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That Moment of Truth

We all have those moments of truth. When you look at old pictures and realize how your siblings were babies. When you look through old clothes and realize you never got tired of wearing that favorite one which Mom secretly gave away. When you come across a song that's ten years outdated and every memory tied with it comes rushing back. When you read through school slam books and laugh your ass off on reading that your friends have Dum as their favorite movie. Or kept never ending fullstops in their crush list. And turn to the last page to see you've filled in details that are the the most hideous of them all!

Worst of them all - When you realize you're never going to fight over lunchboxes. You never knew the last time you donned on that uniform, that it would be the last time ever. When you realize the only reason you had the nerve to sing in public was because you thought anyone singing the backstreet Boys were cool anyhow. When it dawns on you that you're never going to be able to sleep every night after sharing the night's last word with the closest friends. When you recall secretly glancing at each other through an emotional movie to see who would inaugurate the tear sessions. Or be just one phone call away from having a girls' session. When you know that no matter how much technology shortens distance, you will never be able to have a sleepover without months of planning.

Truth is, I had a nonchalant attitude to anyone who said that school or college days once gone, are gone. Yeah right, I'd smirk - Life is going to be awesome, InshaAllah. Hell yeah, it is. But nobody ever told me that I'd miss being silenced by waiters at restaurants for bringing the house down. Or that I'd never be able to capture a thousand pics in just half a day's event. Wow, 18 years later, I know. And when I do tell my brothers the same, I see that they've taken after me just like any other kid. You never know the value of something unless you lose it.

For Good.

Chocolate Love.

I blame BSNL for ruining the continuity in my Bangkok Holiday posts. If it hadn't been for their wavering connection, I would have written 3 more posts. Yes, it's ALWAYS the government's fault!


Pretty much happened over the past few weeks. As can be seen, grew lazy. It all started with me quitting work to "focus" on designing. And I'm still waiting for THAT to happen! Leaving work has given me some time to get back to baking - Oh yes, I realized I never fell out of love with my oven. I'm definitely taking it with me should I happen to leave home.

Now that piece of cake is literally, umm a piece of cake in my childhood memory. My uncle would bake it and bring it home. The moment he'd leave, me and my sister would devour slice after slice of decadent chocolate goodness. Oh I could never stop talking about that cake. Only recently did Mom tell me it's called German Chocolate Cake and oh boy, it was one of those times I thanked Allah for Google!

Maybe I should become a baker. Or a pastry chef. Or maybe just a chef. I definitely want to become a teacher at some point. And get involved in charity. And become a traveller.

Masterchef Australia is baaaack with a bang!

This post reminds me of a time when I used to write letters to friends. My friend would ask me to stop jumping in between topics. :)

And a restauranteur. Knew I had forgotten something!

I thought I had grown up, but no, I still have the little kid in me who gets excited and bouts of insomnia when there's a trip ahead. It took days and (I wouldn't say painstaking, but tiring) hours of making the perfect itinerary. I'm thinking I should make a profession out of this, designing cutsomised itineraries.

Hang on, isn't that what I already do?

Forget being called the city of angels, Bangkok is definitely the city of shoes to me. Or bags? Or food? There should have been a word to club all of that. 2 lessons I've learned - Go with people who have marathon-eligible feet. And when you're loaded with cash so that you don't have to keep repeating every 5 minutes - Daaad, cash!

Maybe it has been quite a while since I've traveled abroad that I've forgotten how gentlemen still exist. People who talk softly, apologize if they accidentally come in your way, actually maintain queues or NOT litter the place. That's when I realized we have soo much more to go even after we supposedly become developed in 2020.

Day 1
After the flight being delayed because a whole group was offloaded owing to being drunk, we slept and slept. Talk about having the perfect start to a holiday! I missed home because we didn't have to check if every meat offered was Halal. Anyhow, off we went to MBK.

7 floors of unlimited shopping. Surprisingly, Dad had as much fun as we did with all the bargaining. The food court offers good variety in Halal food, and it even has a prayer hall. Mister Donuts have donuts that literally melt in your mouth.


Siam Nirmit show was one of the show stealers, the effects were outstaaanding. They don't allow photography/videos though. Pity :(

I really wanted to savour the taste of authentic middle eastern fare, so we headed to Soi 3 in Sukhumvit. Nasir-Al Masri was quite good, but they really need to do something about the giltzy decor (it was beyond glitzy).



