Nightmares---

The last two nights have been Nightmar-ish, and very literally so! Its been as if the 'devil of bad dreams' has been sitting right there, next to my bed and has been enjoying my shudders of fear.  
Most naturally, the mornings are tremendously relieving but equally grumpy. 

Its strange how dreams control us uncontrollably! And unlike the good ones, they do not allow us to wake up until a tragic end.. last two nights, I witnessed almost all sorts of overwhelmingly troublesome episodes, in my dreams.

I saw a 'demon', chasing me, my inability to run, to shout out for help-- I saw myself getting into a nasty fight with two ladies from my past, and invariably losing it-- I saw the loss of a person extremely close to my heart-- I saw myself getting soaked in heavy rains on a winter night with no shelter, all alone-- and what not! By the time I'd wake up, I'd be nothing but numb-- thanking that it was but a dream!

However, every now and then it kind of haunted me during the day and I sat back thinking do Dreams have an interpretation? If yes, what does this all mean.. at the first impulse, I took refuge of 'Google', not that I really got my answers but I think I came close..

'Stress' 'Sadness' 'inability to share one's true feelings'-- such eerie answers and I shut that down too! I decided to speak to my mother, and she, the ever-positive, lady has this to tell me, "Forget Sigmond Froyd, you're taking him too seriously.. just choose at your convinience which ones you want to keep and trash the rest off your mind. There's a reason they're called Dreams and not Reality!" -- well, little relief, but then, if it was so easy, it wouldn't have been called the 'Human Phsyche'!!

But anyway, I decided to put it at the back of my mind, voluntarily, at least temporarily and dealing with it once I got back into my 'high on life' spirits..!!
Any advices, thoughts, interpretations or consolations are more than welcome.. 

Love and other things...

Compatibilty can never be practised-- it can never be altered, induced or forced-- its either there or not there...
Affection can never be diminished-- it can never be manouvered, inflicted or taken away-- if its there, its always there...
Honesty can never be taught--- it can never be trained, situational or conviniently changed-- its inborn...
Love can never be controlled-- it happens-- its hopelessly unavoidable...

Yet another Monday, a half-working-half-shopping one-- yeah, went on a shopping spree today, after ages-- and boy, it really does lifts up one's spirits, at least if done once in a while and not followed madly like an addiction 
Anyway, so bought a few clothes, some generic stuff, but more importantly, did it all by myself followed by some street-food and a huge amount of 'me-time'-- a great deal of happiness 

Solitude, isn't always loneliness, for instance, today, as I sat on the pavement gorging on Masala Corns, I was any thing but feeling absolutely blissful! I guess its more of what goes on into our minds, I remember a time when I loathed going even to the closest market near my house, dreadful-- I felt so conscious, so terrible-- I somehow thought every god damn person out there is looking at me or worse talking about me.. but then, with time I grew up to loving myself, grew up to understand that I was all the more confident and at peace with myself, just the way I am.. I accepted myself completely and fell totally in love with myself  and, believe you me, since then, I never looked back--
It was so great just sitting there with all my shopping bags and my cup of corns looking at passers by or fellow couples and families doing their own thing.. saw a cute young couple clicking pictures and discussing which one suits best as their 'FB Profile Pic', saw an old lady and probably a son calculating their shopping expenses, a family of four with the daughter ordering 'two scoops of vanilla with chocolate sauce' to her daddy (kids these days!!), saw yet another bunch of college boys discussing reviews of 'Chennai Express'-- each of them in their own worlds while I was taking part in each of their worlds to create my own..

Frequent solitude, has induced in me the habit of 'eavesdropping'-- I listen a lot more now, than I speak, and perhaps that's why I understand better.. I have started to discover more and more about the world around than being oblivious in my own!!

A beautiful evening and an added wardrobe by end of the day 

text-books :/

Sunday Afternnon-- Home-- The Vagabond of thoughts wandering freely from topic to topic until I decide to put a 'thought-stop' at something that looks interesting enough to stop awhile and be pondered upon.

We urbans, most often or may be completely and dedicatedly, have spent or are making our future generations spend the first many (read 20+) formative years of our lives engrossed in text-books, boasting about the best of international school or competing for that reputed college or duscussing about the grades. We cannot deny this, surprisingly, we do not regret this either. It is after all very important almost necessary to study and excel academically in order to be successful in life and have a enviable life-style!
But, are we not losing out on the most importance essence of this all!? Do we in those years, or our juniors or children, learn even a single chapter of the basic lesson called 'life'? And, here I mean life in real.. do any of these institutions help us learn to be sensitive? Do we ever see grief/joy/suffering/ilness/death on a closer and more regular basis, other than ofcourse in our families or extended families, while growing up-- NO.. we do not.. We know precisely what is the answer to (a+b)2 or who formed the constitution or who authored A tale of two cities, but we remain oblivious to our inner most calling.
For consolation, we take pride in saying we went to a swimming club or our son is captain of his school football team or our daughter is amazing at the ballet-- to kind of prove to ourselves and others that its not just academics that we grow up with.. but, how many of us know what in reality is charity-- sans the definition, how many of us have ever visited an orphanage or hospice to see someone we do not know and console them, how many of us know how an orange or an apple or a banana look like when its a bud on the tree, how many of us have seen it grow and not just the ones available in the markets-- hardly a few...and actually its those few of us, who have a much much better understanding of life, of people.
I would rather urge our future generations to be about average in their academics, but toppers in sensitivity to others, not an A grader in class perhaps but to have a real time passion-- to travel as much as they can, to be as close to nature as possible-- to see not just the good and fancy side of life but the worst possible ones too, in firsthand... may be then, the life-style they'd have would be average but the style of life they lead would be extraordinary!!

