F1 race team, you know that Force India would have SERIOUS home field advantage when the first Indian Grand Prix kicks off proper. Prior to releasing this post, I forgot to mention Karun Chandhok as far as Indian racing talent is concerned.

This blog post is my own unique look at India's brand-new racing facility. Any long-time reader of my blog and my "Race Tracks" posts know that I offer video laps and lap record information. Since this track is brand-new, I will have to update it in the future with new content.

About the Label: "South Asia"

I have launched this blog label to discuss topics and issues regarding South Asia. I hope this will be a way to get more readers in places like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and places like that. I usually get a lot of readers mostly from India, but I hope this will improve that.


LATEST UPDATE(S):

OCT 31 2011 - added more information regarding the (recently completed) Indian Grand Prix; added extra sections





--- Buddh International Circuit ---

This is a look at the new circuit in India:
Buddh International Circuit
^ from: www.ausmotive.com - The Buddh International Circuit is told to produce some of the fastest average top speeds in today's Formula 1 racing.


Located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (around Delhi, India and not far from Agra, India); Buddh International Circuit is 5.14 km (about 3.19 miles) in length. The track boasts some 16 corners around this nearly 3.2-mile course. This course features a great deal of elevation changes to make the racing exciting. It is also designed to be a very safe facility. We'll have to see how safe this course can really be when races are finally run at this facility.

(NOTE: This lap description is based on an analytical view of how I think laps will play out.) Turns 1 through 3 tend to remind me of the modern Hockenheim. Racing machines will surely scream down the long backstretch before having to slow them all the way down for Turn 4. I can easily see Turn 4 as a good passing zone, but you'll need to be pretty clever in making your passes. Turns 5 through 9 can easily unnerve both the racing machine and the racer alike with an ill-prepared machine. Turns 5 through 9 can be as unnerving as some of the many corners of Shanghai International Circuit. I kind of like the balance with the decreasing-radius Turn 10 and Turn 11 complex going into Turns 12 through 15. If anything, the sharpness of Turn 16 reminds me a good deal of either the final corner at Shanghai International Circuit or the final corner of Sepang International Circuit. I could see Formula 1 allowing the DRS feature either on the front stretch or (especially) the backstretch the straight between Turn 3 and Turn 4.

If anything... Asia, let alone India, will have one amazing race track to see some great racing happen. It should be a very good track to compete on whether it's cars or motorcycles. It will be the finest race track in India to compliment other tracks in India like Coimbatore, Irungattukottai, and Kari Motor Speedway.


Video Preview.

This video provides a preview of this course. Have a look:


Excited? (ADDED: October 31, 2011) Let me give you lap time ideas here. Sebastien Vettel clocked a lap of 1:24.178. This was good enough to put Vettel in pole position for the inaugural F1 Grand Prix of India. During the race, Vettel had a lap time in the 1:27.700 range. So you know how fast these cars can go around this 3.1-mile race track in India. Or at least, F1 cars.


A Brief Report.

Sebastien Vettel won the F1 Indian Grand Prix and basically dominated the weekend. Rounding out the podium were 2nd place Jenson Button and 3rd place Fernando Alonso. Michael Schumacher finished 5th. In case you're wondering about Force India, both Force India cars finished one lap down. Adrian Sutil finished 9th while Paul di Resta finished 13th. India's own Narain Karthikeyan finished three laps down in 17th racing for Hispania Racing.

More from Yahoo! Sports UK on this race: Indian Grand Prix results on Yahoo! Eurosport UK



--- Thoughts on the Buddh International Circuit ---

I finally had a chance to see a lap around this track as well as watch a little racing around this course. This course has a very nice layout. It doesn't start getting interesting until after Turn 4. Turns 5 through 10 will unnerve the best drivers and cars. It is a great-looking course. Maybe not futuristic like the Yas Marina Circuit, but it is a great-looking track. Action should be insane for whatever series race on this track.

India has other racing facilities, but this new Buddh International Circuit is no doubt the new crown jewel of motorsport in India. It is a well-designed circuit that I think will be a great challenge to many forms of motorsport. I am not sure of any other series that raced at the course leading up to the F1 Grand Prix of India, but I'm sure various touring car series, perhaps motorcycle series, and maybe even GT/sportscar racing has or will grace this track in the future. It's great to see more motorsport and motorsport facilities in mainland Asia.

