another weekend, another island, another morning with photographs to remember it by

date: 12 december 2010
time: 6 am to 9 30 am
place: diwar island, somewhere along the river mandovi

shooting sirish shooting the beginnings of sunrise at ribandar ferry point.

our car being driven off the ferry as we reach diwar island.

chasing the sun. literally.

..some more sunlight.

trying to make the most of the 50mm lens, since shooting wide landscapes is out :( tragic!

wild flowers. open fields.

and then some.

touch of light.

what can i say. thats 50mm glory.

atop the hillock on diwar island.

piyush paparazzi-ing everything in sight!

an IFFI evening

IFFI times are here. and evidently if youre into the artsy-fartsy movie scene, this is the place to be this time of year. im not, though. so i decided to stick to the food-festival part of it, charmingly set out along the promenade by the mandovi river.

as fas as i was concerned, IFFI could very well have been the international food festival of india, with everything from delhi chaat, bombay pav bhaji, nasik special gola, mysore special gobi manchuri (yes, manchuri!) and seek kababs, dum biryani, baida rotis and rolls.

we made an evening out of it, karishma and i, later joined by VC. beginning with beers at the kingfisher village, where we subjected ourselves to some really bad music and probably the most heavily dressed goans i have seen in a long long time. we then proceeded to try everything from the chaat to the kababs to the chicken lollipops and we also dared to sample the mysore special gobi manchuri.

here are a few snapshots:

ssupdates

a long week of entertaining and fun and madness has just ended. id re-post here, what i did on my other blog, but its probably one of the LONGEST posts i have ever put out there, so im going to take the easy way out and say it with a link!

so go read about my weekend HERE!

Mutants

In Goa, mosquitoes have evolved.

They're now large, fly around in clumps and have found a way to bite your bum right through the denim.

back to the sea

today, i rediscovered the joys of swimming in the sea. and it has to be said, that it is one of the most refreshing feelings in the world. nothing does it for me, like the sea does.

also, toasting in the sunshine and swimming in the sea did wonders for the mild hangover.

also, i love the sea.

also, i hate curlies. its overrated, overpriced and the management sucks. theyre snooty and are racist towards indians.

also, i love hummus.

also, the short hair is such a blessing now that the swimming season is back :D

also, i missed having the husband around as i re-entered the seaside season.

also, shiva valley is soon going to be open! and they now have 2 levels!!

also, i love the sea.

also, i cant believe 6 months of the "off-season" time have whizzed by. its put so many things in perspective.

also, i love the sea.

also, i love living in goa.

This is how we do it

One sunny saturday morning in beach town!

New additions

Feb 2010: I arrive at Goa

March 2010: Reva joins the fun :)

October 2010: The D5000 enters :))

November 2010: Well??? Wait for it... [hint]

Morning is here!

Another weekend came.

Option 1: Sit at home and waste it.

Option 2: Get into a car, get on a ferry and see what Dewar island looks like.

Well, thats what it looks like.

annoyances? quirks?

i found this cartoon. i thought it was cute. so i emailed it to vc. consequently, we began listing the various annoying things.

he: --when im dead tired after a long day at work and want to sleep. and you insist on filling me in on all that you did that day.
--when its the weekend and i want to sleep in and you insist on waking up bright and chirpy, and EARLY!

me: --when you forget to put your socks away.
--when you leave the newspaper in the loo.
--when you stay up drinking and im starving.

and i realized this could go on forever. but we werent fighting. i could swear this was all in good spirit of humour!

and then i found this:

and it reminded me of how he never complains when im chattering away. he never complains when i wake him up early on a weekend. and i also rememberd how i just quietly pick up after him. and how i snack on stuff until hes done drinking, just so we can eat together. and all was well in the universe again.

I'm not a cat person..

Yeah right....

What do you do?

What do you do to get bad service in Goan restaurants?

Look like an Indian!

Ahhh

Big city—Cabs. Flooded Roads. Cattle. Dirt. People. Horns. Brands. Spirit. Choices.

