A song for you....

simplifying the complexity

Hmmm....I didnt think of visiting my blog today but someone had left a comment on an old post and that brought me here. Interesting, how I deviate from my plans, how I just put aside those dirty dishes on my kitchen sink and devote some time to my blog. Well, not that I dont like to write err blog...I rather like to be consistent about my writing as I nurture my dream to have my own book, a bestseller. People who read my blog tell me that I write well, that I kinda can weave things and its interesting. Recently my big brother went through my blog and read some of the posts and he even recommended me to start writing on a particular genre, I am glad, I am happy and these words of appreciation inspire me to write more, to create more, to weave more with my words. Yes, words...

Things are going crazy lately, life is so hectic that I am losing count of days and how its already mid November and I have no idea its just feels yesterday I was thinking about going to the mountains to beat the summer heat in Delhi. Hmmm, truly, time indeed flies...You know, you are lucky to get this feeling as this means things are going good...and you are going with the flow...I remember one friend saying this one day. Yes, I am grateful that things are all good, li'l hectic and tiring but its all good, as they say in NYC.

Talking about pace, speed, life's ongoing string of things, and in the midst of all these madness I sometimes think its good to have no format, no pattern and its fun to be spontaneous, and be there for that moment. Its good sometimes to have no plans...or the way the ultimate 'virgo' in me would put: its ok not to follow the plans! Well, I really dont know, whats good and what's not...as end of the day if I can flash that smile which you call bewitching, I am happy with that. If at the end of the day I can fall asleep next to you, I am happy with that. If at the end of the day that funny, non-descriptive curry I churn out in my new kitchen tastes like thousand bucks, I am happy. Actually, its really a simple thing to be happy in life and I dont know why people choose a complex route for happiness. Anyway....

May be I should be asking this to myself...as I sometimes become such an epitome of perfection that things go really rigid, really structured and my scheme of things do look like a fortress...as if I am that super warrior with a no-non sense air...hmmm...

Well, I am good as long as I take time to point fingers at myself. No one is perfect, you see....

Talking about complexities, I do get bit worked up when things are not so simple around me, when things are unclear, when things around you give you doubts, when things around you make you think twice. I am sure it doesnt give you a good feeling, when in one hand you expect a bunch of roses but you are poked with thorns. Who like to have such surprises? Not me at the least.

I know roses are enchanting, beautiful and so ethereal... but I would rather appreciate those lanky stems of tuberoses. I like things simple, things which are clear...things which dont confuse you. Well....thats how I have been leading my life and I have no complaints. Its been awesome so far, its been a great ride so far, as I call it 'awesome lonesome' and I am really fortunate to have it shaping up this way. I am glad, thankful, all humbled!

Pink cloud indeed...

"The key to happiness is good health and short memory", so said Ingrid Bergman.

Hmm...I wish it could be that way for me too as I reminisce about an afternoon, those clouded, oh-so-very dreamy moments, when you don't need your eyes as if you are blinded, when it was just about the feelings - how you feel inside, how those touch feel, how those moments feel....hmmm...

It was as if you were on those pink clouds, literally, feeling an awesome high where head feels so light as if you could fly, when things happen like a dream and you wonder whether its magic or destiny.

And in that dark room, in that haze it felt so heavenly, it felt so dreamy, it felt so romantic. It was so strikingly different from its surrounding when sun was blazing and shining bright outside, without an iota of any cloud, without any hint of pink, where honking vehicles pass by and you wake up from your dream as you walk back home.

That was lovely, those whispers, those murmurs, those unopened eyes and yet there was a beautiful conversation, in all awareness, in all life and blood, in all its passion and love.

Have you ever fed a baby who is half asleep? Its that kinda feeling and I liked my 'pink cloud' moments with a baby half awake half asleep that afternoon.

Scaping-scope

"In love, if you are looking for someone new, consider taking a drive into the countryside to view the brilliant fall foliage in early October. You never know - the handsome stranger picking apples next to you may be someone you'll want to know better. Venus and her lover Mars will make a rare and sparkling conjunction on October 3, scattering radiant romantic vibrations all over your chart. For you, love happens when on a short trip away from home, so go ahead - give in!"

Hmm...this is what Virgo horoscope read for the month of October.

And how true! I did go on a short trip..well, for two weeks. And I did go apple picking. Fall weather was lovely and I did love everything about it. Moving about among the greens on a sunny day doing some girl-talk with a friend was romantic indeed. So, in nutshell, words in horoscope are all true if you just consider the words. Amazing.

September chronicle!

Septembers have been always special. Its my month, my birth month to be specific.

A month full of activities, highs and lows, joys and confusions, it indeed is a memorable month. Here I am reminiscing about a month so hectic, so packed, so tiring, so full of food, friends and fun just before a voyage...err..I am setting off for yet another trip.

October will be different, I am sure. For its gonna be a different month, a different time, in a different terrain, different temperature....also so different. My mind is full of Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountain!

