Happy Mother's day

Just a small note of gratitude to all the wonderful women around, I wish you all a happy mothers day.

To my mother who acknowledges my Text message saying that it is mothers day for her all 365 days a year which is a compliment for me .Mothers just don’t waste an opportunity to make u feel special. And to another mother who partly by choice and party by destiny could be around only for a while but calls me her special daughter.

I also love all my school and college mates who have beautiful babies and school going bubbly children. There is no greater happiness than carrying their bundle of joys. Remember those college days when we had no idea of what future will hold for all of us. It is such a beautiful feeling to see what life has given us all…Like little babies who cuddle and hug me tight.

To aspiring mothers who have consciously or by destiny kept motherhood for a later period. And to others who look at men as potential sperm donors. How we all secretly buy Mother and baby care books and are all scared of Childbirth and have gross imaginations of how a baby is going to rip your bottom side and come out. And yet want to be mothers.

To some who can’t be mothers biologically. Nothing stops you from being a mother. Just all the qualities a woman has by default. Love,  care, passion and compassion.

 Just live , love and utilize your motherly instincts to touch and change lives for the better.
Happy mothers day again. 

Happy women's day

To start with....Happy women's day all...to all women and all men who have some girly side in you...
The day started with reading tweets from a lot of excited women celebrating themselves on twitter.. One or two men did post a few messages...
Another bunch was cynical about just having one day to celebrate.. Some said women are not treated well or the way they should be...
... They wanted more rights and freedom...

The men escape from all such days ... The justification is the same as the ones we get on valentines day, mothers day, new year and even our anniversaries... " Baby, you are celebrated everyday" why are you going gaga over women's day...

My day started with an excited bunch of home makers in the neighborhood waking me up to see my new home as well as wish me a loud noisy women's day!.
I nibble on some museli, flavored yoghurt , eggs and juice while I heat my pre cooked lunch.
A hot shower with aromatic therapy body wash, a dab of perfume and fruity body mist. I wrap myself in the bathrobe and stand in front of my wardrobe looking a wardrobe full of clothes confused what to wear. I slip into my pretty pink uniform and locks up my home and enters the car. Checks the mirror, music and temperature and off to a regular happy day at work.

I take ten minutes to message all my favorite women a wonderful day ahead.

I get a hearty women's day wish from my boss . And honestly its wonderful to get a genuine message from a Man.

The best thing to do on any such special day is to pamper yourself...stay away from cooking and your regular house hold chores. Buy yourself your favorite meal, a chocolate icecream topped with hot chocolate fudge , a spa date with your girl pals, venting sessions (bitching sessions as you call it )bunch of flowers and chocolates ....I also indulge in a little bit of retail therapy and buy myself a bag/shoe or lip gloss or lingerie.

That's like a dream day for any woman and I make sure I am never deprived of such days.

Hope you all have a wonderful day all decked up in your favorite red heels, make up , little black dress , blow dried hair a drink and a man.
:) share your women's day story with me :)

Happy Republic day!

A good Republic day gone by:-

As a layman who chooses to be ignorant,lethargic how important is a Republic day?
Our major worries remain same.Will there be bomb scare in the most crowded mall,will our SMS rates be higher today,will we get a day off work.Have we changed our profile pictures to that of the flag?

It is too much at ask of such a regular Indian of 2013 to be worried of the economy?

But  this regular Indian and only this regular Indian can keep our roads clean,plant one tree atleast in his whole life,feed a hungry child once a week,educate a girl,stick to traffic rules and above all appreciate our own country.

Many a times i have come across men on the driver seat of a car open their door to spit on the road.Why don't they just spit inside the car for a  change?

How much are we a Nation Mahatma Gandhi dream't of? Today even Mahatma Gandhi has a statue of himself in the Madam Tussaud worldwide (I'm not sure how much he would've enjoyed this fame if he were alive) whereas in our country we have a statue on every cross road covered in bird shit.

Well alls well?

All in the name of God

I spent the whole day with friends.I have been under this new spree of categorizing friends.

Though i never ever expected anything from anyone, i have started to feel that it totally makes sense to catch up with good old buddies, be in touch and somewhere, someday they will all surprise us .

School was very different from the rest of other academics.