Lesson Learned : Never choose a restaurant which happens to be at the cross section of the red light district when you're with parents!

And then it was back to bed. :)

The Obsession Series - Being almost Monica Geller

Dedicated to my sister, Lameez, who called me at the right time, at the right moment. And promised me she wouldn't read this post.

(Which was now :D)


I've thought long and hard to recall a day when I haven't complained about the state our country is in. Oh yeah, I lurve India and all that. But there are many bits and pieces, that I would love to snip out, if not change. And that's the cleanliness. Or rather, the lack of cleanliness.

Ideal Beginning to this story - 
Ever since I was a little girl, I was obsessed about keeping things clean.


Actual Beginning - 
I was such a little brat when it came to being organized. I was an expert at crumbling my clothes and hiding it in all corners of the house, behind the door etc. God alone knows how did I find them. My poor Dad (whom I swear should have been in the army) would bring out the cane to instil some discipline into me, but the cane did indeed make rare appearances.Only because me and my sister (the smart asses that we were) would break cane after cane and hide it behind the refrigerator. :)
Times did change and I can't exactly point out when did I start getting almost obsessed. So much to the point that I couldn't even throw a sweets wrapper outside the window. Yashi, if you're reading this, I changed you, honey :) I did manage to get all my close friends to stop littering the streets. And my brothers thankfully, did not join the clan of spitters/pee'ers on the streets.

This reminds me of an incident I had 3 weeks back. I was munching on Twix (I should probably dedicate an entire post towards my obsession with Twix which will guarantee you respite from insomnia) while waiting for the bus to come. When I put the wrapper into my bag, two guys commented l-o-u-d-l-y - Oh, Avalude oru shuddhi! (Commenting about cleanliness in mockery). If the bus hadn't come then, I would have given them a piece of my mind. And a large one at that.

The worst part - NRIs complain about how dirty the streets and how everything is so perfect back 'home'. Come on, you want a Singapore right here - start building one! We can sit back and complain about the Government not supplying dustbins. Between you and me, we so know that's not happening. So , be smart. And be clean :)

I'm reminded of one of the most beautiful Hadiths -

Narrated Abû Mâlik Al-Hârith bin Âsim Al-Ash’ari: Allah’s Messenger said, “Cleanliness is half of Faith; the utterance of Allah (Al-hamdu lillah – all praise belongs to Allah) fills the scales of good actions; the utterance of Allah (Glory be to Allah and all praise belongs to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth, and Salât (prayer) is light; and charity is the proof of Faith; and endurance is a light, and the Qur’ân is a plea in your favour or against you. Every person begins the morning ready to strike a deal with his soul as a stake; he either ransoms it or puts it into perdition.” (Muslim)

I know that the people who should actually read this are not going to, but as they say, never stop trying!

Issued in Public Interest by The Girl who dreams too much :)

Monica Geller is a F.R.I.E.N.D.S character who is obsessed about keeping things clean.

Quality time, the way I like it.

Not a day goes by when I wish that there were more than 24 hours. 

I've had a good couple of days - Watched a movie that made me cry and read a book that also made me cry.
I rarely get the time to watch movies - and when I do, it's rarely based on filmy stuff. The Help was hands down, one of the best movies I've seen. It's centered around one of the many things we think we know, but far from the reality. Yeah, we've all learned about Racism in 9th grade. But the extent to which it actually was prevalent, had no clue! 5 minutes into the movie, you'll forget that it's actually just a movie.

Madhouse was an eye-opener. To what guys actually are. The book is a collection of memories revolving around the hostel life at IIT in the 80's. Now even though some of the stories were gruesomely disgusting for their sheer content, it did show how a bachelor's life is which my friends have been so desperately trying to hide from girls all their lives. One of the stories was so funny, I was rolling on the floor with tears in my eyes. For those who haven't heard me laugh, you would have to believe me when I say that I can bring the roof down! It's a pretty decent read, which took me back to my hostel days. We had a deadline of 06 30 pm to reach back at the hostel which was broken almost every other day. I was miserable the first few weeks, because my life would start at night when I stayed in an apartment. Don't get me wrong - I'm talking about restaurant and mall-hopping :)

