Karina Pandya

    Departing from Pier 83 at West 42 nd  Street and the West Side Highway, you can find the neon green speedboat – The Beast- waiting for you to hop on board it!      On this speedboat, you can roar down the Hudson River on a speedboat ride and see New York like you never have before! At a speed of 45 mph, The Beast is a thrill ride which takes you to a halt within 100 feet of the Statue of Liberty and gives you panoramic views of midtown and lower Manhattan as you speed by! In fact, the Beast makes a quick stop close at this distance for close-up photo opportunities!    Led by comic captains Mad Dog and Wild Thing, the entire ride is accompanied by loud, rocking music and playful narration. You actually feel like you are on a ROLLERCOASTER but on the water! At a thrilling and high speed, you will get adrenaline highs not only will you get drenched, but you will bounce around on the water!  The Beast is truly and aptly known to be a MONSTER ...

 A city of endless opportunities, great diversity and high energy; visiting New York – my home town always holds an important meaning in my life. Although the memories are very distant and few and I have come a long time since I was a young child, there is so much that New York offers on each visit.   Comprising 5 boroughs, sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean New York is one of the most advanced cities in the world -in terms of financial, cultural and commercial centers. Having some of the most iconic skyscrapers such as The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, the Rockefeller Plaza, One Times Square, the Trump Tower, the Waldorf-Astoria and many others it also has the sprawling Central Park which is a massive green oasis that is located in the heart of New York. Central Park is one of the largest parks in the world!   With almost a quarter of New York residents being foreign-born immigrants from over 150 countries...

Known for its cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, Japan is also well known for its cutting-edge technology such as Japanese cars and bullet trains, vending machines, cultural values like politeness, punctuality and mouth-watering food such as Ramen and Sushi. A visit to this country is truly a delight, but it is even more important to a person who follows Nichiren Buddhism.     Known to be the home town of the Buddhist priest, Nichiren Shonin who was the founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, Japan is the headquarters of the Soka Gakkai International (the Japanese Buddhist religious movement). Japan is home to over 100,000 Shinto shrines and 80,000 Buddhist temples. Buddhism is the dominant religion in Japan with Senso-ji being the most famous Buddhist temple that is located in Asakusa, Japan. Although there are many schools of Buddhism such as Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana it is the Mahayana branch of Buddhism which is the most popular form of Buddhist practice throughout ...

New York, the city that NEVER sleeps is one of the most sought-after hotspots for fashionistas across the world.     With astonishingly tall buildings which rise up to a couple of thousand feet in the air, creating a beautiful New York Skyline, New York is home to some of the most popular brands across the world such as Macy’s, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Valentino, Kate Spade, Fendi, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Huckberry, Nordstrom NYC and many others there are plenty of innovative retailers and retail trends to choose from. However, New York has not always been the fashion capital of the world.  Paris, Milan and London have always been known worldwide for the most influential fashion trend. New only emerged as a fashion capital post World War II when New York’s garment district became a vanguard of a different type.      There were designers in New York who challenged the Parisian couture by introducing sportswear into the high fashion...

In life, direction is always more important than speed. At the tender age of 16, Julian Sidana has already made her mark as an accomplished writer and actor, making her debut in an award-winning biographical film – In Search of Julian. Conceptualised by Julian herself and produced by her mother- Dolly Sidana, it was produced under the banner of Juliana Productions. While the theme behind the film was to portray the journey of Juliana, it also raises awareness about the impact of people pleasing through cinema. As an adolescent, Juliana has been subject to a lot of indecisiveness, mood swings and depression and all of these emotions have transpired through the film. It is a 37-minute docudrama which follows the life of a girl who struggles to be accepted by her peers but along the process, she finds an inner calling and higher meaning to life.    Her experience joining a boarding school at the age of 10 draws many parallels with other teens who join boarding schools. Owning up ...