I am all set for watching fabulous sunsets by the Pacific and see moon rise over Rocky Mountain with a nice nice cocktail by my side. I have that nice cocktail dress from Paris sitting pretty in my suitcase and I surely haven't forgotten that sexy stilettos. I am sure life at 35th floor would be pretty exciting too. Umm...I am all set for some amazing time!

Adios and see you soon! Life has been a roller coaster ride and I ain't complaining.

Eat Pray Love 2010

Till some months ago I only considered 'eat', and 'sleep' as two most important aspects of my life. That was until when I held Eat Pray Love in my hands and embraced ...umm....well...and became inseparable.

Yes, yes, I know what you will say, and I would still say 'eat' and 'sleep' were two most important things in this nomad's life when travel is so much part of life. And traveling or not traveling, my life revolved around food and more food and lots of sleep. You know, sleep is kind of a therapy in my life, it rejuvenates me, it renews me...ha ha ...now you know what keeps me all so energetic, happy and giggly.

Well, coming to talk about Eat Pray Love, I never knew a simple looking book could be so very life changing, addictive....or may be I fell prey ...or may be it was the weak, vulnerable side in me that could relate or forced 'me' to relate to what the protagonist (and also the writer) was going through. I still don't know, and I don't want to know either. But one thing is very clear, EPL ..I mean the book did affect me, my surroundings (read: friends). And I am amazed how most often my friends from far and near would see EPL trends in my activities, and when I have read/re-read the book a good three months back. I never knew any other book I recommended to my friends had been so popular. Anyway...

Life goes on and one tends to move on. I know, I did have a cute lil thing going on with EPL this summer but didn't think it will be so very indelible.. (umm...talking about things indelible, I want to have a few cute li'l tattoos!)..

I actually did an EPL ...well, EPL inspired trip. It's just an old habit and I had to take a break and sniff some coffee..err ...see some different faces, smell some different air and go under another cloud and get drenched in another place. Well, you got it, a change of place of sorts when life gets hectic when you don't get any creative in what you are passionate about and then you know its time to wander about and charge those batteries! Well, not literally...

I have been happily finding my groove in a new setting (you still call it new? well...) and I 'almost' found my niche and life looked pretty sorted. And here's where the nomad in me gets scared and starts throwing tantrums and that's something I haven't learnt to ignore. So, I had to sit back and listen to the nomad in me and decided to give it a shot when my love affair with sun was getting just so unbearable in the heart of the city. The practical me found out that it was almost eight long months since 'we' had gone for a vacation!

Yeh, we were at EPL, and explaining how my three city tour turned out to be my EPL or I had an EPL inspired trip....

However happy-go-lucky I look on the surface there exists a serene, tough, rather meticulous core. And a well planned, logical tour plan was charted out. And this girl loves to meet people (you think she's a loner, eh?), she simply loves people around her...Oh'yeah!

And I have an uncanny knack of packing a lot of things in a tiny bag...I mean, I have this tendency and this makes me feel good as if it 'is' the mandate to be doing things more efficiently, cost effectively, even if it means hopping to four different cities in less than ten days! Well, my friend 'Lonely Planet' knows this so very well that whenever I share an itinerary before a tour, he would mockingly say there's still room for at least two cities. I know, I know...this is incorrigible..Dont you know, there are somethings we know about ourselves and yet we cannot do or rather do no do anything about it. I mean, these are my traits, I am who I am...and having a hectic itinerary or a laid back spa holiday, I like it the way I want it!

So, with EPL, people (read: friends, super sexy ones at that!), hectic itinerary and tour planning, I found myself hopping from Delhi to Hyderabad on a very nice, romantic weekend...umm...I love country side and that train ride through those meadows, looking at the blue sky by a huge window in an air conditioned compartment as clouds played hide and seek with me, I was transported to a different world altogether. I love the feeling, the feeling so very me, so very passionate, so very deep.... And to make things interesting it is important to mention that my visit to the city of four pillars "Charminar" coincided with Ramadan and which translates to lot of feasting after fasting. So, my 'eat' part of the journey was made.

It has become a practice of sorts now, every time I cross the Vindhyas, I have to meet Him. And Tirupati- the holy city became my next stop after satiating my taste buds and after loading all the chambers of my stomach with aromatic preparations from the city of nawabs.

After some heavy duty trekking and very nice godly time and soul searching, it was time to move to part III of the tour, the love part. And if you are heading south on the East Coast in India, and looking for some leisure, Pondy hits you bang on. Yeah! you got it bang on, baby. I am talking about Pondicherry, with those cobbled streets and French Quarters, with that Bussy street which indeed a busy street and with that canal that cuts the city into halves and runs from its head to toe...well, almost literally! Ahh...I almost sounded as if I am describing Pondy at its anatomy....hmmm...

And then suddenly I realized (kinda eureka moment) I just planned my EPL however short it is, however local it could get, nonetheless, it was my EPL as I ended up eating a lot, praying some more and totally fell in love...ummm....

I didnt know it would still be so nostalgic and lingering....but I accept, I was, I am hit by EPL big time. And EPL did hit me...as I did eat, I did pray and I did love it! And there's love .....ummm....