As our luck would have it, our room was the nearest to the warden's. We had to tiptoe at night to fetch water or creep into the other rooms for a late night session - This was a rare occasion for me because I can't reject my bed's invitation later than 10 30 pm. The torch would be someone's Nokia 1100 to skillfully dodge rats. Yes, you read it right. Every night I'd hear the warden scream her lungs out for being the biggest pests she has ever had to deal with and that would equal to me learning more Kannada words. Of course, I've only retained two words in my memory now - Kannada + Gothilla (I don't know Kannada). Birthdays would mean getting drenched and yummilycious cakes. TV times were literally a pain in the ass because all girls would be hooked on to some Saas Bahu serial. Catfights were rare but when they did happen - oh boy, did we have fun or what! Constancy is another thing I learned - For two years, we had the same chapatis. The same chicken curry. And the same everything else. I can still identify the dish from the smell it gives out from a mile away.

Everyday, in our last year, we'd ask each other to imagine what the last day would be like with the room becoming empty. That thought did give me a bit of joy - because I'd see all corners of the room as spotless as it could get! Keeping a room as clean as you wish, when you stay with 4 others is a daunting, if not impossible task. But I knew it would mean the end of my independent life. And I still yearn for those days to this date.

The mixed baggage. Called Life

I do miss my doing nothing days when I did get the time to write posts almost everyday at work. This was work - thinking about what I would write. With each passing day, I'm just falling deeper in love with my bed. :)

As my mom watches a gruesome episode of Man Vs. Wild, I've finally found the time to write a new post. Yaay! So the past couple of weeks (has it been weeks or days) were pretty awesome. I traveled to 2 cities - one out of sheer compulsion. And the other, to do what I do best - Girls' day out. Well, more like weekend!

My father was going on a business trip to Mysore - a place that means palace to me. Here's the compulsion part of it - Mom dragged me along to what would be a pretty awesome trip. What did we do? Hang out at the zoo. Yes, people still do that. It's not that I resent animals. It's because I love them that the whole idea of caging them, especially birds drives me ballistic. Oooh yeah, we did indulge in food experiments. :)

Girls' weekend out = Cochin = Shopping + Eating = Lifetime Memory.
I think this trip changed what my perception of Cochin was. Atleast to an extent. I'm so used to to the Calicut hospitality that I pretty much expect the rest of the Keralites to exhibit the same. And that is, most often, completely the opposite. This time around, the rickshaw drivers were absolute gems when it came to taking us around. Only did we realize later that they were big fat liars as well. We shopped till we literally dropped.

Pointers you should keep in mind when you travel to these places :

• Never speak Hindi in Cochin or Malayalam in Mysore. The auto drivers will definitely take you on a ride. A very costly ride.
• Check out the deadly pastries in Loyal Food World, Mysore and the desserts at Cocoa Tree, Cochin. To di-ee for!
• The Lebanese Shawarma at Oberon, Cochin. As close as you can get to the real stuff in Mallu land.
• NBC's Chicken Biryani. Now this is as close as you can get to my mom's biryani!
• Always pack your camera before you pack your undergarments. You can always buy new clothes, but you gotta be filthy rich to buy a new cam. 

Until the next time, folks! 

Sometimes its just about anything. Literally.

What a crazy 2 weeks has it been. As fancy as it may sound, I didn't travel or take off. I was married to my laptop. Now I am a self-admitted workaholic. In my case, I didn't choose to be one. Coming to think of it, is it a matter of choice?


6 months into my job of being in the travel & hospitality industry has taught me a few valuable things. December is the month to be petrified of and June is the month to sleep to your heart's content. You can never ever be thankful enough to Google or Justdial. Sir/Madam can never leave your vocabulary. When we say 24*7, we really have to mean it. I had this client who gave me sleepless nights - One thing I would never have imagined happen. Its a risky world - plenty of things can go wrong. But when you do know that you've built for someone a lifetime of memories, its so just worth it all. I've missed updating posts, I think about doing it and something immediately comes up. Mom absolutely hates me seeing anywhere near the laptop at home and well, she has been hating me every single day!