Dogs---

Dogs fascinate me-- not just my own pet ones or the cute ones or handsome ones but all kinds. I somehow feel extremely strongly for even a stray. I wouldn't call this compassion, because that would imply that I have the same feeling for all animals, but no, honestly I don't. I only have this feeling for all dogs.

Probably this is why, wherever I have lived other than home, I haven't missed my dogs that much. In a country like India, not one but quite a few strays adorn the neighbourhoods of any city. So, I've always had my fair chance to love dogs, if not own them at all times. To be frank, I wouldn't go to an extent of cuddling them or touching them (hygiene issues obviously) but I kind of kept track of the strays around me, fed them a pack of Parle-g (cheap and wholesome), every now and then and that felt good.

The place where I live now has two sides in the same building, front and rear. The front side which also happens to be the main side is shared by three dogs. Young energetic and very very alert. The rear side of the building however, falls under the territory of just one female dog. I have been seeing her sitting poised and calm at the gate, everytime I go there, with an air of assertion and power. She's beautiful too- a cross probably with a golden retriever, she has a coat of brown, very furry but rough coz of her living conditions. She came to be my personal favourite almost immediately. Very calm, very meek-- she's a delight to watch. She wouldn't eat until the giver has faded away from her sight, and only after that she would settle down and start chewing ever so sophisticatedly.
Nevertheless, what I saw today, broke my heart. I was rushing back home and saw the rear gate luckily unlocked and thanked my stars for saving me the time and energy of encircling the whole building to enter from the front gate, and as I drew closer in the dark, I smelt of something very musty, very unbearable and tacky. I looked harder and there she was, that dog, burying her face into her forelegs. I went closer and I was heartbroken to see that she indeed looked extremely sick. Her coat was shedding badly and had patches all over, her nose was so dry and she smelt foul. I so clearly remember this smell, it came from one of my dogs who had been terminally sick of Parvo Virus.
I couldn't stand the sight and rushed to the shop closeby and bought two packets of Parle-g biscuits. I knew very well that with her coat shedding the sugar will only harm her, but I wanted to give her temporary relief from the hunger and cold I saw her in. She was starving and was too weak and sick to even get up. The incessant rains for the last five days are to be blamed I guessed, I felt so helpless and sorry in my heart as i knew what the outcome is going to be! Hoping against hope, I returned home telling myself that I'm going back there first thing in the morning, with a bowl of warm milk.

Strengths of life...

As i stood in my balcony while talking to Daddy dearest today, my attention moved to the terrace of the house that stands opposite to mine and my eyes fell upon a tiny roughly-about-3 years old boy counting 1-2-3 facing the wall at the top of his voice. The terrace was dimly lit and I couldn't see clearly until after I hung up on the phone. It was then, that I saw his mother, pretending to hide behind a pillar too short for her height, waiting for her son to 'I-spy' her and rejoice at his discovery-- that made me smile-- a genuine hearty smile after a really long and harrowing day..

This spectacle, although extremely simple and day-to-day, nothing-so-fancy-about-it kinds, actually made my day-- it reinstalled in me the faith, that no matter what, we always have people who love us, to fall back on-- whoever we are, whatever we might have done, however tough the going must be getting, we do always have an equally strong support system to counter those adversities-- all of us , by default, have one or a few or sometimes many people, we can place in that category-- that is probably the most beautiful thing about life.. and its not just for a human life, its equally strongly present in animals or plants even..

How aggressively fierce a mother can get when she sees her child in danger, as opposed to her soft maternal instinct can probably be felt only by motherhood-- how pained a father's eyes can look when he sees his children distraught, as opposed to the tough man he always would have been can again be empathised only by another father-- how protective or possessive a sibling can get when their younger ones are bullied or how a lover feels upon seeing their partner upset or sad, how a friend stands fiercely in the way of an upcoming trouble and so on.. these are the most invaluable and priced gifts a person can be blessed with!

They say, God could not be everywhere,so he created Mothers-- I alter it to say, he created all these bunch of people including mothers..

Introspection---

Much less than often, an extraordinary incident happens in our life and stays with us for the rest of our life time. One such introspectional episode occured in my life today.

I don't waste any time in buulding impressions or judging people, irrespective of knowing them or not knowing them. Most of us do that, most of the time.. but today, something happened which made me think how shallow that is! I decided not to be or at least try not to be judgemental so easily henceforth..

My flu seems to have fallen deeply in love with me and forced me to pay yet another expensive visit to my doctor.. waiting for my turn to come, I saw a girl probably my age sitting beside me on the waiting bench with her mother.

She too was invaded by the changing weather illness like me and we were both waiting for the same doctor.. it took me a little time to realise that the girl couldn't see.. she was blind.. she was wearing her black goggles but I had perceived that it might have been coz her eyes must be having an allergy due to the cold like mine, I understood only when her mother assisted her to the ladies room that she was blind..