Quote-Unquote

"I have heard of reasons manifold
Why Love must needs be blind,
But this the best of all I hold,—
His eyes are in his mind."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Brew that grew....

Brew...the word sounds interesting, the sound of it simply!

So, whats brewing? Well, a lot of stuff is happening in my head. There is a lot of things brewing in my mind and they are kinda growing...urghh...

Wish I had loads of time to download...err draft what all my mind has been brewing. I get these sudden urges to jot down my thoughts, nice ideas, intense feelings, all oozing out of me and ready to pour out .....

Umm...there are a lot of things I wish to publish....I surely want to see them published, in front of my eyes, in front of your eyes and its just that its just not time yet...Waiting for the right time. My thoughts are ripening within me...

I am brimming with ideas, my mind brewing my thoughts.....

Coming to a Full Circle-II

I remember writing one post earlier by the same name on this blog, so this one becomes ‘part II’ without having any continuity or relation. Now, coming to what I wanted to tell you…

I was perplexed at the complexity, at the multiple layers life could wear, at the different situations life presented to me and this led to some deep thinking to understand about life. Well, I try all the time…

I love to contemplate, to analyze, to think, to think deep…and all of that…

I was to switch into travel mode, this time on work and I was looking forward to the trip. There are more than one reasons and I am happy at the end of the trip that my work was satisfactory and I am looking forward to the collaboration. And I returned home on the weekend kinda satisfied, kinda disturbed (that’s not related to work though) and wanted to relax and get some massage and things like that.

I did have a quiet weekend and managed to relax and also work on a tight deadline without a computer…whoa? Yes, without a computer, you read it right. And my story of suffering started.

Something was wrong with my computer which I could not fix myself and hence I went to an IT expert who also wasn’t of any help. I call this person incompetent straightaway. Well, I know some really smart IT chaps (you know, I am in India, and these IT guys are good!) and so arriving at a conclusion was easy for me even when I would not know anything more than basic computer technique myself.

So, you kinda picture my state of being. I am at work and not able to work as the most important tool was not working! By the way, this is about my office laptop and then I have my personal laptop sitting in one of those fancy shelves I have at work because it is also not working for past few weeks. Talking of problems and here I am…

Anyway, I find the right person and my problem with computers are sorted. So, I get back to work. I go back to prepare my notes for an impending lecture and I concentrate on my class. I feel good. Well, work makes me happy. And I also love teaching. So at the end of the day I feel nice and glad.

Have you ever wondered how powerful it is when you speak and others listen. It’s actually a very powerful position to be in. Hmm…

Here, my computers break down, I feel horrible. I have a great class, and I feel good. And at the same time a lot of different things are happening, which makes you nervous, anxious, jolly, and this and that. And it’s a complex thing. Sometimes, we don’t even respond to all these and focus on to one or two particular triggers/emotions.

That day, there was a birthday, there was a funeral, there was a plan for a weekend trip, there were happy faces I like to see (I like to see the smile again and again), there were distractions, there were phone calls from old friends (yes, two to be precise...and how uncanny, both were calling from the same city. Ouch! actually, one introduced to me to the other...Hmm...talking about connections!).

And here I remember one of my favorite lines, ‘there is more than one truth’, I like repeating in my classes when I tell them about qualitative research. And looking at life you wonder how true it is, how striking it is.

And then, there are truths which become ‘truths’ later, when people come back to you to tell you what they said last time and how they feel now. And at the end of the day I find solace reading some books and sipping some pomegranate juice. I felt happy at Full Circle this Friday. It rained and I liked those little raindrops on my unruly locks...umm...thats another story altogether.

Life does come to a full circle, again and again.

Pitter Patter

Hmm...I like the sound of it...no raindrops here for me but thats how my world gets filled with when I start to err...no, not work actually..but simply write. Hummmp...I am suddenly realizing the fact how computers have taken over our lives and how one day we will forget to write! Quite possible, I think so.

Last time I had written with a pen for hours together was in January,2009 which was well after 11 years I last sat for an exam. Well, I am from a time when exams were all in hand written mode. And believe me, I was so tired at the end of the session not because questions there were difficult to solve but because I had to use pen and paper instead. It was so taxing for me and especially when I was sitting for a competitive exam with people half my age. It was actually embarrassing, ask me how?

First, I was not one of the young participants and then I had trouble writing my answers and then I was the one who scored the least ( I am sure, though I did not get to know everyone's scores that afternoon.Well, that's just to explain how ill at ease I feel with pen and paper.

And coming to think of handwriting, its a shame when what we scribble simply remain undecipherable for others. I need to use the white board and marker pen in the class (yes, I teach, you guessed it right!) and often times its in addition to my presentation on the projection. I struggle to write legibly on the white board when once upon a time I would be called to write special notes in school for having good handwriting. Do you remember the times when there was special marks for having good handwriting?! Hmm...now if I go back I will score negative marks even after solving all the arithmetic!