Trivandrum is the administrative capital of Kerala with a high literacy rate. I have always...always found the city to have a mix of people who celebrated all festivals irrespective of religion.

A star is put up during the month of December prior to Christmas by all the homes irrespective of religion.

Onam is celebrated with much pomp and show.

Every family member loves to binge on the ramzam biriyani , again irrespective of religion. I so loved this fact about this beautiful city.

As a school girl i was never discriminatory hence did not appreciate this unity.

But i did not have to go far to realize this.

When i went to college at the age of 18 ,not too far but  a small town 4 hrs away from Trivandrum to a college run by nuns i faced the harsh reality.

To begin with the super conservative outlook. The moment i stepped into the campus i felt as if i walked in with the aid of a time machine to a land two centuries older.

We were to wear a salwar kameez with the kameez slits stitched up, dupattas covering the torso and all this in a women's college.

Once u step in to the campus your are not allowed to keep mobile phones or laptops or make calls or use the internet.

We can step out of the campus only after a good 14 days.They turned off the fans at 5 am. They turned off lights at 10 pm. Frustration levels rose.

These things were not so difficult to deal with but what was difficult to deal with where the indirect dose of religious discrimination all in the name of God which was injected into these young minds.

Being a conservative catholic institution they propagated their ideologies .

I had classmates who preached that catholics were the only christians and others were not.

When you have a streak of color on your hair they categorized you as reckless .

If you were unlike them they were never proud to consider you as part of them.

It didn't matter if you were the topper or made your college name flash in areas they could never afford to be in; it didn't matter, you were stamped "unlike them".

I don't know ,i did drift from what my intention was to tell you all.

There were many super proud parents , and students who were the apple of the eyes of many of these nuns.

Today i happened to hear what lives two of my college mates lead.

These God's children , don't talk to their families , live with their husbands who are from other religions, have babies as the conservative family planning measures taught in college failed miserably and do not work or have the ambition to pursue a career.

I stand by their decision to live with their loved ones but how did the logic change over night.

Or logics are subjective to change according to benefit ?

Do they realize today that mocking my ideologies ( which i stand by even today)was not a good idea?

When i prayed to the only God in different forms i was mocked,

When i spoke logic and practicality i was mocked.

When i sat down and convinced people i was mocked.

Was all this worth being away from families ( some stubborn family members who wouldn't budge)

 or being with the second guy who came their way ( or if he ever cared was forced to convert to their religion to be their lawfully wedded husband).

Well well that is a lot of venting that i did today but i also broke the first rule  i had set while i started blogging 

Stay away from Religion ,sex and politics as topics to write about.

And having grown a year older i believe i have a lot to talk about all of the above.

and i continue talking .... :-)

Its a brand new year

Yes it is a brand new year and i am extremely delighted to write , express and feel all over again.

As always and like many even i have my new year resolutions listed out on a crisp diary page .
What tops the list is to write more and to express more.
I went around asking my friends what their resolutions were. funnily most of them did not share it 
1)due to the embarrassment if they don't stand by their resolutions and 2) the superstitious fear of it not working out once told.

Well, unlike them i would love to share a few of my resolutions with you all.

I have decided to remain healthy.My fluctuations and success professionally or spiritually always majorly reflects on my health. 
I guess we all tend to do more for others rather for yourself  and when we reach pit bottom it is a solo battle to reach to the top.
Last year taught me one thing....and the best lesson i have learnt the hard way.

There are clearly two kinds of friends  -  the one for the good times and one for the bad times....

The friends who come during your bad times , mark my words will come from all over without you expecting...

Grateful as i am now i promise to remain.
I am ever grateful for every breath i take and i promise to remain.

I will go any extend to remain healthy be it drinking water, taking my vitamins, doing my yoga , eating my 5 good meals a day i promise to do it all.

I promise to listen , stop criticizing control my anger( which will need tremendous effort) and learn to say NO.

I will give myself the pleasure of charity from how i used to do it last year,to give a personalized touch to it by being able to give more time along with the money i have been able to keep aside.

I have promised to love myself all over again and treat myself with fine dining , wine from across the country to chocolates to flowers.I promise to say I LOVE You more often.