But I did find my moment of joy this week. 3 of my friends are getting their rooms renovated and whom did they turn to for opinions, but....? Smartly answered , yes, that was me :) This was probably the first unofficial consulting I could do and it felt so right. Like this is what I would be happy doing for the rest of my life.

I have to admit, I did find time for baking. And that one piece of chocolate cake awakened the tiny lil monster in me - munching has seen no boundaries. Guilt-free munching. :)

Yes, I have to kick-start Yoga tomorrow. In style. Let's just hope it will be tomorrow. And not the tomorrow-tomorrow!

The Foreign Funda

Its one of those conversations. I'm lazily slumped on the couch as I type this - after having broken my no-meal-post-7 pm rule for Mom's yummylicious Haleem and Creme Caramel. With just a generous helping of fish biryani (Minus the fish, of course). I read articles online and discuss them with Dad. I love every bit about that - even though he did spend a fair share of his life abroad, he has all the knowledge in the world. Today its about the FDI War - to let go of the strings or tie them even tighter.

Allowing 51 percent FDI in multi brand retail sure is a controversial topic. I can easily sketch the likes of Wal Mart, Carrefour and other giants redefining the Indian shopping experience. Impeccable Service, quality produce and wider choices.  On the other hand, we have the classic tale of our country being the kickass agricultural economy. Once the biggies sweep in, the kiranas (small stores) will be sidelined. More like butchered.

Now's when Dad helped me with the reality check. The truth is, our farmers have always been poor and will most likely remain so. Here's why - the only people that make money now are the kiranas. When a farmer sells a kilogram of bananas, he gets Rs.10. The same is sold for Rs.30 by the middleman. Tomatoes have an even sadder story - a figure of Rs.2 compared to a whopping selling price of Rs.18. Its a sad story - They spend sleepless nights to bring about the yield and someone else gets away with the fruits of the painstaking effort. Not surprisingly, a large number of farmers favour the proposal. To teach everyone a fine lesson. And the argument that farmers will be exploited doesn't hold in my view. The ball will definitely be in their court.

Maybe a phased out plan will provide to be the solution. Bring about the change gradually. Much as you hate it or ignore it, you can't deny the change that it will initiate. IKEA will change your homes. Carrefour will bring French Croissants right to your pantry. You will know why everyone's bonkers over Starbucks. And not to forget the best part of it all, our farmers will become worrrld class :)

The missing element in my life

is MasterChef Australia. I think the show redefined what television meant to me. Its like I'm back to my Post Potter Depression Days. Took me so many days to recover - and I still am.

When I was 5, television meant Scooby Doo, Captain Planet, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all the Disney Classics.Not to forget Crystal Maze, Small Wonder and Full House. When I turned 10, that graduated into episodes of Mind Your Language and all the new shows because of the the new era of the dish tv. Oh, the C.I.D craze. I hate to admit it but then ACP Prathyuman was the good guy who could dole out confessions with a mere slap. And Daya had just started Thoda-ling Darwazas :)

I think F.R.I.E.N.D.S dictated the later years. And the news channels. The former stayed but I've literally stopped watching news channels. I've realized its the perfect way to have a sour start to your mornings. For one, you're reminded of how corrupt and mean the society around you is. Along with that, the fact that the media blows every story out of proportion can't be sidelined. Depressing - About how you want to change things, yet, nothing can be done. When I did decide to watch recently, the Ash-Abhi baby stories. You don't need me to tell you how stupid (yes, I have to say stupid because no word would fit the bill better!) it is to employ reporters to say that the baby has the mom's eyes. *Rolling eyes*

And that's when MasterChef stole my heart. One show that has no drama, no sugarcoating. Inspiring stuff - even bestseller books wouldn't be able to achieve that. Give me any show that has travel or cookery or health and you'll regret that you ever gave me control of that remote control. Period. :)

Why the Indian education system will always be....Well, Indian.

This is one aspect of the country which will remain unchanged even if we become a developed nation by 2020. True, we can proudly boast of owning many of the brightest minds in the world. But in a country of a billion, that just probably amounts to a few thousands. Now that's a figure that is a mild guess, but a pretty sure one at that.

