The past couple of days have been a whirlwind of activities. Well, mostly packing as I try to squeeze in clothes, souvenirs and what-not into the bag (which is bursting at its seams). Summing away three years of your life in a bag is one of the hardest things to do. Not because you have so many things to pack, but because you have to leave something behind which is equally dear to you.
Long story short, I am returning to India since my work assignment in Belgium has ended. I have been wanting this move for quite some time but the enormity of the decision strikes now, when there are just a few days left.
I am slow packer. The other day, I tried cleaning up the cupboard and out tumbled out some paintings which I had bought in Paris. And so I sat there, gazing fondly at them and going back in time to the spring evening when I walked (!) to the top of the Eiffel tower. Next, I saw an Austria 72 hour tourist travel card and I am reminiscing over the days in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck with my closest pals. There are piles of printouts of maps, tourist information and hotel bookings - it is difficult to throw them away. I count off the countries which I visited - Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Holland, Switzerland; all of them leaving behind delightful imprints on my mind. Understandably, it took me quite some time to empty that cupboard.
I have spent the better part of today looking into shelves, drawers and cupboards to see if I can squeeze in some last bit of memory into the bag. For when I open it in India, I want the familiar smell to remind me of a time which was filled with laughter, travel, adventures and mostly love.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Sunday, 3 January 2016
Of Cravings that Troubled the Better Half
So, out of the blue, I had an intense craving for dahi puri which I conveyed to the BH . Now if we were staying in India, we would have simply walked out to the nearest chat center and had dahi puri to our heart's delight. But staying in a country with limited presence of Indians and Indian products meant that satisfying this craving meant considerable amount of planning.
First stroke of luck was we got our hands on semi-ready puris ; they are a blessing. They are flat, little puris which get puffed up the moment we drop them in the oil. We had the foresight to request an Indian colleague to get it from India and what a great decision it turned out to be!!
Second stroke of luck? We had all the required ingredients at home. Now, being a weekend, all the stores were closed (and this is one of the reasons why I miss India sorely. Getting stuff in the middle of the night is a myth here.).
The better half dutifully chopped up the veggie stuffing and other ingredients required for dahi puri and voila! I must have had close to fifteen to twenty puris and quite shamelessly plundered BH's puri stash. And the poor thing meekly submitted to this loot. After all, he knows better than to face the hungry-angry version of me.
And here is a demonstration of the BH's superior culinary skills. Notice those veggies cut up in tiny pieces :)
First stroke of luck was we got our hands on semi-ready puris ; they are a blessing. They are flat, little puris which get puffed up the moment we drop them in the oil. We had the foresight to request an Indian colleague to get it from India and what a great decision it turned out to be!!
Second stroke of luck? We had all the required ingredients at home. Now, being a weekend, all the stores were closed (and this is one of the reasons why I miss India sorely. Getting stuff in the middle of the night is a myth here.).
The better half dutifully chopped up the veggie stuffing and other ingredients required for dahi puri and voila! I must have had close to fifteen to twenty puris and quite shamelessly plundered BH's puri stash. And the poor thing meekly submitted to this loot. After all, he knows better than to face the hungry-angry version of me.
And here is a demonstration of the BH's superior culinary skills. Notice those veggies cut up in tiny pieces :)
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| The stuffing for dahi puri. Missing in action : Kacchi kairi |
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Thank You, 2015
Nostalgia is powerful enough to induce different emotions at the same time. When I look back at 2015, I am largely thankful. I wish I could go through some of those moments again and be more thankful for those moments and the people in those moments. Here is my list of things I am thankful for :
- For the endless walks with the better half (BH) with a glorious sun warming our faces
- For the delayed rains when I cycle furiously to work , saving me the drenches
- For the experience of snow descending from the skies
- For BH's little attempts at celebrating Diwali as close as that at home
- For the BH taking over the cooking and cleaning when I am too tired
- For small kisses from rosy-cheeked kids
- For seeing the weighing scales tip at your target weight
- For dresses that started fitting again
- For unexpected giggles and laughs
- For the sev puri you have been craving all along
- For dance parties
- For reminding me that it is okay to fall and be ashamed of it. But at the same time, reminding yourself to be a better person
- For ticking off items from your list of dream destinations
- For getting enough inspiration to start this blog
What are you guys thankful for?
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