Going to church. On Sunday afternoon.

Im tired of ranting on my blogs, venting my heart out, going on and on about how work is draining me of energy and positivity. But the honest truth is, that it REALLY IS. I've just realised though, that going on and on about it, out here doesnt do much for me, except give me a space to express it freely. So I must stop, and focus on the good things that are happening side by side.

If you've been on my other blog, you'd know that Niyu was here for a good 2 weeks. Priya dropped in one weekend and took the shenanigans meter sky-high. So here's the highlight of her visit. Our visit to the Chapel of Mount Mary. A quaint old chapel atop a hillock. Not very well known by all. At least, I dont think so, because it is strangely desolate and deserted every time that I have been there. A gorgeousy stark white structure, overlooking Old Goa, almost like a sentinel watching over the old city.

I'll leave you with a few shots Niyu took, that perfectly capture the gorgeous day it was. While it was cloudy, overcast and there was a hint of a drizzle, the hot air hung around like a bad mood, making us sweat and feel tired. However, once at the chapel, we forgot about it all..

Head to VC's blog, to see his picture from the trip.

finding lost love again

An old love, revisited.
A bit rusty, a bit rough around the corners.
Skewed perspectives, forgotten techniques.
Yet, Im glad I rediscovered water colours again..

My first rafting experience

Last week, my office team went on an offsite to Dandeli. About 150 kms from Panjim.

It was my first experience:
Driving all the way by myself
Driving through ghat section at night
Enjoying the highway driving experience

River rafting
Sitting beneath a waterfall
Kayaking

All in all, a great way to get to know my team better :)

3 of 3900 weekends

the latest weekend getaway was yesterday. a nice long drive to arambol, where iv been before. with anand in town, vc too got enthusiastic to hit the beach. after a good long 9 month hiatus for him. the workaholic in him doesnt let him see enough of the beach. thats life being a bitch -- making you WORK in a place like goa.

anyhoo, armed with the new 10-24mm lens and the beaut that is the 35mm prime, we set off. and here's what happened:

2 of 3900 weekends

a few weeks ago, the husband and i wanted to drive out to chapora fort. having lived here for over a year, we still hadnt seen it. the fort of dil chahta hai fame. tired of waiting for company to join us to make the trip we decided to go on our own, and this is what came out of it:

1 of 3900 weekends

the husband has a new blog. and his latest post has inspired me to come back here and document what we've been up to.

apart from being consumed at work, and feeling like we have no time to do much else, we manage to squeeze in weekends of fun, as his latest post will tell you.

almost a month ago, sirish, vc and i drove out towards old goa. stopped on the way at this alley that lead out towards the river. in an open space behind a dilapidated home was star -- a riverside eating joint. it had everything from noisy locals, to flies, to riverside birds, to creepy crows stealthily eyeing your food, to COWS (yes, you read that right).. but the most amazing fresh fish i have eaten in a while.

and naturally, where there is fresh fish, there are:

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.