My sister studied what my mother studied, I studied what she did and my brothers study what I did. I'm not overlooking the fact that you have got to learn the basics, things that remain unchanged over a period of time. What I am underlining is that we never have new subjects introduced into our syllabus. Even if it is, it fizzes out as fast as it was introduced. Even if there are creative classes, seldom does it happen. And talking about sports, 3 years of my high school went in learning to dribble the basketball. There may be schools excelling in the same, but then again, I'm referring to the general picture. I always wonder how introducing mandatory sessions of basic carpentry/plumbing/gardening/cooking (had to being that in, didn't I!) or other stuff that we will need will be an interesting skill to learn.

A huuge effort by the CBSE Board to eliminate the spoon feeding process was the introduction of formative-submittive-blah blah. To put it in simple words, bludger away so many projects on the kid that he's left with no time to study. And these assignments, mind you, are most often copied. From the textbook. Or sometimes, the work is outsourced. For a Rs.10 Dairy Milk, you know. The thing that annoys me the most is giving extra workload on weekends. Or the holidays. Its called a holiday for a reason and no one realizes that. I can't count the number of times we've cancelled outings just because my brothers had work to do.

Wishful thinking - Being able to choose the subjects we want after high school. Why do we have to swallow down stuff that we know will not be used. And the concept of "using them in your future life". Please, that is far from reality. People don't even remember what they studied last month!

And I absolutely hate that classes only end by 4. Come on, that's a whole day gone. Start early and finish early. Would be so much easier on the public transport too.

I've been thinking for 5 minutes, and I simply can't point out something that I like. Maybe I hated being forced to study only what's in the textbooks. I absolutely loved library hour. And Math.

I know what would make a difference. If we had English teachers that could actually speak English. And public speaking classes right from Kindergarten. In my head, I've already built a model school. Which is kind of awesomee :)

What do you want to do before you die?

Visit Paris, for starters.

You know, how many million things we want to do before bid goodbye. And how more than three quarters of it is well, just a dream. But then, that's the point of it all. :)

Apart from becoming the best Muslim I can possibly can, this just about rounds up the things I definitely want to do.

1. Oh god, I'm so confused! I don't know which one to list first :) I'll go with the cliche one. Have a bloody awesome career and design a celebrity's house who'll take me to Europe for shopping
2. Take my parents on a world tour. And after they come back, go on one. Not alone though
3. Open a restaurant, a patisserie or a classic bakery. And that is after I do a professional culinary course. The best part is I'll do the interiors and be the head chef, and manage it all. Now ain't I a big dreamer :)
4. Bungee Jump. When and where, still got no clue.
5. Also try my hand at skiing, scuba diving, river rafting and para gliding. Don't send me to Goa, it doesn't have ALL of this
6. Become so thin, that no matter how much eat, I'll always be fit. Haha, coming to think of it, this should have topped the list!
7. Have Mom's cutlets and Bolognaise to my heart's content. With no brothers or sister to fight over it.
8. Visit Riyadh just for a while to relive all those good memories
9. Disney World. Yes Yes! I still have a thing for Mickey Mouse, Pooh and all the new entrants :)
10. Do some quality charity work. Other than the bits and pieces, something that really makes a difference
11. Get proposed to with a Tiffany Ring. Now, this is totally not something I can do!
12. Own a beachside house with French windows and a walk-in closet and a round bed and a super cool kitchen
13. Experience a REAL snowfall
14. Test drive a car that is faaar beyond my reach
15. Make a yearly ritual of taking off on a holiday

This can go on and on and on

Eid Mubarak!

This is definitely one of those occasions when I miss my childhood. And when I say miss, I mean really miss. Because Eid was so much more fun. The thing with Eid is you don't want each year to be different. You just have a routine and that makes it perfect.

Up until I moved back to India, I indulged in the festivities in Saudi and oh boy, did I have fun or what! My sister and I were so excited about our Eid dresses that we would make our mom hide it a month before. Just so that we wouldn't keep on checking it out and get tired of it before the "big" day came. I always liked my sister's clothes better, maybe its just a worldwide phenomenon. There was also the mehendi application. Now my family must be one of the only muslim families in the world which has no woman that knows the art of doing it. All three of us are super talented at drawing the sun on our hands. Even then, we'd do it for the fun. That smell reminds me of Eid anyday. And then the Chicken Biryani. Aah, to die for. That is one meal I would eat like there's no tomorrow. And then we'd take off to a nearby city for amusement park rides. Or witness the whole city celebrating with fireworks and malls open until wee hours in the morning. Its just the whole atmosphere of celebration. Even if it was more of strangers, it felt like everyone was united.

