Giving thanks!

This year, thanksgiving came in its true spirit. It came with the spirit of cozy dinners and lunches with friends and their families. The warmth of candle light and incense sticks, the aromas of chef specials, the scent of fresh flowers, the simmering spices and flavorful dishes...the teasing, lazing around watching trashy movies, the silly questions of trivial pursuit, test driving the kindle, playing Wii bowling(my very first encounter with Wii, btw) with my friend's 6-yr old niece....

Here's a peek into one part of the holiday which was a very traditional North Karnataka meal at Suj's place. My, what a delicious spread it was! I was 'spread' out on my couch for hours after this wonderful feast. What is a Thanksgiving holiday without some overeating, eh?

Up

Not having watched an English movie in a long time, Up was the perfect come-back-to movie. It came with high recommendations from my coworkers and when it finally landed in my hands hot off the redbox vending machine at the grocery store, I couldn't get to it for about 4 days, by which time it almost became a to-do chore to be ticked off my long list.

The auspicious hour for watching the movie arrived serendipitously. On the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving weekend, I came home drained from work. It had been an exceptionally rough week, considering it was a short 3-day one, it seemed like it was inordinately long and hard. With a plate of grilled veggie sandwich in hand, I popped the DVD in and hit play.

Since I hadn't bothered to read up reviews of the movie, I had no clue about the movie or the story. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. This Disney Pixar animation movie was a delight to watch. I'd find it hard to claim it is a kids only movie. I wont say much about the story itself, cos one's got to watch it without any spoilers to thoroughly be immersed in this delicious comedy. Hence I will say less, but I'd insist nonetheless- if you haven't watched it already, put it on your must-list. You won't regret it. For once, I definitely don't foresee rotten tomatoes thrown my way for suggesting so.

Oota from my hometown

For a small dinner party this weekend, my menu was typical Bengaluru fare. It read thus

Maddur vade with chutney
Bisibelebath with (cucumber/tomato/onion) raitha
Curd rice
Sandige(that's vadam for the tams)
Shavige payasa(vermicelli kheer)














(Sujatha Ramesh : Since you asked for my weekend updates as well as what was cooking in my kitchen, this is entirely aap ki farmaish! :)

Earth laughs in flowers

...says Ralph Waldo Emerson. Flowers, those that provide a dash of color, a burst of joy.

Flowers....if one were to ask me what is always included in my weekly grocery list(apart from the mundane milk and bread)...it would have to be the choicest bunch of seasonal flowers.

Growing up, I've always imagined being at a workplace with a flower on my desk. Something I'd change everyday. While that hasn't happened, I know that I will always have a fresh bunch of flowers to perk up my home. That much is assured.

The flowers are seasonal...from tulips to daisies to mums to lilies and carnations- my weekly trips to the grocery store accentuated by the last stop I make at the blooms section. Its the one thing that is different each week, its not definite or predictable. It could be a different color, a different species...either way they provide light up the place with the varied hues and perfumes.

Have you tried peonies? They smell lovely on the dining table. This week, in what seems like ages, I managed to find gladioli. These have a special fondness for me because they are available in plenty back home. The flower lady in Gandhi Bazar would always pick the freshest batch of gladioli for me(in a different color every time) and I'd pair it with something else...like a pack of daisies and make a bouquet of my own. Yes, gladioli and I go way back!

'When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.' says a Chinese proverb. Ya, go do just that. See how much a difference it makes.

Have a colorful weekend y'all!

To the land of lilies

Last evening found us at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, the very same place that I went to for cherry blossoms in 2007.

Summer in these gardens seems to be the season for exotic lilies. We found them in every shade and size possible. The gardens themselves are so expansive and scenic that probably a whole day or more would be needed to casually stroll around and take in every nook and corner of this green wonder nestled in the midst of a bustling concrete suburb.


























There are sparkling ponds, bridges, a gazebo, ducks, squirrels, benches(my favorite-for a restful break and to take in the sights) planted at strategic and cozy points all over.

And then there are birds chirping all around, green lawns, children on summer break, parents resting under trees with a picnic basket and a book- just the idyllic setting for a perfect weekend picnic. The air was pure, the breeze was just about right, the evening was serene and the temperature outside was what can only be termed oh-so-perfect.

If you're in this area, don't forget to check this place out, specially if you are looking for a scenic evening stroll, or if you are looking for picnic options.