What followed was a pang of sympathy in me.. for 'the poor girl'.. I decided to get myself introduced to her once she comes back and make her feel comfortable-- our turns were after four patients and that easily meant about 40 minutes..

She came back, her mother sat beside me this time and she herself started the conversation-- it went like how long people have to wait even for a doctor, the weather is so erratic, where I live, where am I from etc.. I got my chance too-- I asked the blind girl her name.. she was Sunitha.. she was NOT meek or scared or introvert as I had expected.. she started talking to me, she changed places with her mother so that she could listen to me more carefully.. she told me she wasn't blind by birth, she turned blind at 12 when suddenly a hereditary disease struck her and weakened a nerve in her eyes permanently damaging her eyes.. I was even more pitiful now..

The conversation flowed and Sunitha told me she joined a singing academy after the incident, she sings all across Bangalore in various shows-- she learnt brail, and she now works at the State Bank of India.. I was SURPRISED..she was doing much better than most of us with both eyes workin !! Woah!! What a lady!!! My pity and sympathy turned into the strongest admiration for this young woman!

She told me she had the option of wallowing in her grief for the rest of her life but she chose to rather set an example of will and determination!! She's very active on Facebook and loves to get herself photographed..though she can only imagine how she looks in each one of them...

Meeting Sunitha-- I learnt the biggest lesson of my life-- she spoke to me, asked about me, told about herself and at the end, she told me, 'you're beautiful'... this was the best-est compliment of my life-- not that no one's called me beautiful before, but I felt really beautiful today.. coz it came from a person who dint see skin-deep beauty-- she dint see what I wore or how I look.. she judged my personslity.. and I loved it!

My turn came..I saw the doctor, took an auto and while coming on my way back saw each person differently.. I did not notice what they wore or how they walked.. I learnt to notice them from inside.. may be how they felt or what they thought..

My world is different now.. a lot less percetive based and a lot more interpersonal..

Autumn

"When you are reluctant to change, remember how beautiful Autumn is."

I was having my evening tea with a friend this evening and he remarked upon looking at the glorious sunset about its beauty and the colour of the sky to add on to the dramatic effect-- we went on discussing about the changing season and realised it was Fall already..

Autumn is Nature's way of telling us the greatness of letting go-- the trees let go of their precious leaves instead of holding on to them, to welcome a fresh lease of life to follow-- the leaves fall on the earth to impart to it new fertility to bear the fruits of winter..!!
The trees are ablaze with color, the air crisp, and the earth resplendent with the rich aroma. The sun's hotness retreats, as Mother Nature and her inhabitants prepare for the stillness of winter.

Its time thus,to get done with everything or everyone negative that encompasses us..A career that is causing us anguish--A relationship in which we do all the giving and no receiving-- A social obligation that no longer serves us-- Anything----

Its rather time to feed our joy and nourish our spirits.. to do something that enriches our life, helps us feel better about ourself, to fill our senses with all that surrounds us; the smell of the soil, the sounds of the birds or rustling squirrels, the soft feel of the earth...to let our senses fill our entire being while our mind rests..

Its Autumn- and its the transition time..!!

Rains---you beauty!!!

And it rains yet again.. to wash away the Monday Blues.. to wear away the last bit of tiredness.. to refresh the fatigued soul-- September rains have a different fragrance in them-- the water drops fall on the parched face of the earth covered with withered leaves and gives solace to both.. its more of life like nature rather than the destructive nature the rains often portray in other seasons..

The early September rains remind me of my first year college days-- it was during very heavy rains like this that I had bid good bye to my folks and was heading towards a new life in a boarding.. on the very first day of my arrival at the hostel, I tripped over a slippery-due-to-rain staircase and gifted myself the very first (and hopefully the last) fracture of my life, on the right ankle.. although my parents had stayed with me for the next two days I ensured them I could take care of myself in the hostel and that I did not want to miss my first days in college, so they dropped me back to the hostel..

In those 21 days of a plastered foot and an absolutely unknown territory, my faith in the world and its goodness was strengthened greatly!! If we go by details, I did not know a single soul when I had arrived, I remember my mommy requesting my room mates in the hostel to look after me if possible and they replied in the affirmative, but that was it-- practically, I only had myself to be dependant on..

After my folks finally left, I remember crying a little-- I had never done that before, and even after that till date, I'm generally very strong in matters like these  but I guess that time was different.. anyway, so as soon as they left, I was surprised to see my room mate, Priyanka, was her name, summoned all other girls from the adjoining rooms and introduced me to each of them.. I almost cried again to see the warmth strangers can provide to someone who's new and alone.. the next day in college, all our classmates were called by the seniors for 'introduction' and 'proto announcements', I went too, but yet again, to my surprise I was asked to sit and watch and the only proto I needed to follow from the list was following the Dress Code-- I chuckled and silently thanked God for showering on me a blessing in the face of an adversity..

Three weeks that followed were nothing different than they would have been had I not had the fracture..they were in fact better in many ways.. I made some lifetime friends during those three weeks-- I attended my freshers party with that broken leg-- at times very conviniently I missed my assignments in class,thanks to the broken leg-- in all three weekends of that 21 day duration I explored Delhi with my friends with that broken leg.. 