I sound like a pre-tty old lady when I say times have changed. I don't have the same excitement of new clothes nor the happening city around me. I miss having my sister around when we'd spend crazy times on taking pictures in our new clothes, all decked up. I've taken up trying to learn applying mehendi seriously by experimenting on Mom's hands. This time she vehemently refused to allow me, saying that she's tired of hiding her hands from people. Come on, I'm not that bad. Times have changed. But what still lingers is the smell of the Chicken Biryani. And I've started the tradition of making a new dessert every time around. One of the Mega events is usually the Beach Eidgah but the rains this year have ensure that that is not likely to happen. I shouldn't complain :)

Ooh, I'm off to make my Banoffee Pie :)

Help.Me.Out (!)

One of the weeks I dread the most in a year. Because next week is my sister's birthday. And every year, my friends do remember. I pester them for ideas until they beat themselves up for having befriended me in the first place. My sister has this gift of predicting the exact gifts or surprises that we've arranged for. Come on, can't she atleast fake it up like I do? No. She has to blow it away!

I've been sick this week, unable to be disciplined in my workouts. Too much happening. I sleep too less or too much. Too much is more often, I think. And it has been a week of cravings. I have to literally tie my hands to not bake and eat everything on my own. Maybe, that's why Allah gave me brothers. To finish everything up and lick the plates clean. I do mean that!b

These 10 days until Eid are considered to be the holiest days of the year. I should wake up and do better. Aaaah, Eid. Writing about Biryani makes me smile. And I'm already thinking about what to make for dessert. Fried Ice Cream, perhaps? ;)

Eventful Week? I think.

You know when they say you will never understand the value of what you have unless you lose it? They are right. And I did realize it this week. My mom has to stay away from home for a fortnight until she is nursed back to health. Boy, did my brothers jump with joy or what. No Mom = Fried snacks in the evening = Control over the remote. They did at least take the effort to fake tears when she left. But I know that deep down, they do miss her. I'd like to believe that's true

I'd gone to stay with her for a couple of days and that's when I learned the BIG lessons of life. The only source of entertainment was our conversation. All depressed souls around us. I'm not getting started on the food. I started comparing everything to how awesome it is to just SIT on a couch at home. It broke my heart to leave her there, will be heading again on the day after next.


God, I miss her. I am so not ready to leave all of this behind and start a "new" life. When mom's around, you don't have to ponder over meals and make sure they're tasty enough after a long tiring day. Its also true when they say a mother is the warmth that completes home. Sounds like oodles of emotion, I know. But you should start believing them. I know they are absolutely right. :)

My 21st

It feels so damn good to be writing after a long time. Stressful week it was, I'm wondering now if that's the reason for hairfall. At this rate,I it looks like I might have to bid an early goodbye to one of the things I like about me. I don't sound self-centred at all, do I? :)
Now even though I do not celebrate birthdays, there's this excitement that gets me a couple of days before each one. Because every year I'm reminded of how many people care for and remember me. Cheeeesy, I know. But, sometimes cheesy is good.

Lameez, my sister FINALLY managed to give me a full tossed surprise by gifting me with an early birthday cake. Now, I can call her a darling.

My friends turned out to be a smart bunch this year, everyone kept a 15 minutes gap between each call. Which ensured that my night's sleep was ruined. Having slept only around 4 hours, I woke up with a really bad sore throat (That is the effect I always have to endure upon having sleepless nights). One of my best friends, Yashi surprised me in office with a chocolicious cake.



2 cakes. Just what I needed to boost my journey in achieving my weight loss goals :)

Another friend gave me a surprise visit with a card. Yes, they still do make them. And I got a cookbook, people! Dorie Greespan's Baking from My Home to Yours. My brothers are absolute gems and really smart. They know the benefits of giving me a cookbook. They happy, me happy. Get it:?

So, I turned 21 on the 21st. Sounds huuuge. Guess I'll get used to it in a couple of days. By the looks of it, most probably when I'm about to turn 22. :)

Websites that are absolute steals.