Small city—Peace.

meet the parents

for a girl, its one thing to have her own parents over, and quite another thing altogether to have her in laws over. having never been in this situation before, i didnt quite know what to expect. despite initial panic and worry about whether my home would be homely enough, tidy and clean enough, vaastu-friendly enough, god-fearing enough and liveable enough for mom and dad, it has to be said that it was an absolute pleasure to have them over this weekend.



the rain decided to spare us and stayed away for the most part, giving us ample time to loaf around the streets of panjim. shopping, eating at street corners, discovering new restaurants, going to temples and also catching a movie.

after a fun-filled, action-packed weekend, i realized i like to have people over.

more WTF moments from goa

in which i discover more reasons to love goa

coming from the city of moral policing, where dancing in clubs/pubs is banned, where you give in your last order at 10 30, where you leave your watering hole at 11 30, and you go back home straight to bed, i discovered several more reasons to love goa.

on saturday, a few friends and us visited cavala, posibly the only place in the north that is open, functional and a whole lot of fun even in the rains and the "off-season" time. tucked away in what seems like an old brick house, cavala turns into a web of music dancing revelry and magic on saturday nights. with a completely authentic "pub" feel and atmosphere, a super enthusiastic and colorful goan live band in action, and a whole lot of twisting and jiving people having fun, cavala gave me the chance to let my hair down.

so back to my new reasons to love goa:
- it lets me get dressed, without worrying about being stared at in public
- it lets me leave home to head towards destination party not before 10 pm
- it lets me enjoy some brilliant LIVE music
- it lets me enjoy some lesser appreciated music like the beatles, santana, ccr, gypsy kings, etc
- it lets me DANCE amongst other dancers enjoying the night and jigging their way through it
- it lets me order my last drink whenever i want and NOT at 10 30, thankyouverymuch
- it lets me stay out till way past 11 30, still dancing the night away
- it lets me leave a pub when i want to, at 1 30, when the night is still young for many and the pub is still bubbling with activity
- it lets me satisfy my urge to have ice cream at 1 30 am, at the nearby baskin and robbins place that is YES, still open

the next day however, i woke up with that familiar ache in my muscles, that seemed like it was reaching all the way inside my bones. and i could only attribute it to a lot of alcohol and not enough water. oh, that and dancing on heels, after what seemed like FOREVER!

bengalooroo

on returning from a short trip back home in bangalore it has dawned on me, just how much bangalore has really changed as a city. being away for even a few months and returning, somehow gave me different perspective on the city altogether. although it will always be "home", i realized that i might never be able to live there again.

the bangalore i have grown up in and come to love and cherish, is unfortunately a part of history now. and honestly, i feel its something that once lost, can never be brought back. the unprecedented change/development and the damage it has caused to the city, is irreversible as far as i can see it. and it amazes me how no one else sees it the same way.

why are the influential, rich, powerful people in the city sitting back and watching this wonderful city be torn down in parts? those who realize it and dont do much to be a part of changing it, move out i guess. much like i did. so actually, i cannot sit back and complain. i can merely see, observe, feel pain and wish and pray that someday it will change for the better.

cooking with heart and soul

last week i was in a bit of a domestic funk. more specifically with cooking. i was uninspired, bored of what i cook (because i think iv kind of maxed out my miniscule repertoire of cooking), and i was too lethargic to try anything new. what little i cooked, was half-hearted. and i realized that when i cook half-heartedly, it shows.

today however, i have an unexplained zest. and that is very strange for a monday morning. i was excited to cook lunch, and i realized that when i cook with heart and soul, it shows.

rat trauma

if you've been following the happenings on my other blog, you probably already know how the highlight of last week was this, this and finally THIS.

with that as a backgrounder, let me tell you what happened this morning. the morning after a crazy afternoon, evening, and a whole night of torrential rain.

i opened my balcony door, to find little stuart curled up behind it. drenched to the bone, wet, cold, almost too cold to move. but very much alive!

seems to me he is a rat with a mistaken identity. his behaviour was much like a cats. coming when he pleased, hiding, lying low, eating stuff, disappearing as he pleased. but yesterday the doors were shut before he made it in, i suppose and he didnt have a way in. so he just sat there getting soaked. when i found him in the morning he looked most forlorn, sad and too cold to move.

i quickly let all feelings of pity and "aww-ness" at how cute he looked disappear as my maid got rid of him. she let him live, though. and i hope he doesnt find his way back.

a walk in the rain

Muahhh

A big goodbye to Anjuna, Vagatore, Benaulim and Baga. Until next season, we shall enjoy the rain!

rain food

since most posts these days are about the rain/monsoon, or about the culinary journey i have been on since i moved to goa, heres something that brings both together.