Anyway, I have been talking about writing, updating my blog and here comes something about writing and on the blog. So, I am not that concerned after all for having bad handwriting! Shhh...the only time I write in a day, that too once on an average when I am required to put my signature. I am sure, thats the case for most people of my age these days. Ahhh...I also scribble with pencils when I do my to-do lists, thats like once a week.

So, given the amount of usage its pretty likely our generation would find writing redundant or may be an 'extinct' activity...err....something from the yore!
And I am laughing to myself as I am in an imaginary conversation with my kids (well, one day...) explaining to them what it is called writing...Well, lets see.

In the roots of things....

This is gonna be my very last blog this year. 2009 has been a ‘great trip’ so far in so many ways in the journey of my life.

Its been a fulfilling year. Its been a memorable year. Its been a defining year. Its been a nice, beautiful year. And I wear a beautiful smile and my face looks nice....ummm....(more on this later)

I am happy as I sit next to an open suitcase, cameras peeping from within my old black backpack. I am just back from a fabulous vacation- a memorable trip from the land of my ancestors where I went tracing my roots. This was great in terms of my own identity, my Bengali roots. Bangladesh was a great experience.

This is gonna be a short blog as I had a very long ride back home, and I long for some massage. I wish to wake up to the New Year all fresh, feeling great and this requires a nice tight sleep.

I wish to wake up to the New Year looking forward to loads of travel, great time at work, friendship, and happiness. And my mind is full with Bhutan, snow, smiling faces, beautiful faces and a happPPy me.

BTW, life is a smooth ride if you have a great smile, have you ever thought so? I have a recent realization and I am in complete agreement with someone who once said “I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful”. And to be honest with myself I enjoyed every bit of attention I received in Bangladesh, be it in the music shop I went hunting for Bangladeshi pop music, be it from my fellow travellers in the jungles in the deep mangroves of Sunderbans , be it from people I met on the streets, in the villages, on the local buses, in the narrow lanes of old Dhaka, at the various eating places I visited, from friends and colleagues. I have come back home 'almost' feeling like a celebrity (I remember reading one particular sentence from the Lonely Planet's Bangladesh edition and that was so very true) with loads of admirers (hmm....thats for another time).

Wishing you all a great year ahead and I wish to write many more blogs in 2010, many more than 2009, inshallah!

Yahoo!

Yahoo.....Hmmm....there is a famous Bollywood song and I ‘almost’ am ready to sing that one! It goes like this: Hero appears on the screen all energetic, with ‘wild’ fervor dancing and sings (as it would read in English) “yahoo!....yahoo!...let people call me that I am from jungles....yahoo!..”

And I am here ‘yahoo-ing’ and feeling all ‘junglee’. I will explain in a bit....

Things are looking all gorgeous around me and I am all pepped up and in high spirits. This indeed is good news after a ‘flat’ spell (hmm...thinking about a graphical representation!). Year 2009 brought a lot of changes in my life. I changed track in terms of profession..umm...came to academics to teach public health in an Indian institute (btw, this is my first appointment with an Indian Organization in the capital). I have a new address now, living on my own in my own apartment and cooking food on my own in my kitchen (it feels pretty powerful, you know!). And after all these months in new settings, new neighborhood and new colleagues, I am kinda getting a good feeling.

Hmm....now I don’t really fret and fume because going to work means doing a mean 62 miles a day. How wonderfully I came to realize everything is possible and I ‘actually’ can do a lot of stuff, pretty much a lot more than I ever have envisaged myself ( this indeed is a big realization).

Things are falling in place. I am able to forge my position in the institute, in the classroom and more importantly in my own head that I can contribute well enough with what I know. Now I have a door to door commute available, making my ‘cross-country’ a smooth affair. And the icing on the cake: I am all set for a vacation. Finally! This is my very first (and last) vacation in 2009.

And there are reasons why I chose to hum that particular song....

I am all set to face the biggest cats (oops! second largest according to WWF) on the earth this winter. I will have a vacation in the jungles. And to set everything all-so-perfect, the whole thing is on a cruise and I am ready to sail! Yahoo!

With cruise booked, tickets nicely tucked in a beautiful folder, road map in hand and visa papers on my desk, I am a happy picture. And I am looking forward to December (now you know why also said this is gonna be the last one in 2009!)

I am all excited, and also emotional (read: very) for this vacation. This also means tracing my roots, going to a village by a river which is etched in my memory from a very delicate age. And it means a lot to my own identity, my own being and my own existence. And for some reasons year 2009 has been a very defining year in my life so far.

I am all glad, humbled. I am all excited, wild. I am feeling an itch under my feet. And those mustard seeds under my feet are in action again for me....yahoo!

a wee bit of.....

It is celebration time here. And I am looking for...ummm...a wee bit of ...

Celebration time should be splendid, with loads of fun, friends,food, love, joy, life full of happiness..

And here I am looking for a wee bit of this and that and all of these. Its sad and yet this is real. I am looking for wee bit of company, wee bit of love, wee bit of joy, happiness, laughter and I wish to enjoy my life a wee bit more.