The first-ever Indian Grand Prix was hailed as a success by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Drivers noted that they loved the course. Next year's race could improve upon what this year's race brought. I can only hope this track becomes as much a formidable challenge as any other on the F1 calendar. I also hope other racing series that challenge this track will enjoy this track and its challenge as well.

To read more thoughts from Bernie Ecclestone on the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, read "Ecclestone hails Indian GP a success" on Yahoo! Eurosport UK.



--- Special Note for My Readers in India ---

In an effort to try to expand my content to more places worldwide, I value the support of all of my loyal audience. I am actually trying to come up with more posts to appeal to my audience in India audience as well as across South Asia. So bear with me as I try to come up with some more posts I hope you all will enjoy. Thank you for visiting John's Blog Space!




To learn more about this racing facility, please visit Buddh International Circuit's official website. The first-ever F1 Indian Grand Prix will be run on October 30, 2011. That will be consistent with how the later stages of the F1 season features some of the high-speed courses like Monza. Good luck to all of the teams competing in the first-ever Indian Grand Prix. What do you think about this course and what this track will have to offer for all racing that takes place here? Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Aarti Sequeira

(UPDATED on February 8, 2011 with three YouTube videos.)

Aarti Sequeira is the season 6 winner of "The Next Food Network Star." The (born Aug. 19, 1978)-year old native of Mumbai, India is becoming as much an inspiration to me as Paula Deen. She is super-cute in looks as well as in personality. She speaks beautifully as well. Her food inspiration and in going from nobody to somebody is an intriguing one. Aarti likes to apply an Indian twist to classic dishes.

This blog entry concerns the former CNN producer turned Food Network Star.





--- Aarti Sequeira ---
Let's set the mood with a picture of the very cute lady from India:
Aarti Sequeira
^ from: slashfood.com, courtesy of Food Network - Aarti Sequeira... flower in hair, beautiful smile, and all.

Aarti Sequeira gained some popularity prior to the Food Network competition by hosting an online cooking variety show called "Aarti Paarti." She introduced her recipes as well as have a few variety show aspects. According to an interview she did for Entertainment Weekly, her plans to have her variety aspect of her show is on hold "for now." Aarti was once a producer for CNN for multiple years before moving on to being the Food Network star she is today. She's very educated, having gone to multiple schools to specialize in multiple fields. One of them included The New School of Cooking in California, where she'd get her professional degree in cooking. Besides these things in this paragraph, I don't know as much about her as I would like to.

Newfound Admiration.

Aarti Sequeira really touched my heart the way I've seen her, but even more so learning of her story. I was watching a YouTube video from CNN's YouTube channel. Aarti talked about not being sure what to do with her life. She was blogging as well as making recipes. She then would start her own online cooking variety show (her past videos can still be viewed on YouTube). Think about it- living on unemployment checks, blogging, going to cooking school and making videos on her food dishes. This was her craft and her passion. How did it end up when she was discovered and was getting paid for her work? She'd become a food star. Aarti Sequeira is proof positive that if you think blogging and posting a bunch of stuff online will get you nowhere, you'd be dead wrong. This lady applies her craft and her passion very well and has resulted in her being the host of her own cooking show. So to all of my readers and subscribers... DREAMS DO COME TRUE! Keep doing what you love because your big break may one day come. Maybe you will be as recognized and regarded quite like Aarti Sequeira.

What I love most about Aarti Sequeira is her passion and determination. For someone who hasn't seen a single episode of "The Next Food Network Star," I've seen a woman who works extremely hard to not disappoint. I see a very cute lady who has love and passion of expressing her talent and making material that people will love. In addition, I see someone who always works to impress her audience and fears disappointing anyone. She kind of reminds me of myself at times. Aarti, then, seems to be very sweet and committed to excellence. That is why I have become a fan of hers. She is as much an inspiration to me as Paula Deen (in terms of people in the food industry).


Aarti Style.

True to her Indian roots, Aarti Sequeira has some nice Hindu style. She mostly wears American-style clothes on the set of Aarti Party as well as some more traditional Indian wear at times. She blossoms with beauty with a flower in her hair. In addition to a flower, her beauty blossoms more when she smiles and speaks with passion and confidence.

I honestly wish I could watch "Aarti Party" more often to see what she really brings to the table (no pun intended) in making and preparing food. Because I'm not any kind of cook or good with any food that isn't microwavable, I cannot comment on how effective her recipes are. Then again... have I ever said this is a blog entry about her cooking?