Be loved ,  read more,  write more,  capture more,  be connected .
Love you all.Share your resolutions with me :-)
Happy New Year 

Eid Mubarak All

EID Mubarak my fellows from life-   It is the festival of sacrifice indeed!!!

At the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Eid (Festival of Sacrifice) and a day of additional hours for non-Muslims at work.

Eid commemorates obedience to God. When the God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his own son and when he was willing to do so for God the God’s will has been fulfilled. He had shown that his love for his Lord was above all others that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to submit to God.

Even though my heart aches to see the Goat slaughter during the festival and we all misunderstand the true sense of this sacrifice. It is all the same. We understand the food cycle and mostly in a better way as we are on top of the cycle  the GOD has given us power over animals and allowed us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life.

The meat from the sacrifice of Eid is mostly given away to others.

One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives,

one-third is given away to friends,

and one-third is donated to the poor.

It symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own rewards, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need.

If only we shared our wealth in the same way.

I came across an article yesterday that Mr. Mukesh Ambani was India’s richest man who was worth 21 billion INR. Hypothetically if we take one third of it , he would be giving away 7 billion INR to the poor. He is not the only one. If you are worth a lakh would you share 30 000 on the poor? or would you only share your Goat on that one day ?

This might make a good blog post for me but I know we all get back to our share of Biriyani’s after a good read!!

Glimpses of my Onam week!!!!

The rich Kerala Kasavu (gold border ) on the traditional mundu......This brocade pattern not only looks good but smells good tooo...

The floral pattern called Atthapookalam is an intricate design carpet of flowers.

 The traditional meal on the banana leaf ...The resin on the leaf adds an extra flavour to the meal..

The illumination on the Museum Kowdiar stretch is a Must watch sight during this  day festival 

A Water Lily  bursts out color and sharp spicy fragrance welcomes you each morning....

water lily

 Under ripe bananas deep fried in coconut oil

A brisk morning walk on the  shankumugham beach....Divine!!

The under ripe bananas deep fried in oil and coated with spicy jaggery

Ho!Ho!Ho!

Ho!Ho!Ho!

Its that part of the year when my smile becomes extra wider and heart becomes extra warmer....


Christmas is about ......
Santa Claus who never gave me any gifts ,
Red and greens in gift wrapping sheets to scarves, 
bakes and cakes which gets better every year,
lights and stars which brightens life, 
mistletoe -  i never got kissed under them,
Love and crystals...it never snowed here....
................but Christmas has that magic to it....

An awe inspiring display of multi-hued illuminations and artistic decorations - windows displaying their best work by skillfully weaving the ingredients of the festive spirit and retailers adding value to the mystical aura of  new age Christmas.

As a kid the occasion has been very special other than the fact that exams get over and its holiday time cousins coming over , mum’s cooking, the carols, the christmas tree, mistletoes, santa claus, angels, cookies, the gifts. 

We used to buy handmade christmas cards and sent it to grandparents in the distant natives,carefully jotting down the addresses from the big fat address book and neatly sticking the stamps with the gum.

Frequent visits to taste the cake batter till my mom gives the blender itself to clean the left overs.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in a manger and the birth itself was a message to the world about sacrifice, humility, care, love and understanding.

The crib leaves me confused....the mud statues of all the characters are made out of the same mould but is draped in different color clothes...Joseph and the three wise men all look the same.The midnight mass is a treat for the eyes when the choir girls light candles and sing silent night...and you want that moment to pause forever ....

The Tree from last year is dusted and taken out .....Colored balls,strings of bead,candy sticks,gifts,strawberries are all neatly arranged...The Christmas tree is something which is a character.It stands tall grabbing all the attention with colors and lights on it. The Christmas tree is traditionally brought into the home and decorated with  lights candles ornaments jewels candy canes tinsel and flowers during the days around Christmas.