Hmm...its true, more you become independent life gets lonely and the path becomes dark even when everyone else is celebrating festival of light.

Life sometimes is really full of contradictions!

Tale of Two Cities

“Riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a mauve and rosy sky; I began to bawl because I had everything I wanted and knew I would never be so happy again.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald


This morning this was how I felt, well, almost. Only differences were- it was morning and I was not riding a taxi. But feelings were same and I did not know how to hide my tears when it was just perfect to feel happy and giggly and a smile was just the apt thing on my face.

I wake up pretty early (that’s a norm of sorts) and I start for work when many would be in their beds. Mornings are nice (I like mornings..umm and late evenings!), especially when it is this time of the year, when winter is just knocking at the gate. My route to work is a lovely stretch, especially from my side of the town. I cross the river, it’s a beautiful view, and I feel nice cold wind caressing my unruly locks. It feels so heavenly. I almost forget all the agonies of traveling in this city. And at that very moment I just got oh-so emotional and I could feel that awkward sensation when you get those lumps forming in your throat, just before your eyes start to get moist.

It was really a funny thing. On one hand I was happy, that I slept well, woke up on time, had a nice hot shower, and ate a wholesome breakfast before setting for work, cooked and packed a very nice satvik lunch. And that I also could manage to throw in a li’l bit of practice session with a 2 KM walk (hmm, I planned to run half marathon and I ‘was’ training for that. But I will have to give this run thingy a miss with a bad knee injury. Well, that’s another story!) and here I was in all tears.

Well, I just feel I am so grateful for what I am today, for where I am today and for what all I have today. I really felt so humbled at the sight of those four young girls singing for the passengers in that wee hours. I felt helpless as my giving them money would amount to giving them alms. And at the same time I was so overwhelmed and so overpowered with emotion that I failed to make an eye contact with them when they came to collect money. I just felt they should not see my tears. I just did not know what to say and before I could gather my wits I saw four of them disembarking at a major traffic junction.

I sure know these girls are told which all places to hover around so that they can make business. Bhajans always sell, especially, in a country where religion has a huge commercial (and sentimental) value. So, singing bhajans praising the goddess will always fetch moolah. It does not matter even when one can make out these girls do not follow what they singing; even when one can make out they are made to sing in a language which is very well not their mother tongue.I just wonder aloud here who are these people who train these young girls, who are these people who utilize someone’s poor economic status and lure young girls when you surely know its risky for four young girls to go about in this city in public transport?

May be its really complicated, here I remember what I heard eons ago (in Bengali) which roughly translates to “poverty does not know any distinction between prose and poem”. Hmmmm……….

Shoe bite

I had to look into my blog today and to update it even when it meant stealing time from other activities as I went to work after four long days.

This was a long weekend for me. I celebrated my birthday and treated myself really well. I had a fabulous time this weekend, complete with family time, eating out, meeting family (brother’s family to be precise) and friends and then friends visiting home over home cooked food and collected loads of gifts (the little girl in me had a happy time unwrapping all the gifts and guessing what is what with a funny grin on her face!). There are a lot new stuffs around. And I got a pair of pretty clogs too....

And then I had to write today, on my blog. There were too many mentions about my not updating it regularly in recent times. I realised there are people who like to read my blog and keep looking for new posts. Hmm, it definitely boosts my confidence. And then again on my way to work this morning I got a similar request from an old friend as she complained about seeing only one new post after months.

I blabber to myself, ‘I will write more; writing helps me, it clears my thought and it’s kinda therapeutic’. I call it cathartic!

Hmm...I did that yesterday. It was yesterday ‘Lonely Planet’ and his cute little daughter visited my place from across so many places. (This family really travels and knows how to land up in places so beautiful or dangerous or so out of reach. I really envy them.) And it made me happy ‘happy-HappPPy’yesterday. I am happy not just because I met them or just because LP talked about my blog but I am happy that I could be home to host them, I am happy that I could cook for them, I am happy that it was a special day. Well, it was my birthday and I was home to celebrate the special day. And I am happy that he surprised me with his precision!

Whoa....I gotta be explaining here.....

Talking about LP, I just cannot stop praising him. I have hosted quite a few get-togethers at my place and as a practice I send a standard set of instruction to friends well in advance on how to reach my place (you know, I am so very well organised...umm.. professional!). And now that it’s a regular thing to have friends visiting me from different places, from within Delhi, from other cities in India, from other countries, I almost keep that 10 point list very handy. It’s just a matter of copying and pasting and sending an email and voila (I think) its all clear. And invariably there would be frantic phone calls on the day when I will be busy tossing mushroom in my kitchen or when I will just be setting the table or clearing some clutter in my living room, in the middle of some clumsy last minute preparation or in the middle of a clear-all shower. And I would talk to them muttering ‘was not my instruction on ‘how to find my place’ sent for this, so that there is no confusion’. I least expect such phone calls when there is a step by step instruction. Giving directions and making sure the petrol pump is on the left and that you are facing the road are the least liked things for me. Urgh... And it never so happened all these while that anyone landed at my place without getting confused or without making those phone calls, well, until yesterday.