So many years have passed now and that 'broken leg' remains a funny beautiful memory rather than a difficult or painful one.. and rains like this tickle and refresh the episode keeping it anew.. 

Sometimes

Sometimes.. many times , what meets the eyes is not really true-- or is it? 
Our conviction on a person or a situation is so very strong at certain times that the instances that we logically believe are real, seem false, because we know that what we really trust from inside against what we see or hear is right.

We might get anxious or excited even hurt or angry when we first get exposed to the incident, but introspection and the inner calling screams and shouts and convinces us that this, what our logical reasoning is forcing us to believe in, is not completely right-- and its then that we start to calm down and begin looking at the other perspectives. Most of the times, we really do understand later that our inner selves know us best, and that our instant response was probably wrong.. guilt and regret takes over and we start to mend and undo what our first reaction...

Therefore, what is to be done at the very beginning!? It sure isn't easy to ignore and reject everything against someone close to us -- our first natural thought process tells us ' there is smoke where there is fire' -- and practically too.. blind faith really doesn't exist especially in times like today-- also when we ourselves hear or see something first hand, its comparatively difficult to digest it without the burp of doubt..

We should rather, at instances like these, introspect before the shooting I guess, bring our heart and mind in sync with each other before contradiction and may be weigh the other possibilities way before blurting out what we think must have been-- not easy for sure-- directly proportional to the closeness of the person in terms of difficulty, but really important.. coz once we know what actually must have been, the feeling of guilt is manifold.. here, I think, what can probably make it easier can be just revising in our minds why have we anyway trusted the person till now! Of course, there must have been some qualities he/she would have portrayed unless we're exteremely bad in judging people, and this thought makes the entire process to follow comparatively very easy...

This post might sound like a Deepak Chopra piece  but these says when relationships are so vulnerable, I think its really important to cherish and nourish if you have a valuable one..rather than letting it slip through your fingers coz of petty doubts or misunderstandings... 

The festival of Teej

Being blessed with a Super-Mommy, who's a beautiful blend of modernity and traditions-- I have had the good luck of being very closely exposed to both these facets extremely well. My childhood comprised of learning twinkle twinkle and Johny Johny rhymes as well as Mahabharata and Ramayana stories running pararelly.. thus, I can say I have a fairly good knowledge of both sides of the coin. My mother has a very spiritual bend in her personality and since a very early age I was involved into the why's and how's of the various festivals, ceremonies and fastings that she carried out.

This post today talks about one such Hindu festival which though isn't very pan-indian, yet it holds a lot of significance in certain parts of the country-- the festival of Teej.
Teej is celebrated across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh mainly and is predominantly a women-lore fest. The reason for celebrating this day are two-- I) It denotes the arrival of Rains and thus fertility and relief from the scorching heat, imparting a festive onset on the minds of people.
ii) It signifies the togetherness of Lord Shiva and his beloved wife Parvati, as it is known that this was the day when they finally united and Parvati reached the abode of Shiva-- hence the importance among women-lore.

Women, also girls occasionally, are known to keep a one day fast, without even having water, to enrich the love for their husbands and celebrate their togetherness, girls keep the fast in anticipation of getting a husband like Shiva 

Its not just the fast that marks the festival though, women get decked up from head to toe, its believed that married women must do '16 Shringar' of which the Mehendi, bangles and the Sindoor are mandatory. Regional folk songs are sung, happiness is spread and love is revisited 

Personally, I have seen my daddy dearest go out of his way on this particular day and shower utmost affection on mom, and why wouldn't he?-- all the fast and the celebration is done by her keeping him as the epicentre after all!!

For me, its a beautiful and pure way both of them thank each other for their togetherness-- touchwood!!

Over with a beautiful book

When reading a great book, I try and read it at a very slow pace-- its like the fear of having to let go of someone, who has started to make us dwelve into fascination, way too soon-- I ALWAYS have this feeling! Hope its normal  

Over with a beautiful book, 'The Kite Runner', last night and I'm already feeling nostalgic as if I've just seen off a loved one over to a journey continents apart.. I still haven't been able to decide what the book depicts though-- is it a story of friendship? Of unwavering loyalty? Or love? Was Hosseini portraying Redemption at its best? Or Disappointment at its worst? Was the book about the ties of blood or simply about life, as it goes on..
Well, whatever it was, it was plain awesome. I could feel hell break lose at times and experienced a slice of heaven in others. I cried too easily and laughed out loud in the silence of the night while soaking myself through the pages. A tale of life and its ways, that brings about the inner most realisations and fears and courage and feeling of love within us to the forefront.

A lovely read..!! Heart warming and heart breaking-- overwhelming and devastating... highly recommended.. 'the kite runner'- Khaled Hosseini

Prince

It was a winter afternoon, my Happy Holidays were on with nothing much to be done, as I don't think I was ever a naughty brat waiting for vacations to do something out of the way, neither was I creative enough to pursue my 'hobbies' or 'pastimes' except for reading which also exhausted after the first week... 
I was all of 8 years and killed time mostly reading Jughead and craving for his burgers and fries as there was no sign of a Mac Donald's back then in my city.. in fact, until then I had seen burgers and fries only in my comic books 

Well, this ain't another blog on my 'Foodie Cravings'..  its about the sweetest memory of finding my first love..!!
Yeah, I found my first love when I was a tiny missie 8 years old.. 