in honor of the monsoons that have well and truly arrived (and HOW!? :O!), and keeping in mind that i have been fairly busy with some assignments, that have led me to neglect the kitchen every now and then, todays lunch is rain food. easy, healthy and perfect for rainy weather.

boiled french beans and carrots, sauteed in butter. with a sprinkle of home made cottage cheese.
mashed potatoes.
toast.

now, im ready to face the rain.

bliss

the monsoons have been playing a tantalizing game for a few weeks now. intermittent downpours and showers, leave us thinking its FINALLY here. and then it goes back to being bright and sunshiney. but the days when it rains, it really rains. and everything around me becomes a gorgeous verdent green. i cant get my eyes off it.

yesterday was one such day. i was lucky to have a meeting atop the hill at dona paula. as i drove up the winding road, i realized how everything was so fresh and pretty. nothing can give me an insnant high like good weather + lovely drive + great music can. and that can be such an instant mood upper!

on the way back, i could see the sea beneath me, off the edge of the hill, with rolling greens along the hillside. a sight i havent seen in an indian city before. lush. green. pretty.

i drove to the market. theres something about the rains that cleans out the air and gives everything a pristine sparkly look. the market was a delectable mish mash of bright colors and liveliness. everything looks fresh and yummy.

just when i thought the evening couldnt get any better, we ended it with a swim in the drizzle.

pure bliss.

its here..

for the first time since i moved to goa..
i had trouble sleeping because of the din from the 5-hour thunderstorm.
the sun hasnt come out all morning.
its been completely overcast.
theres a cool, rain smell-laden breeze wating into my living room.
i feel the spray of fresh rain coming through.

say hello to the monsoon 2010.

Expert

When your wife asks YOU to check if the tea is strong enough by looking at its colour, you know you're an expert. Even if it is only at making chai.

culinary experiments

one of the best things about moving to goa has been the discovery that i can actually cook! and no, i dont mean just putting things together to make an edible item. i mean i can cook. and well!

very immodest of me, i know. but the discovery ahs been wonderful. while i havent ventured into the zone of exotic and elaborate cuisine, and im sticking to simple home cooked meals (just the kind my mom makes), everyday poses a mini challenge..

will the channa turn out just like ammas?
will i be able to make the rasam as well as i did the last time?
will the rice be cooked just right this time?
should i experiment and make puris instead of rotis?
how can i use the gobi without repeating what i cooked 2 weeks ago?

but the good thing is, in most cases, the experiments have turned out right. and gone well. been successful. most days, i surprise myself with the way lunch and dinner turns out. whats more, it surprises the husband too, and he often asks "how did you learn to make this?" or "i didnt know you could make this!"

and i have only one answer "i have no idea -- it just happened!"

Navhind Times - 24 May 2010

Seen on the front page of Navhind Times...

"Sources in the transport department informed that the number of drunken driving cases is increasing especially among the youth. The youth under the influence of alcohol have no control over their vehicles, which often leads to accidents, the sources said."

Duh...

a breathtaking discovery

iv been in panjim for over 2 months now. its a really small place. i think i have been right around the entire town many times. theres only so many places to see. or so i thought.

until i entered the kala academy yesterday. and saw this:





the nicest, prettiest, perfectly quaint jetty. with benches to sit and take in the view.

sigh. the discovery really did take my breath away.

just me. act 1, scene 2.

after weeks of having some company or the other. between house guests, travelling and having niyu around, im back to being lonely old me again today.

niyu left last night and i have to now get accustomed to being the only human being at home again.

today, i am in no mood to do the chores i normally do. i dont feel like cooking either. its going to be magi for lunch and a whole day of lazing for me.

weather update

the weather has been consistently hot. with a few bearable days in between. a few days ago i read a piece in the papers about how this is the hottest summer goa has witnessed in the last 4 decades.

gasp.

why now?!

while we had a few surprise showers last week, the past couple of days have seen temperatures rise steadily, and taking humidity levels to an all new high.

its becoming unbearable. its so hot that my brains are beginning to melt.

best birthday in recent times..

i turned 26 on saturday. and celebrated what was the best birthday in recent times. here's snapshots of the day we spent at anjuna..picture postcards of how i will always remember this day..

i missed amma and anna terribly. but thanks a friggin million ak, pa, g, niyu and vc -- for the most memorable birthday of all time.







now, to go and tick off "beach birthday" from my bucket list.