Wine making Marks the start of the preparations for Christmas by the end of November in big barrels layered with raw wheat,sugar and washed and cleaned grapes.....A paper star pops out of all the homes in all the streets shouting out aloud "it is christmas time"

I swear I don't understand measurements I don't understand cups and grams.I don't understand Temperatures I don't understand celcius and Fahrenheit.but I understand food and will also tell you how it works.shortbread cookies are the best bake any amateur baker can bake. It is rich and buttery tender and crumbly ...
and  i share with you the impress others receipe of all time ; -

when i say cup it could be any sized cup just follow proportions
Use the same cup for all ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour +1/4 cup  rice flour

1/4 cup granulated white sugar is basically our good old sugar powdered

1/2 cup cold salted butter

If it is unsalted butter add salt ....

Yes thats all that u need and u need a blender.....Yes the best traditional blender is ur Fingers......Use them

Scottish Shortbreads are made by hand using just one large bowl. 

1)Mix the flour with the rice flour and sugar.
2)Next, very cold butter is grated over the flour mixture. (use a knife if u dont have a grater)
3)Then,use ur magic finger, take small handfuls of the mixture and gently rub the butter into the flour. 
4)dont be too proactive we are not making dough here....we are just making a mixture till it looks like breadcrumbs 
5) Take ur oven tray Press into an even layer and prick the surface with the tines of a fork. The final step is to take a sharp knife and 'score' the top of the shortbread into wedges.
Do not cut all the way through the pastry or bread.
Bake in a 300 degree F (150 degrees C) for about 40-50 minutes or until biscuit colored (watch carefully).
Understood step number 6 go ahead you are good at it....If you didnt read further...
Higher the temperature lesser the cooking time but make sure that ur cookie is not charred...watch till the sides gets golden..Gets done in 15 mins...

Christmas is a time for giving, a time for sharing your rewards with those are underprivileged and unfortunate, a time for reflection at your inner self. Whilst we can enjoy in the festive spirit, we should spare a thought, a prayer  - the poor who don’t know where their next meal will be coming from, the seniors who have no one to talk to, the children and the people in the war zones getting ready to shelter themselves from the next bomb and many others. This in essence has always been the message of the blessed baby born in the manger. Let us not lose sight of the real meaning

Lets learn from Mr.ebenezer scrooge and not from the Ghosts of the past present and future.

for the Love of those small things in life.....!!!

For the love of those small BIG things in life.....
I wake up this morning remembering a special smell, a certain temperature,a particular color.
I was reminded of things that would never come back to us.....but it remains special this way when it is all glimpses from the past ........

I miss the most the pencil shavings and those dirty erasers.....
School uniforms and above all those calf length socks....
Brown paper covers for all the school text books.....
My best friend's tiffin box....

College hostel window bars....
thhe mess hall bell....
The chapel,Gods and Tears....
One special meal on festivals...
the friday 4.20 train journey home and ladies compartment...
If i miss this then the last train at 7.30 back home ...student travel pass and a school time passport size photo stuck on it....
The late night secret discussion of relationships,marriage ,boys,sex life none of us had....!!!!

The damp stock room in fabindia....
The horror stories associated with the house...today i realise we could have used this to get a better deal with The Rentals quoting this fact....
A global count which goes 1234.7.8.12.14.....and ZZZZZZZ
A car drive to work and a biryani from the neighbouring hotel...
That special tiffin carrier from home on sundays...

The chennai dead body dance on the street and that smile on my face...
The 12 o clock sms that goes to the dude at the canteen listing my menu for lunch...
The lift,library and walk back to the hostel...
The spring flowers on the way outside my hostel...
The sweaty men at the salsa classes.....YUCK...

The early morning radio at the store...
the first customer eachday adn best service...
Bike rides...
The smell of different cuisines at the garuda food courts...
The book reading session at reliance digital...
getting wet in the rains...
the golas ,Pani puris and movies at fun cinemas...
The walk back home and ruby wines and chungs distracting me...

and more and more....
"keep loving"
Keep Smiling"
 and creat a lot of moments to love and miss

Xmas...
This good old xmas tree came to my home 12 years back i was shorter than it...i grew up she stood by...
Why did i just say she...coz it is warm,loyal,pleaant ,dreamy...
My tree...
I will never miss anything in life... whatever i wnat i will gift it to me...i live to satisfy myself...
Xmas carols,church,yummy dishes,bakes,cakes,colours,balloons, friends,chill, and to start with the star
Thining of the colour....can it be the blue or the white this time...i love my stars be wither of these...
Whats ur perfect xmas?