One fine afternoon, Daddy brought him home.. i saw him first at 8 weeks old.. the smallest and the most beautiful bundle God could create.. Cooing in a cardboard box, there he was my 'Prince'..!!
Shining blackish-grey his coat, with the droopiest of faces and the eyes of a man in a drunken stupor, he was sooo strikingly handsome even in his babyhood!

Why call him Prince?-- because he never listened to what anyone had to say, he would walk and run and eat and sleep and play and fetch, at his will.. he was Capricious..!!

The rest.. is history..!! I discovered and re-discovered so many facets in myself because of Prince. I understood that I could love--love ferociously, love protectively, love unconditionally..
Some non-dog-lovers, think that dogs love you because you feed them, but it's so much more than that. The joyful squirm I got when I hadn't been home for a few months was just wonderful - he used to be so pleased to see me (and me him!). I don't think I ever had a dull moment in life, while at home after having my dog.

He was my happiness, he was my best friend, he was my link to paradise.. he knew me like no one else, he would spend hours sitting at my feet while i used to read or gently lick me on my cheek when i gave him a warm rub on his rough dry nose..
In him I found joy, his carefree attitude inculcated in me the spirit to follow my heart, no matter what..!! He taught me to appreciate the simple things.. Prince taught me about selfless love and unwavering loyalty.

I found it so hard to be sad with him around, coz he would lick away my tears and try and sit on my lap like he used to do when he was a puppy, only failing to realise that he was now almost double my weight..!! 

Prince was the magician of my universe.. He could express his love by volumes by simply wagging his tail and the speed of it would tell me how happy he was..

My family has had dogs before, in fact, we've always had dogs.. we still do..and I have adored them all.. with all my heart and love.. If I have to choose my favourite out of them all, it would be like choosing among my own children, but Prince was really someone apart.. may be because I kind of brought him up, may be because I fed him with my own hands on days when he would be bored of his food and create tantrums on eating, or may be because I have nursed him whole nights when he has fallen sick..I really don't know, what was it that made a big soft corner in my heart for this Neapolitan Mastiff boy I had..

He isn't around anymore, he hasn't been there my whole life, but he has certainly made my life whole..!!!

“If I could be half the person my dog is, I'd be twice the human I am.”
RIP Princie.. I miss you loads.. 

Complimentary gifts from life

Irritating alarm clocks,unending mobile phone rings, long uninteresting e-mails, working lunches, busy weekends, hectic deadlines, Strained relationships, dreadful bosses, failing health, lost contacts... we've all experienced one or all of these..

We dont remember when was the last time we enjoyed a hearty meal with people we love without touching our cell phones a single time during the meal or when we visited our grandparents for a full fortnight without having to juggle with our bosses for leaves, or when we took a calm stroll in the nearby park or beach without the thought of having to rush back to our daily chores..

What we all have instead is, to-do lists--on our phones or e-mails and reminders on our calenders!! 

'What is this life, so full of care..
We have no time, to stand and stare..!!'

Well, that's life! Most of us would quickly say-- indeed it is..!!

However, this life that we have chosen also comes with a few complimentary offers 
I have chosen my set of complimentary items-- absolutely free, free, free .. 

The smell of rain as it quenches the thirst of the parched earth.. listening to the chirping of the early morning bird.. the long lost chords revisited upon meeting an old friend.. the warmth of watching young lovers meet.. the touch of mom's hands on the forehead.. the nostalgia on seeing a flock of birds returning to their nests at sunset..
The winter sun, daddy's hug, a hot cup of tea on a rainy evening, cuddling a pet--
These are some of my complimentary gifts.. and I totally adore them..
'Some beautiful things in life are free still..choose your set...'

Wating to hear your set of complimentary gifts from life .. 

Having overrun by the ugliest of flu's' in the past two days, I was sick and tired of taking the strongest dosage of medicines and even more disgusted with the pungency of their after-taste on my palate. 
Well,what next, I was determined to shoo away this flu as soon as possible, and this brought me to the idea of trying the famous idea of 'Chicken Soup for the Cold' -- so, here I bring the recipe of the Soup that I've become most affectionate to from now on, as it wonderfully pulled me out of the cold and fever, doing wonders to add to my physical strength..!!

After having a lovely Clear Soup made by my dear friend for lunch, I ended up the with the idea of making the popular Thai Soup, Tom Kha for dinner..

My reaction after dinner...??
"Aroi Mak Mak!" (That’s Thai for “Deeeeelicious!”) ^-^ 

Well, Peeps the recipe is 'Borrowed from the Internet' but follow it religiously without your expert additions or subtractions and you'll end up making the loveliest of TOM KHA..

Ingredients
1 /2 tablespoon oil
1½ tablespoon Thai red curry paste
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups coconut milk
1 large lemongrass stalk,washed and cut
Sliced fresh galangal or ginger
Chilies
Fresh lime juice

Boneless Chicken breast,cleaned and cubed
Mushrooms
Fresh basil leaves

How to make-
Warm the oil in a pot. Sauté the mushrooms and take them out. Add the curry paste, stirring until fragrant. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, chilies, lime juice, and bring it to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken strips and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the basil and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or cilantro.