Footnote : The second pic is my favorite. This is my second time where I've captured two people sitting and enjoying the scenery. The first time was this(scroll down to the 7th pic). You like?

Fruit and flower

A colleague brought me some stems of mums fresh from her garden and I picked up some cantaloupe from the Farmer's market. Put the two together and its a kick start to a great weekend!

A quiet weekend morning

Some reading, some tea, a good soak of cool wind mixed with the warmth of the sun, a long walk, some soul food, more soulful tunes, some brightly colored flowers....a mix of all this and more makes for one morning of my long weekend. How does yours look?

TGIF

A bright and sunshiny Friday
A blue and less used jacket by day
A quick shower and its work time
The jacket beckoned like a chime
I need something warm, but light
So thought I, perhaps this is right
As I slip it on, a rustle I hear
The pockets seems to be drawing me near
In my hand goes to find what fills
And out come two crisp hundred rupee bills
Its Friday and I'm a rich 'un
With warm thoughts and some spring sun
There's definitely spring without a care
Both in my step and in the air

What goes with...

..a big helping of spicy bhel?

Mango ice cream, but of course!

A brunch time serving of tune

This weekend's brunch : Puri with Chana Masala



















And the tune for ambiance was this :



Have a good weekend folks!

Tippity Tap

Last weekend was a preview to warmer days. Temperatures hit 70s and it was a wonderful outdoorsy kind of weekend. For some reason, almost everyone figured it was a temporary phase. This wasn't for good, yet. What I did do, in addition to hitting the trail, was to get a jump start on my spring cleaning session.

The basement has been long neglected and sorely overdue for some major cleaning and sorting. While most of it was paperwork that needed to be sorted out and shred and discarded, there were a few long-forgotten surprise finds. One in particular sent me down the memory lane, as always , reminiscing about some of the good ole days.

It had been a few months since I had moved to Virginia. I had made a few new friends in this area. An IM window popped(this from one of the afore-mentioned newly acquired friend).

'Hey, had a q for ya"

'Sure, sup?'

'Sit tight and don't fall off the chair when you read my next line, ok?'

'Ok....'

'Would you be willing to go with me for a tap dance class?'

[See, for those that are new to my space and don't exactly know me- I have two left feet. I have ALWAYS wanted to dance, but have had no formal training. Over the years, it appears I have been rendered incapable of jiving even if I had to save my life. So my response, which came quite instantly, took me by shock.]

'Oh sure. When? And where?'

'Are you sure!!!????? I mean this is TAP DANCE. Look it up. Its in the rec center's spring class schedule. I've always wanted to try. But my spouse thinks I've lost it. So I figured I'd ask you if you'd be interested...'

'Definitely, I can go.'

'Alright! I will send you the link to register and the schedule. Its for 8 weeks. And I found a few stores that sell tap dancing shoes.'

And thus 2 weeks later, there we were. The two of us, wearing shiny new 'tap dance' shoes and neither of us remotely felt 'What am I doing!!!??'. We were excited like kids in a candy store. I bought a black pair and she a set of beige ones. 'I don't want black shoes!' she had adamantly exclaimed. And seriously, neither of us thought we weren't in this for the long haul. Of course we had NO idea when and where exactly we'd be employing this new skill of ours, but at that time all that mattered was that it all sounded cool and fancy!

Oh the joy of being young and excitable!

Img source : Here

The first day we realized our instructor was well...you know...he was 'oriented' differently. Billy also lived in spandex and indulged in 'updo' hairstyles of the 70s with his blonde hair...I think he was what is called a drag artist in his spare time. Anyway, to cut a long story short...he was an experience in itself.

But then, we were so preoccupied with the novelty of it all that it didn't matter to us how or what Billy was. We tapped and waltzed to the music, tried to keep up with the rhythm and in general we were having what is called loads of fun. And that's all that matters, doesn't it?

So if you're thinking- 'ya right, I am sure 8 weeks was all this new fangled fad lasted'- you're SO wrong!

We went through for another 3 full terms, thank you! Summer, Fall AND Winter. We even got asked to go for a Christmas tap dance party at Billy's place. But since I was scheduled to go home that holiday season, we decided to politely decline. It tickles me no end wondering what we would have done if we had accepted the invite, but that's something best left to one's imagination. Oh , AND we didn't miss a class all through winter, despite pileups and some biting cold days. Such was our dedication and commitment.