It does go unsaid, about Google being the unanimous winner. I can't imagine a life without it, it has become such an irreplaceable part of my life. Its the first thing I run to whenever I'm in doubt. I'm going to take you through a couple of websites that you should - wait a minute - SHOULD consider checking out if you're smart like me :)

1. Flipkart.com

My last post did have reference to this, so I will elaborate. We all waited for an amazon to serve the Indian crowd and now we have it. You'll find pretty much all the books you need at good prices (along with mobile phones and other stuff) with a hoard of payment options. Timely service. And good ads lately.

2. Fashionandyou.com

Now don't go spend ridiculous amounts on perfume and other branded stuff when you can buy them online at an average discount of 60% off. No, I ain't kidding. They have a business model which allows them to offer good discounts for genuine products (Google how online shopping websites work). The collection is pretty good, so go check it out. Like now!

3. Tripadvisor.com

If you're traveling, this one is a must visit. Has reviews of almost every hotel/restaurant imaginable and some of them are downright funny. Its the one part of my job that I love because it can get so entertaining :) Back to the point, do check it out when you're packing your bags next. Or Aise Hi :)

4. Oprah.com/Doctoroz.com

Oprah isn't just for girls but if you're really macho, then turn to Dr.Oz. Facts that even amaze a person like me, who's science-averse. Its a pleasant mix of health, food, lifestyle, fitness and a lot more

5. Forbes.com/Moneycontrol.com

Essential to keep a check on the economy. I know many will just skip this point!

6. Allrecipes.com

Fantastic website for all recipes with a million reviews. Try it to believe it :)

Yes, I'm an Adult - Oh Nooo, I'm turning Old!

I really can't decide upon what I feel. Honest. I might not look like I'm 16, but I do feel like it. :) I'm turning 21 on the 21st...Nice, eh? My birthdays have always been a silent affair, mostly just me and my friends. You already know about my big 18th celebration (Remember I was in the train all day). My sister is a complete goner when it comes to planning my birthdays. She can't do surprises because she's too lazy to think. She's so lazy that she even leaves the "thinking about the gift" thing to me.That is my favourite part, I get the best gifts from her.

I haven't told you about my stint with gifts, have I. I am blessed with the reputation of getting a lot of gifts but only I know the turmoil my mind goes through when I think about what will be inside. Because, it always nearly is faaaar from my taste. When I was a kid, I used to get multi coloured vases. By the time I was 16, I had enough to open a store. Not to forget the hu-uge number of showpieces of dancing girls and crawling animals. It has become a standing joke in the family now. :)

My brothers have been pestering me for a wishlist since a couple of weeks now, I wanted them to buy something on their own this year. Haha, which reminds me of the gift they once gave. A rotating showpiece, I think, which cost a huge chunk of their savings. Bad me, I exchanged it for a neckpiece. I own it even today , and whenever they see it, they put on their sad puppy face and say " You never like what we gave you, did you". Now that is indeed an Awww moment for me  :)


1. Cookbooks and more and more of it!

How awesome would it be to own a library. I've lately been taken to cookbooks written by blogger-turned-authors. I love reading them even at bedtime, yes people, bedtime. There are like a million authors and I thought I'd lose my mind if I continued reading after 2 hours. So I did have to stop. At this -

Rachel Allen's Bake! - is my all time favourite
Nigella Lawson's Recipes from the Heart of the Home
Any book by Sanjeev Kapoor
Or your personal favourite book

FYI, did you know all these are available on flipkart.com  :)

2. Perfume
Love Love Love it. Ricci Ricci or Nina by Nina Ricci are my current stalking victims. Or anything that smells nice!

3. This jacket
I think I'll die in my quest for this jacket but will not succeed. I must have searched in every store I've been to and by the looks of it, I'll probably get it when everyone else has stopped wearing it! Size M, people and a little longer!  ;)

4. Bag ... Has to be there on my list!
You know the kind. Nothing flashy, but in good basic colors and of this length. Not a shoulder bag!

5.Jewellery
This is an easy-easy one. But its a very personal thing. You see, I'm not a very jewellery person. I hate anything that's flashy. I love solitaire diamonds ;) The only accessory I pretty much use are watches. Oh , speaking about watches, that's a fantastic idea as well!