PS- Gives you the strongest appetite after a taxing fever and cold, so safer to have something ready for the main course after this .. and.. Makes you fall in love with itself, so many more upcoming visits to the nearest Thai Restaurants to enjoy it in its most authentic form shall become your agenda ..

What's life to me..

Life- For some its mere existence, a story to some.. for yet others it's a journey and a gift to some..

What's life to me.. 
--To me, its a rainbow.. 

An amazing combination of colours each playing its individual part.. I choose them sometimes, sometimes they embrace me.. 

Violet is my anchor when I want to drift in my world of Fantasies, my own dreams-big and small, it gives me warm shelter when i wish to aloof myself from the practicalities of life and turn a Dreamer..!! It helps me Imagine and Create..

Indigo.. the 'combination of blue and violet', takes on me when I am awaken to the reality that not all dreams come true- perhaps for good..or bad..
It bonks back to reality and for me its a feeling when I try hard to push myself back into my world of imagination, while feeling blue, while silently accepting that it cannot happen all the time..

Blue- This one's for me my horizon..!! The horizon that stretches far beyond what I think or feel or do or create or have or want..
It gives me Hope..and Ambition.. It brings to me Inspiration, Encouragement- to just go ahead and do every single thing I want to do!

Green.. The colour of jealousy.. but when green comes over me I feel the Calm instead.. The calm of lush green grass.. The calm of fulness.. the freedom of passage, as in a green signal of a traffic light..

Yellow- Touches me on the sunniest of my days..Oh, it makes me sooo Happy and Bright.. I feel younger.. its the Spring of my life..
Yellow opens me to challenges, it creates in me a tremendous Self Worth..

Orange..brings Spontaneity, makes me enthusiastic.. I love to show myself off on my orange days..!!
I feel fascinated and attracted to the most beautiful things in the world..It spices me up when days are dragging..

Red- THIS ONE.. passionate as it is, lends me its fire, the riot of its identity.. the Love in its truest form possible, the Danger, the Power, the Desire..
It makes me a Hopeless Romantic.. it evokes in me, Emotions..Red makes my days Christmas-y..
It is also my lone companion in anger and aggression..

With the flamboyancy of this VIBGYOR of mine, I create a collage of my days- sometimes all colours in the same canvas sometimes a combination of few.. and this album of mine is what my life is to me..!! 

The swing

While growing up I used to often visit my Grandparents (Mom's Parents), for sleepovers. They had a small little house with a front porch and there was this old style cane swing. I would wish not to go back home only coz of the sad feeling of having to stay away from that swing for another couple of days. As grandparents are, mine pampered me too, with all the love and gifts and blessings they had and guess what, I soon got an even bigger swing for my next birthday! A wooden swing, like the one in parks or schools.. 

It was beautifully set in our lawn, and was supported by iron rods on both sides, further decorated with fragrant creepers twining it by my Daddy Dearest 

I used to spend a lot of 'Me-Time' as a child and thus, the swing soon became my haven of refuge..

I would sit and think, watch the gardener doing up the pots and trimming the bushes, listen to music and read, sometimes draw.. though I was pathetic in that 
I remember swinging to my heart's extent on tormenting sunny afternoons when everyone else enjoyed their afternoon siesta.. such was the craze of this swing of mine..

The swing made a squeaking sound that would almost give me a headache sometimes, if I concentrated on it too much.

That swing was part of my growing up. However, as we grew up a lot of renovation happened and now the swing is placed somewhere in a scrap godown in the backyard..

And today when I saw this picture on someone's page, I recalled all those past experiences.

Kolkata is a City- Calcutta is an Emotion--

Kolkata is a City- Calcutta is an Emotion--

Nostalgia and ardent recollection of my city bring me here to write this post..

Calcutta, as I still call it, whenever somewhere asks me, is probably the 'HOME where my heart is', and will always be.. Born and brought up(for a good 15 years) in this beautiful city of joy, i have so many amazing memories to share.

Talking of Calcutta, people draw images of 'The Howrah Bridge, Fish Curry, Sondesh.. may be The Eden Gardens, Kalighat temple, Victoria Memorial, Ambassador Taxis and Trams too.

But, to me, Calcutta is much more than all of this..
So here's offering a chunk of my city in my style

Having travelled almost across the length and breadth of this country I can proudly boast that Calcutta is the only place where one can find a wholesome meal(Fish/Chicken/veg curry, Chapati, Li'l Rice, Dal) for just 40 bucks..!! Hell Yeah, I'm not kidding..

Calcutta is place every one of us can build our dreams in, it has something to offer to each person living there.. the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor- life seems less struggling and less difficult once I touch this city after having stayed in Delhi, Mumbai or even Bangalore..

Footpaths and street sides infested with people on Maidan and New Market, with shopkeepers almost running a quarter of a kilometre behind you, negotiating the price of something that you would have eyed, until he manages to convince you with a quote that makes you feel wow! am i really getting it for peanuts?
Talking of shopping, i still find Calcutta one of the most economical places, and the best part is, along with just the branded stuff you get a lot of awesome local stuff as well, talk of Clothes or Furniture or Utensils or Food Ingredients or just about anything under the sun, you name it, you find it somewhere or the other for a much better deal. And of course, 'Fuchka' or waterballs in Calcutta, in between a Shopping Spree is to die for..!!!