In our last class for that season, Billy told us that he and his 'spouse' had decided to move to Dallas- to warmer climes and better opportunities. There would be a new instructor, if we wished to continue our lessons, he advised.

And now, after all these years, here are the shoes. Neatly packed in its original box, fondly remembered, never used since.

But see, it is not about whether we used our newly acquired skill any time, it isn't about what skills adorn our achievement belt- it is about the good fun times we had in each other's company. Something that made us closer than ever, something common between only the two of us. That is what gets carried through the years. And once in a while, as you dust the layers off an old and forgotten box of shoes- you realize this is what makes for life experiences. Something far more precious that any thing money can buy. A pair of tap dance shoes.

My weekend was well served.

Notes for 2009-2

* I watched 'Luck by chance' this weekend. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, starring Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Dimple Kapadia and many many others in guest appearances. Its about the struggle to make it big in Bollywood. To me, it seemed somewhat parallel to 'Fashion', but much better. Javed Akhtar's dialogues are crisp and relevant. Farhan and Konkona are brilliant in being true to their characterizations though I felt the end didn't tie up all the loose ends. Nonetheless I loved Sona's(Konkona's character) words in the last scene. Dimple Kapadia is superb as ever in her role as the insecurity-laden older actress. Worth a watch.

* In other news, the weather this weekend out here was a welcome break. It was warm and sunny, the kind of days one doesn't need a heavy jacket or gloves. And hence the entire population was out- at the malls or at parks or generally hanging out.

* There's a long weekend right around the corner and that makes this work week so much more tolerable :).

* Non-stop repeat mode on for this one :



Enjoy!

Supper and a wet paper story

I've been craving to bake all this week. So my supper for today was some wonderful zucchini bread, thanks to this recipe and c-o-b soup.

Enjoy the weekend folks!

Oh, right. Wet paper story!(A weird title, dontcha think?)

So anyway today, on a whim, while I was at grocery line checkout, I decided to indulge myself by picking up the latest copy of the 'People' magazine(Yes, please dont imagine anything fancy, I'm quite boring like that). When I got home and unloaded the bags, I happened to dump a water bottle into the bag that had the mag. So, what else, yes...the cap wasnt fitted tightly and hence the magazine got soggy. And me being me, I didn't have the patience to wait for it to dry. So a light bulb went off in my head...the dryer! Yes! I dumped the mag into the dryer and set it for 10 mins.

What happened? Did it work, you ask? Erm. I didnt realize, putting a mag in the dryer makes the binding to come out, so I was left with a sheaf of loose papers- dry though!

So I guess it kinda worked, what do you think?

Brunch, anyone?

The holiday season is right around the corner. The sun decides to call it a day at 4pm. Whats better than waking up on a cold winter Sunday morning and prepping for a special brunch? Saturdays are busy mornings. Laundry to be done, chores to be taken care of..there's usually a lunch or a dinner get-together...or a long overdue shopping trip. Now Sundays- Sundays are to make the best of the 24 hours before a busy week begins.

Usually my Sunday brunch menu consists of dishes that are kinda sorta fancy and special-not your usual week day fare. My choices vary, and it'd been a while since I made Pav Bhaaji. So thats what it was.

So, while on the topic of Pav Bhaaji- you know, for many years I could never get the right taste for the bhaaji. I always felt something was amiss. It was NEVER just the way I used to have it back home- at our neighbourhood Ice Thunder(people who are familiar with the Gandhi Bazaar area, would know!). I have tried MTR Pav Bhaaji masala and Shaan and MDH and Badshah so far. I've come to conclude, MDH comes closest.

Whats your favorite brand for Pav Bhaaji masala? Or maybe it doesnt matter, perhaps its all in my head! Anyhow here's how it turned out. You couple this with some warn strawberry crumble for dessert(pic not included)...Yummm.

And Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

A fall weekend at the bay

After many hiccups, that seemed like eternity, we finally took off. I was going for a 48 hr, action packed weekend at the bay area. Meeting family and friends. Come Friday evening, I was exhausted. All I wanted was to be home, curled up in bed with an early dinner and mindless TV. But here I was, belted in my window seat of an airline that was carrying me across two timezones. It was late when I reached and even later by the time I called it a night.