So, in a way, I almost thought my way of instruction does not work and said to myself ‘maybe I am confusing’. But when there is no room for confusion and there is no other way but to land up at my place if one really ‘reads’ those 10 points, I very sarcastically wondered what made people call me from middle of a ride, is it that they like to call me, or they have a cheap mobile connection or they are simply confused people or they take my step by step instruction lightly and don’t read my instruction before starting for my place.

Well, for the first time in almost 12 months I had a visitor who landed at my place bang on and surprised me. First because he reached well before the time I thought he would (my assumption was hugely based on my previous experiences with my other friends). Secondly, he is not from Delhi and not even from India. And most amazing part, he was travelling with a little kid and used public transport to commute to my place from where he is staying (that seven star place)! And I somehow now know that my instructions work and that the list is very clear and you cannot miss but reach the destination bang on! Hmmm...btw, I have been copying and pasting the same list without any edit all these times just in case you wondered whether I modified or changed anything (oops, making sure I used same instrument for all the episodes...ahh...see, its coming from someone who is into hardcore research!!)

And I am amazed with LP for other reasons also. I met him after a good five years and it felt as if it was yesterday. We have been neighbors once and then I ‘almost’ traveled wherever they went as I would either get vivid descriptions from all the travelogue he would post from time to time or from my own travel plans to visit them (so far all flopped!). Hmmm....

And at the end of it, it brought me back to my blog and I drafted this after a long day at work, from the middle of working on a presentation for my lecture tomorrow.

I will write more, surely, I will. There is a lot to write, so many update, those fermented beans recipes I learnt from my friend from Manipur over lunch today (ahh...my birthday bash is so very long this time!), those tips on Oddissi dance from my bro’s fiancée, those recipes mom ‘taught’ me over that sumptuous luncheon my bro planned for my birthday. I need to write about ‘Oh! Calcutta’ too, I love the place and it seems I was quite a head-turner of sorts that day...or maybe they all knew it was my birthday! About how I ended up with some good French red wine in ‘bad’ state and how I am desperately looking for good recipes to use this ‘bad’ wine! And I will write about other stuff happening in life in general.

So, watch this space for more...if not less!

Its been time...

Hummmppppp....

Well, it looked like a pretty long time and this time I was not off and away travelling. So I am here without any excuse for such a long absence from blogging scene. But, truly I was hit by a 'very busy and hectic' time where I only cared for getting my share of sleep...at least six hours per night!

Life is fine. I guess I only tossed this blog thingy out of my scheme of things. But I have been writing nonetheless, on different platforms, different stuff, though. I am happy that I am working on my publications and also coming back to keep in touch with my blog.

Nothing much happened after I last updated. Except for a few trips to tribal (and naxal) hinterland for some research work, a few luncheon parties that I had at my place, a few late nights and a major family event (not a happy one) where I got to meet as close to hundred of my relatives at one go, (ouch) and realized what a BIG family I 'actually' have and ahoy! why 'globe trotting' comes so easily to me.

I have been teaching off late and finding it quite interesting. There are different kinds of students to interact with from different corners of the globe, different age groups and backgrounds, language, eating preferences. Faculty members are also an interesting bunch, I kinda like their company (I like the vibe!).

And I am doing 62 odd miles a day, cooking for myself, living on my own, and doing pretty well in terms of time management. I am also driving these days, hopefully will drive pretty regularly, that's the plan.

I am looking forward to life at this moment...well, September is my birth month and I have lots to feel good for me.

Coming to talk about birthday, it reminds me what a milestone of a year this year is for me. In terms of demography I have lived 50% of my life looking at average life expectancy. And here one is generally expected to look li'l worn out but I don't know how/why I have a major challenge to look my age. I know many women will envy me and tell me to take this to my stride and take it as a compliment. Even I am curious how many women would actually like to look their age after scoring thirty odd years and when 'anti-ageing' Rx is in vogue.
Looking young does not work to my advantage here- tell me, who wants to look 'fresh out of college' when addressing a class of mid-career professionals where as a matter of fact one is very much at the other side of thirty..

Hmm....someone teased me good naturedly the other day: "Thirty is new Sixteen"...ahem...(it feels good though but not when my students think so). I remember the advice of one of my old friend, who I am sure had (is still) had similar luck when he started with academics, to go on and speak your mind as when you speak they know where it is coming from. Yes, so true...I exactly know the feeling and I am quite liking it!!

I hope to write more and put my thoughts as they grow in my head into words; I surely hope so..

Follow me...

Hmm...this is going to be a request-esque blog.

I have added a tool from google (you can see that on the left side of the screen, just next to this post) which tells you who all are my 'follower'.. ..well, I mean, reads my blog. And I know there are a number of followers (I know, I know!! Stats tell me all!) for my nomadic monologue. Now the scene is that I dont see any of you giving a heads up on that 'follower' thingy...and I take all the trouble of writing this whole paragraph to ask as you read this post, why dont you add your name and be a 'follower'.