--- What I Would Tell Aarti Sequeira (If She Were to Read This) ---
Here are some videos previewing the beautiful Aarti Sequeira...

The first one introduces you to Aarti:


And this video was a TV spot on the Food Network introducing you to Aarti Party:


This video below is a preview of "Aarti Party" on the Food Network. Here, she prepares what she calls a Sloppy Bombay Joe:



Isn't Aarti cute? :)



--- What I Would Tell Aarti Sequeira (If She Were to Read This) ---
Hello, Aarti! I am mostly a fan of yours because of your inspiration and what you bring to your field of study. Perhaps the fact that you did not know what direction your life was heading, yet still made something of yourself by blogging and doing this online cooking variety show, you represent not only everyone who has ambition, but everyone who tries to do ANYTHING to potentially have a brighter future. You have been discovered for your fine work. Now that you've won The Next Food Network Star, you've inspired many people who know your story and know about your unrelenting passion to deliver in your field of study. I even imagine if I will ever get a big break of my own for my blogging and YouTube work. If I ever become any kind of star in any field of study, most of my work will be because of you, Aarti. Your inspiration and determination have really struck a chord in me.

If anything, following your passion and excelling in your craft can lead to bigger and better things. This has defined you and has lead you to become this new Food Network star. Your success, however, is mostly predicated by the many other people who were sold on your vision and your passion. Congratulations on this honor. I am very much passionate and respectful of your work.

Speaking of passion, you kind of remind me of myself in trying to impress people, while avoiding the feeling of failure. You have an amazing heart and endless determination- just like myself. We both tend to have a passion to entertain and impress our respective audiences. We feel terrible if we disappoint in our crafts. Aarti, you are a great inspiration to me. Thank you for your inspiration.


Would I want to meet Aarti Sequeira (if given the chance)?

Definitely. Especially considering that she went from blogging and YouTube to ultimately become a star. That alone is worth respect.





This concludes my blog entry on the delightful and beautiful Aarti Sequeira. For more information on the Food Network star, I have some links for you to check out:

Aarti Sequeira's Bio on Food Network (includes a full bio if you click on "Read Full Bio")
Aarti Sequeira's blog
Aarti's former blog (in case you're interested; before moving on to Wordpress)
Aarti's past YouTube videos
Entertainment Weekly interview with Aarti Sequeira

Aarti Sequeira's Facebook Fan Page
Follow Aarti Sequeira on Twitter


And remember- as Aarti Sequeira would say: "Eat. Giggle. Repeat."

Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sheena Melwani

Some people have a certain magic to them that makes them great. Sheena Melwani's magic is in singing to her heart's delight to captivate your heart. Listening to the Boston, Massachusetts, USA-area native's music is like being at a restaurant buffet- all you can eat, and you NEVER feel like you have enough. She is a very good piano player as well. So you could say that she has a beautiful voice while also being a great piano player. While not really a big fan of hers, Sheena Melwani's beautiful singing along with great piano playing reminds me of Alicia Keys.

I first learned of her on Stickam when I saw an advertisement featuring her. The next thing I did was visit YouTube. The first song of hers I've heard was her rendition of "Fireflies" by Owl City. The way her rendition was done (which was slower and dramatic) was beautiful. I'm not going to lie to you- I was crying happy tears when I heard her sing because it was just so beautiful. I usually have what I call as "the Rule of Threes," in which I usually like someone or something if I see three different videos, hear three different songs, and like all three of them to accept someone. I've heard three of her other songs and fell in love quickly.


Here is a picture of Sheena Melwani:


^ from: lawnandgardenwv.com - Sheena Melwani.

Sheena Melwani is the truth! Don't believe me? Listen to this singing princess with the voice of a goddess by checking out these YouTube videos below.


^ Sheena Melwani's rendition of Owl City's "Fireflies" - This was the video I was crying to when I heard it for the first time!


^ Sheena Melwani's rendition of "Teardrops on my Guitar" by Taylor Swift


^ Sheena Melwani's rendition of "Knock You Down" by Keri Hilson featuring Ne-Yo and KanYe West



Like I said earlier- Sheena Melwani is the truth! For more from this singing goddess, visit these links:
* Sheena Melwani's Official Page
* Sheena Melwani on Myspace
* Sheena Melwani's Facebook fan page
* Sheena Melwani on YouTube
* SheenaTV Live!

Thank you for reading my blog entry! If you want to see more music artists that I think you should check out, visit My Music Picks. You can also find this link just below the header of my blog.