The sun decided to show up only around 8am the next morning, while I'd been up at the stroke of dawn. A belated Diwali lunch party had been planned for the afternon. Come 8:30, after a overly stretched morning kaapi session, armed with a sweater and an umbrella the two of us - my aunt and I set forth for a brisk walk.










As we stepped out, I sniffed at the air, much like a dog does. The setting was just right. There was a cool breeze, the sky was overcast, a drizzle had just come and gone. As one meandered out of the row of houses, there were leaves strewn all over. Signs of fall. Leaves of many hues- red, yellow and some the nascent green.

There was light conversation. But mostly, my mind was filled with thoughts of my hometown- Bangalore. I can never be sure if the Silicon Valley turned into Bangalore or vice-versa. Either way, this was like the Bangalore of yore, back in the mid-70s. What everyone called the naturally airconditioned city of the South.

My camera aimed at that time in the morning of a weekend when there was quiet all around. A lazy leaf, a fresh flower, a cheery fruit....there was nature at this job already. A few strides out, we could already see the mountains of the bay. I made many walks that morning. As the rains kept returning at random intervals, those gave me breaks to head home...for more kaapi sessions alongside the patio french doors. With a fleece blanket over the toes.....

My aunt, the undisputed vadai queen, sat on the covered patio- doling out hot, crispy vadais- the cabbage vadai, the keerai vadai and a combo. With a mango chutney dip into that was to die for. By noon I am not sure how many of those had been packed into my tummy.

By then the guests had begun to stream in. There was lazy conversations to be had, kids that needed to be indulged in and tables that needed to be cleared, post-lunch. And the time just flew with barely enough to spare for a last-minute family photo session.

By 4 I was to head over to a friend's place. His new place was beautifully done up by his new bride. More food was served- the tiffin from long gone days was resurrected. Poha topped with some spicy elaichi tinged chai. Within an hour we headed out- for more food- for my favorite kind of food- chaat!

When I was dropped off at my aunt's that evening, I could sense food right at the top of my throat(seriously!)- talk of an overstuffed turkey! Over the course of the next day, there were many lunch and dinner sessions with friends and family, drives from Fremont to Milpitas to Cupertino to Sunnyvale...all in the perfect bay area weather. A dash of sun, a sprinkling of rain, a cool breeze, a foggy morning, a cloudy evening...all the many flavours that make up the quintessential bay area weather. The one that reminds me of my hometown...green, warm and wonderful- namma Bengaluru.

Yenjoy while I go get my laundry done.

An evening in London

Did anyone watch Sonu Nigam's concert in London- 'An evening in London-Rafi resurrected'? The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) was spectacular. The Rafi songs that Sonu sang were melodious and were great picks. I loved the orchestra accompaniment for 'Tum jo mil gaye ho' which Sonu announced was his personal favorite. 'Dil ke jharoke mein tujhko bithakar", 'Kya hua tera vaada', 'Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe', 'Suhaani raat dhal chuki', 'Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aaya'...and so many many many more.

I happened to chance upon it on Sony, on Sunday evening. And God, what a treat! What a soothing, fitting end to a weekend!

Chaat, movie and everything in between

Another weekend has come and gone. As we move closer and closer to the end of summer, I feel this urge to hang on to it more tightly, to fit in a lot more things to do, to be outdoors, to walk longer...cos these warm days will soon be gone.

* Watched 'Rock On'. If its one thing Farhan Akhtar excels at, it is superior dialogues coupled with contemporary storylines. As like Dil Chahta Hai, the characters in this movie are modern, contemporary, young and hep. FA can act reasonably well. This story, as have most reviews mentioned, has shades of DCH in it. If you're in your 20s or 30s, you will definitely relate to the emotions and sentiments. And thats probably why this movie is such a hit. Apart from of course, girls raving over FA's looks(I choose to not dwell on it, good looks are relative and debatable). It doesnt have to be about being in a rock band when you're in college, it could be any group activity that you have participated in while growing up- such interactions, such misunderstandings, such relationship angst is bound to happen. Friends part, a group breaks up- a band gets disbanded. You move on, grow up, life's focus changes, responsibilities grow. Before long, you realize there's a void in your life, that can only be filled by those very people...the ones you grew up with, the ones that were your co-passengers along a very important journey in a slice of life. Some get the opportunity to reunite and relive those memories, some part forever learning to live the lives they have made for themselves, while dipping into the vast reserve of memories for some sepia toned preserves of growing-up.