Umm....follow me and I will flow with more posts!
I am waiting, all loaded with ideas for new posts, all ready to ooze out of my head and trickle down to my fingers as I pour them on the keyboard and splash them on the screen...

So, wouldnt ye wanna make me happy? And I dont take 'no' very kindly...Well, for you I can be patient though...So, I am waiting....ok?

Miles and Bumps..

It’s a ‘miles and bump’ story this side- just sorta update after a month long not-so-active phase on blogspot. No mistaking there, its miles (and miles) and bumps only and no Mills and Boons. Huh.. I am doing 60 miles a day and a lot of bumpy rides. And I have been doing this for past few weeks now after preparing myself for the joyride for last four months or so.


Ahh...you really need to talk straight here. Alright then, I tell you all.


I have moved to academics and taken up my current appointment as a faculty in a public health institute after giving a longish possible thought. BTW, my current employer seems to be a patient lot and given me time as I made up my mind for this ‘cross-country run’. It was a big decision for me, almost like life changing of sorts, but not so life changing from my standard given my stints in cut-off areas and in remote tribal pockets. My parents have become super-immune to any kind of shock my professional decisions can bring and this time they were like, ‘WTF, go play your shot!’


Well, it was me who was kinda mixed bundle of confusion, anxiety, nerves, and things like that. To be very honest I was not sure whether this is going to be a good decision, a correct step in my career at this point in time, a right move when I just wanted to settle down in life with loads of time in my kitchen and spending time with family! But then it was me who finally took the decision and landed up at the new workspace all cheerful and bright one morning after crossing 30 miles through three states (ahhh...who needs all the info?).


I am kinda settling down in this new sphere and hoping to find my groove soon. I wish to develop my niche as an anthropologist working in the domain of public health and working in India and in the subcontinent is immensely challenging given our tryst with tuberculosis and HIV in the current times.


And with miles and bumps notwithstanding, road ahead is a pleasant sight. Surprisingly, life is looking so clear and I am experiencing that kind of a phase when you are driving and the highway looks all yours.


This reminds me, I need to 'seriously' start driving my new car. Ummm, I have a gorgeous man giving me driving lesson...umm..

Need some clean air....

Breathe easy, who wants to get stressed? Not me at the least. But I invariably get to get it. And it happened so very recently. Because I got manipulated, I was used and most importantly I was a bloody fool myself. lol.

Well, why blame another, look at yourself and find how important it is to know and see your own actions, decisions, and everything else. It’s a good thing that you got to see another’s true color, that’s a bonus. But what’s the guarantee that you won’t falter again?

Well, it’s a big challenge of sorts to ‘come prepared’ every time you plan to meet people socially. For some reasons I cannot do that as I am quite an antithesis of being ‘come prepared’. Well, I am organized, like to plan my life but when it comes to interaction or conversation I never follow any ‘guidebook’. Call it a good thing or a bad thing, I believe in being natural and can never wear a manipulative hat. But so many people shamelessly wear one and when caught red-handed they stage-manage with a plastic grin as if nothing happened. Well, nothing happened actually, for them.

But for me, it’s being unfaithful, disrespectful and not at all cool. I will continue to think this way even when you score a trillion and flash those painted lips. Because for me being simple/being upfront/being honest/being confident is the way of life. Thank heavens I don’t need to manipulate people.

I will be myself, but I will be careful the next time around. I promise, I will not again let anyone manipulate me….huh.. That’s a tall order!

Eatopia

Food is something that keeps me happy. Well, to tell you the truth- I just need to eat yummy food (more variety the better) and talk a lot. I guess these are the two most important things in my life. And the result is a happy and ‘satisfied’ me.

Tsk tsk…its so easy for you now, well….

Talking about food: food has been part of my life, this has marked many important occasions in my life, making food, entering people’s kitchens, getting people in my own kitchen, sharing recipes, recipes on emails, emails on recipe-sites, and once got a whole recipe dedicated to me ..hmm …how can I forget that blog? I am sure people are used to getting songs dedicated or such things when experiencing, you know, those blissful moments. And I was showered with, guess what, a recipe I was curious to learn and eat eventually (a tale of transcontinental, long distance romance!). Well…coming back to food and a blog on that, well, this is not to woo any nice guy but to ‘please’ two damsels in distress (if I may say so!).

Hmm…wait a bit…..I am explaining!

I just had a cozy little get-together at my new place last weekend and I got an opportunity to cook for an elaborate lunch. I am mostly into experimental cuisine (if that’s a term!) and most often add variety to the menu with food/ideas from different corners of the globe. I know I disappoint friends who come jumping to my place expecting Bengali cuisine complete with ‘maachher-jhol’ (read: fish curries); but then, I did make fish and curries, only thing is that these were two separate items this time around…ha ha..