See, ain't flashy. You might be thinking its drab, accept it, you have bad taste :)

 6. ANYthing to do with interiors. 
Now this is where you get to be creative. Personalized photos in wooden frames (No cheesy stuff, oki?). Or involve my favourite magazine.

Now take a breather, folks. This is for my brothers. Its called a "wish"list for a reason!

The Obsession Series - 3

The Joy of Shopping

This is definitely one of those foolproof ways to make a girl happy. At least all the ones that I know! Ask a girl, and they would never have shopped enough. Because we just can't ever shop enough.

This week was a not so happy week for my wallet. I keep asking myself why I'm such a pathetic spendthrift. I can't seem to master the skill to save. Even the fact that I earn close to peanuts doesn't seem to work :| Well, getting back to the point, my close friend had this sale and I ended up buying three pairs of footwear. What else did I buy this week? Thinking...Thinking...thinking

I can't choose between what's best - Street shopping or the Malls. Maybe I'll do a briefing of both :)

Street Shopping -

Rows and rows of clothes/footwear/bags of ALL colours imaginable. Vendors who speak Hindi that's heavily accented with their native slang. And the bargaining. Now that can become a lot of fun. Especially when you go from school and patofy the vendor by saying that you're poor and you got less pocket money. And you fight with friends to say that you liked the stuff first so its yours.
Its amazing to see the blend of people that come for street shopping - There's the middle class bunch, who'll bargain like their life's dependent on it only when it comes to street shopping and act all hi-fi when they go to the high end shops, because bargaining is not even a thinkable option. Or the look-like-model girls who get down from their Mercs and end up being even better bargainers than them! Of the places I've been to , Mumbai has got to be the best when it comes to this. Even Bengaluru doesn't fail to surprise , with ComStreet and Brigade Road. Or Chennai's Cotton Street. Don't be surprised if you see something like this while you're at it -

My friend Dhruvi at ComStreet, Bengaluru :)

And after all that walking, a plate of Sev Puri or a Softy completes it all.



Mall Mania -
Now this is best enjoyed when you have your wallets full if you're a guy. But when you're a girl, all you need are the bucks to reach the mall. And that confident attitude when you walk into a store that you WILL buy something! I was an expert in my prime (I'm not 80 now, but you tend to be awfully good at this sport when you're 18). I can still manage to pull this one off though. You walk from store to store in the hope of buying something. You see, unlike the affirmation you have in street shopping that you will get something, this is an investment that requires time and price comparison. On top of that, the pressure to visit all the stores until you reach the food court in limited time. All these principles go down the drain when there's SALE. How much do we love that word. You absolutely have to buy something but no one likes carrying their stuff in the store bag that has the word 'sale' on it. :) Calicut is still waiting for a mall revolution to sweep its roads, so unfortunately we have to depend on other cities. All malls are kinda the same - They have the same branded outlets, the same crowd, and kilometres and kilometres to walk. But, who's complaining? ;)



Did I mention that its my all time favourite exercise too? :)

iTouch

Some people just touch your lives regardless of the closeness you share. You recall the long lost love you shared. Or you fondly remember the jokes you laughed at together.

When it comes to Steve Jobs, I know we had nothing in common. I haven't used an Apple product till date. Probably touched them, yeah. I'm just his millionth admirer. The shock that I felt when I heard he was no more took even me by surprise. I don't know why, maybe its because some people never die. Such an awesome man. How many people actually live to see their dream become even better than mere true!

We never think about death until it happens to (wait, not us) anyone in our family. I did lose a dear friend, a brother. And even today, it feels like it never happened. The Creator gave us the most beautiful gift of forgetting. Else the fresh memories would have made us mad with grief. I never believed it until then, but it is true. That you know when you're about to die, somehow. He used to talk about how he wanted to die young. How he thought he would be bored out of his skull if he lived really long. He jokingly asked me to make sure I prayed at his funeral. In the last week, he ate his heart out with all the stuff he liked just because he felt like it. Scary. The whole thought of dying. May Allah protect us, Aameen

Its very unlike me to get so serious, but some days are just like this. And I felt like writing :) You know how you kinda think of how many people would turn up at your funeral , what would your fb profile look like, who would cry and stuff like that. Its only when you think of instances like that, that you actually realize your family means the world to you.

Hell, I'm getting outta control here! Next post - Happy Post :)