If you choose to complain, you may find the daily 'Michils' or processions, of some local party or the other, happening almost everyday really vexing, but then its Calcutta, and moments are not as fleeting as they seem in other metropolitans! May be you could just enjoy the chaos and jam with some spicy 'Jhalmuri'..

Another exclusivity, people have TIME.. after their work or often in between too, you can easily catch up with a group of people discussing Football or Politics or Literature- famously known as 'Adda' it could be anywhere-- The famous Coffee house at College Street, A local Rotary Club or even in the 'Barandah' (front lobby) of a house..

Well, this is just the raw part of it, or the part which is still not lost in the glam and pomp of today's lifestyles..
There's the bling part too.. Nightclubs, Restaurants, Malls, Entertainment Theme Park, Sky Scrapers, IT hub and so on.. we proudly boast of them too..

Art- The Best-est contribution in the field of Art comes from Calcutta.. Music, Literature, Dance, Painting, everyone who's spent a considerable amount of time in this city, is bound to have all or at least one of these inculcated into him from the very inception. People here don't just aim to become Doctors or Engineers or IAS Officers, they give Artists and Intellectuals an equal amount of undivided importance.. something I totally adore..!!!

My connection with Calcutta, however, is still much more than all this- Its the place where I was born, the place I first went to school in, the place where I made my first friends ever, the place where I learnt another Indian dialect apart from my mother tongue-- and all this happened really without effort, trust me. I just kept on taking what Calcutta had to offer me..and it kept on doing so even to this date..

This too is just a few drops of the gigantic ocean that Calcutta is probably, that i have collected to present here.. To breathe the flavour in and understand the texture of this city, you really have to be there..!! I really don't think I can capture it merely in words.. Its a feeling beyond words! Its an emotion..

TWEAKED-PRAWN-MALAI-CURRY

So here's

TWEAKED-PRAWN-MALAI-CURRY..

As per history, Some people believe that this dish has a Malaysian influence and the early version of the recipe might have been bought by Malaysian sailors to the Bay of Bengal, many years ago. The word “Malai” is actually “Malay”, meaning Malaysian... As of today, its a hugely popular Bong Dish..

Basically Prawns/Chingdi Malai curry is made with rich coconut milk and is a hot favourite amongst Bongs, its one of mine at least  

As far as the recipe goes, its easily available on 'Google Maharaj', so i wouldn't bother writing it whole, just the 'tweaked' part of it.. I added a li'l Tamarind Water (Fresh tamarind soaked in water for a while, tamarind to be mashed and the water strained) to get that Ah-So-Tangy flavour.. 

PS- the dish tastes best when enjoyed with people you love..!! 

Saturday Morning- Indian Style..

Saturday Morning- Indian Style.. 

Unlike the Saturday I spent in Paris, a few years back, here's yet another Saturday morning, in my own motherland- very different yet flutters my heart with the same anticipation..

Guess that's life, it presents one with a new attire every single day, never to repeat what we've worn before- thus, I accept the gift whole heartedly and see how good this fits me 

Waking up to the sounds of ths newspaper man shouting 'peyyperrr' at the top of his voice to pass the message to the entire neighbourhood all at once, but today being a Saturday, I still have the luxury to drift right back in my sleep though.. yippee!!

Sounds of prayer from a distant mosque plays the trick on me again and I give up, waving good bye to dear sleep until later in the afternoon probably 

Breakfast needs to be self made, nothing sumptuous like the Parisien experience, but a fulfilling one.. bread fried eggs and a wholesome glass of milk- umm..not bad!

Laundry is to be done and this is where I miss home the mosssst!! Its a Saturday, and that's a day dedicated to grocery shopping  Fruits, Veggies, Milk, Eggs, Bread, Fish- the bong in me probably looks forward to this part the most.. and woah! I find a nice fresh catch at Spencers' - Rohu and prawns 

The next few hours are going to be 'cooking time', so I put ny apron on and take your leave until I get back with my prawns recipe... 

Until then- enjoy the best- est day of the week..!!

I am but, a bundle of contradictions 

Love watching the rains, but hate going out in the rain, hugely untamed yet love the domesticity of my life, or so the stability in it..

At peace with myself, but muddled with a constant chaos in my mind.. 

Life itself gives me an unparalleled high, though every night worries me to the core, of possibly everything that might go wrong!

An avid reader, all I need is a book really- any book.. and I shall be the most self contained being on Mother Earth..

Hate to tumble upon my self laid rocks of expectations, yet a Dreamer- in every sense of the word! 

A day in Paris..

Although three years have passed since I left Paris, I am extremely tempted to pen down the experience of one of the many Saturdays spent in this beautiful city of love! 