But there must be something with Bengalis and fish. Because, of all the things I prepared, my fish preparation was liked, actually way too much for my expectation. This was a Portuguese style preparation in white sauce (ahh…there is something about white sauce and me these days…may be I am becoming Calcium deficient!) I learnt from a friend’s mother who's from Portuguese descent.

Before I delve deeper into that Portuguese fish thingy, the other items that landed on the table from my kitchen were (BTW, everything was prepared at home by me) as under:

Salad: fruity-veggie type with diced cucumber and apple with pomegranate, and a dash of lime just before tossing them together before serving

Mexican wild rice (ahh…. my paella fixation!): I collected this wild brown rice which grows in the wild, marshy areas in the Americas(I am into collecting brown rice or what?). My procedure is pretty simple. Soak rice overnight; put it on low flame with double the amount of water and add some salt, let it boil. Meanwhile on another pan heat oil, add garlic and ginger cubes- one teaspoonful, add spring onion with about two inches of stem- sliced vertically -about six of them, diced tomatoes- two medium sized, two green chilies, let this get cooked, little brownish. And when you get nice aroma as they are getting fried/cooked add three eggs to the mixture. Turn slowly and try to mix in with the veggies for nice scrambled eggs. Throw in peas, and sprinkle some tofu (I take a handful, crush them and spread it on top of the egg-veggie-scramble). Then take out rice (by this time rice is already boiled and cooked, try to check that from time to time- its easy for me as I have a big four burner stove) in a bowl (the serving bowl) and layer it with veggie-egg thingy. Mix it loosely. And you are ready for some healthy fiesta.

Vegetarian hot pot: This one was a last minute addition as a few of my friends like to eat vegetables along with fish and flesh err meat. And I learned to make vegetable broth at home (see, I told you everything was cooked at home). In vegetable broth- about two litres- add diced ginger and garlic-one tablespoon, bring this to boil. Then keep it on low flame and simmer. In another pan pour some oil, add a lot of mushroom (I like to cut then vertically into fours), cook this for about three minutes till they change color and evenly cooked. Add strips of baby cabbage-very thinly cut, and cook for another two minutes; add slices of baby carrots-about half inches thick. Transfer this mixture to the broth, stir well. Then add large cubes of tofu. Take it off from heat and cover. Garnish with whole spring onions-cut into fours- let them float on the surface.

Portuguese Fish: Boneless varieties are better; usually marine fishes are preferable. But I used Rohu (actually I have always used), only the portions from the stomach (its easy to de-bone from this part), cut into pieces-four by two inches. This time I marinated for about an hour with olive oil and vinegar (this was very experimental) with black pepper powder. Fry these pieces nice and crispy and set aside. This recipe has a special trick: the way other ingredients are cut. Potatoes-big sizes are better, onions- big, round ones are better. Potatoes are cut in long-tall slices- in lateral sections; onions are cut in slices- in cross sections, so that we get a lot of onion rings. Use a thick bottomed pan, pour oil (not miserly or else it wont taste like the way I made), heat oil for some time. Start with potatoes, sprinkle some whole black pepper seeds, turn potatoes occasionally and continue till they are little brownish. Add onion slices; these will soon break into rings. Start to cook/fry till these two are softer. Add fish pieces. And cook for about three-four minutes. Remove from fire. After it’s cooled down cover it with white sauce- I make it with milk and cheese and some barley/wheat flour. Keep it aside. Before serving heat it for 5 minutes in microwave (one can broil for 1 minutes in 100deg C; I use auto-cook mode for vegetable- which is 5 minutes in medium heat), this gives a light-brownish coat and nice aroma.

Chicken-Indian style (I don’t know which region in India!): I am calling it Indian style as I used regular ‘garam masala’, bay leaf, ginger, garlic paste, etc. To begin with I marinated chicken in yogurt and garlic, ginger paste, tomato paste, sprinkled some ‘meat masala’ and kept it aside for about one hour. On a thick bottomed pan (I used my wide mouthed pressure cooker which comes with a thick and slender bottom) heat oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf-2/3, big chunky onions- cut into fours, cook for sometime. Then transfer the whole marinated chicken to the pan, keep stirring. Continue till all the spices are cooked/fried, and a smooth gravy is formed. Cover it and cook it till the time fork can smoothly pass through chicken pieces. It can be pressure cooked as well but it might get over cooked/over boiled.


For dessert I had melons (I got two different colors) cut into boat shaped pieces- smeared with sugar powder and honey. I had put this in the freezer for sometime for a thin crystal like crust on melons. And there was a freshly baked cake-Czech style- thanks to my friend from Prague.

Ahhh…and there was some nice Darjeeling tea and some baked cookies. And this time there was no wine (I still don’t have a cork opener) and nobody volunteered to open one of those Rioja to say cheers (my attempt to tempt this man with muscles failed, he wanted beer instead!)

Hope ‘damsels in distress’ are happy with this elaborate blog.

‘AM’, chak chaare? Don’t forget to call me when you are trying this fish recipe, I will love to eat them without doing any effort…..I love food more if someone else is cooking and I get to do ‘only eating’!!

Bon Appétit !