9am, Romance Standard Time, as the time zone there is called, I head straight up to an old charm Parisien restaurant for a sumptuous breakfast to keep me going for at least half a day  
After gorging on my huge breakfast spread all for a good 4€ I am en route my first stop 'The Louvre'.. 
Thousands of exhibits, hundreds of galleries and dozens of opportunities to get lost.
'I ain't goin' in there again,' moans a plump American tourist on the brink of a breakdown. She's made the classic mistake of trying to see too much.
My goal is to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo - and look at a few other exhibits on the way.. #self content n focussed 
I emerge from the metro into the fabulous Carrousel du Louvre, dominated by a glass pyramid..After a lot of lost directions I arrive at the Venus de milo..a classic, found on a greek island looong long back.. capture a few more exhibits for my folks back in India and head to The Monalisa.... There she was, enigmatic, serene, intimidating and so many more incomprehensible emotions...
She's now housed in a secure glass unit after some hooligan tried to tear away the canvas... staring as she was at each of us who were trying to capture her in videos and photos...
I'm done from The Louvre in an hour, perhaps I took Paris for granted then, thinking I have a good 14 months to see it at my convenience ..

Heading towards Le Jardin, I pick up a few extremely economical postcards, fridge stickers, miniature eiffel towers and mementos for the many friends and family back home..

Past noon already and its now time for a ferry on The Sienne, whilst enjoying the hustle of Paris city.. I pick up a Kebab Roll(just in case my taste buds need some company) and wait in line for my turn to come on the cruise... the first stop supposedly from my station is going to be Notre Dame- the most famous of all Cathedrals welcoming tourists from all round the world!

It looks lavish from the outside, the architecture brilliant and as intricate as it could possibly be.. a tour inside is over and I breathe a chunk of fresh air on coming out, courtesy- the huge crowd inside...
Hopping back on another ferry on the same ticket, I'm heading to Arc de Triomph, which although is not as famous as the Eiffel or Notre Dame, could easily be the centre of attraction in some other city..
Back to the ferry and complete the tour without getting down anywhere only to relax and rest my anxious eyes to experience one of the most breath taking sights - The Eiffel.. Its 5 by the time I reach, and after walking fairly long, I witness the wonder in full... awe-struck and speechless... The Eiffel marvels and basks in sheer beauty, bound to turn anyone utter the word 'Wonderful' on merely looking at it... I take a quiet seat in front of the masterpiece, only to notice people of all kinds from all kinds of places..united in just the way they're overwhelmed at looking at The Eiffel, like me...
I don't realise how long I'd been sitting there lost in my thoughts, when suddenly I experience another mindblowing moment- The Illuminated Eiffel.. hence giving Paris its name.. The city of lights!!
Its 8 o clock..

Too difficult to say if Paris is beautiful coz it has The Eiffel, or The Eiffel is what it is coz its in Paris.. coz both compliment each other- the flavour of the city, the love in the air, the friendly smiles at every street, the deliciously appetising food, the best wines, the old world charm, the calmness of The Sienne... each adds to each and the result is Paris!!

'Some people feel the rain, Others just get wet'..
Back home after getting drenched, trousers reeking after soaking in and out of water poodles on the way.. yet, I aint complaining.. Oh Rain, you're so more than welcome today..

A perfect start to an early weekend, wrapped up in My winter shawl(yes, Bangalore does get chilly after a shower), a biiiig cup of Hot Chocolate and my 'kuhm-pyoo-terr' with my brand new blog page...could I have asked for more? Oh yes, -Onion Pakoras made by Mommy..!! Im so craving for those right now... 

Well the idea behind this write up is not to bore you with my itinerary, its to bring to life my view of the rains- Nature's sweetest conspiracy to bring out probably the softest of our sides 

There were those days when rains like this meant making paper boats and searching for an ant to ride the boat in the pond with the cousins.. the adventurous Childhood..

Then there came the time when a rainy day in school was a blessing..Getting back home after school playing with water puddles along the way only to be chided by mom for having wasted a clean and ironed set of uniform without even attending classes.. the careless Innocence..

Next came the excitement of dancing in the rain on the terrace influenced heavily by the Kajols and Raveenas of bollywood.. the outrageous Teenage..

Yet later, was the fun of making impromptu visit to the chai and maggi points with college friends and begging the 'shopkeeper uncle' to open the stall and make a cup of 'hot masala chai' with some 'anda maggi'.. The golden days..

And today, as I remember all those times while its raining, today, rains are an inspiration, a moment of reminiscence, an occasion of self celebration.. !!

Folksies.. here's a Mutton-Liver-Homestyle, recipe suggested by my Daddy Dearest..cooked of course by yours truly  
Save it if you like it for a Monsoon Sunday Lunch..

Mutton Liver- 300gms (cleaned , cubed and boiled for bout 10mins)
to be marinated 2 hours prior to cooking in ginger garlic paste, curd, salt and turmeric powder.

Heat mustard oil and throw in Red chillies, cloves, black cardamoms and a small stick of cinnamon.. finely chopped onions to go in next and stirred till golden brown, add 1 finely chopped tomato followed by a tea spoon of coriander powder and red chilli powder.. a pinch of sugar(optional) for caramelising and bringing a mouth watering brownish colour to be added next..moderate salt.. after the 'bhunno' is done, add the marinated liver to this and 'bhunno' for another ten minutes before adding hot water as per the consistency of gravy you wish to have 
Garnish with fresh finely chopped Coriander leaves and devour the Mutton-Liver-Curry with Basmati Rice or hot paranthas