Watch Rock On, for a feel good trip into the land of nostalgia, if nothing else. I wont call it the greatest movie of the year, I wont say its out-of-the-world awesome, I wont say its the greatest of the greatest... all I'd say is watch it for some interesting characterizations, the start contrast of personalities and the depcitions which are real and mostly relatable.

* Had a chaat party this weekend. The menu included pani puri, sev puri, masala puri(a Bangalore speciality), bhel puri, pav bhaaji, mango lassi, rasmalai and curd rice for those finicky southie types. Pics, you ask? Well it went by so fast that the thought didnt even occur to me till after the fact. Take my word, it was good. Finger licking good! Just the type of spread Rads would've loved- I mentioned bhel and rasmalai right? Errrr...of course I did invite her. But she(not surprisingly) was oober booked. And then ended up copping out and eating dibba roti, she claims!

* Tried and tested Google chrome. Did you see the webcomic for Chrome? Hm, its got some memory issues that need to be taken care, its not fully there yet- me thinks. The one good thing I did notice was it fully blocked all of rediff's popups very effectively, without needing an external pop-up blocker that even Mozilla seems to need to overcome rediff's annoying pop-ups.

* I finished reading 'The other Boleyn girl' by Philippa Gregory. That's what my next post is gonna be about.

* Yesterday(Sept 15th) I hear is now officially called 'Black Monday'. World markets plunged, real estate market here in the US has been on a decline, food shortage crisis happened earlier this year, commodity prices have skyrocketed, gas prices neednt be mentioned- so whats that word that defines any period of time in world financial markets where there's sustained high rates of unemployment, interest rates, inflation and other such declines?

Finding roots in a far-away land

Sigh. I have so much to tell from my long weekend and the road trip across the MidWest. And the sooner I put it down in writing, the sooner I will be able to shed the load because its definitely overwhelming in every sense of the term.

Route : Northern VA- Columbus OH- Chicago, IL- Pittsburgh PA- Northern VA

Headnote 1 : This is the first time I got such a wonderful peek into the MidWest. It is beautiful, it is scenic and the people are warm, welcoming and so down-to-earth.
Headnote 2 : I usually try not to be vernacular-specific in my posts so that everyone can understand and appreciate. So fair warning, there is a lot of Kannada-related mentions in this post- they're unavoidable and very much warranted, given the nature of the sentiments. Also fair warning- this is a loooooong post so put your feet up, pull out some popcorn and enjoy the ride.

On that note, lets go.

This was a last minute decision, to go on this trip. As always, those are the best kind. Taking an additional day off, we set off first to Columbus.

Columbus, OH :
A delightful pit-stop at a friend's place where conversations were warm and welcoming, company was entertaining and evening walks were a welcome change of scenery. A brisk walk in a new community is always enjoyable- new sights, new sounds, new smells and ever-pleasing.

One thing I did note though-this particular neighborhood didnt have fences between homes. As I walked, in one house a mastiff came running out from the yard onto the sidewalk menacingly. I let out a scream that could've brought the entire neighborhood out to enquire what was wrong. There was probably an electric fence or something(how should I know?) because it stopped right at the invisible demarc and barked some more. Alright, thus scared, I continued along with the walk.

Next stop

Chicago, IL :











The first day of our stay in Chicago was spent going around this enchanting Mid-West city. There is always an air of something interesting happening, and an interesting sight for eye candy out here. We went on the architectural riverboat cruise and took a ride up Sears Tower. Then we roamed around the city, soaking in the brilliant blue sky and the warm sunny weather that had been bestowed upon us. As I sat on a bench at Navy Pier, it was calming to watch the sails pass by, the little lighthouse over the horizon, the calm azure water with its sparkles..there was serenity right there.










The next few days were spent at the World Kannada Conference. Its an event that brings Kannadigas all over the US together over the Labor Day weekend every 2 years. This year it was at Chicago. Its one of those events where one gets to hear Kannada spoken everywhere around, almost like being back home. Dignitaries from the literary, film and political worlds all converge to mingle, to entertain, to be entertained, to muse, to dress and to impress. There are fashion shows, Kannada Idols to be chosen, Youth Forum, Women's forum, literary sessions, Meravanige(which is the Kannada term for procession where very district of Karnataka is showcased by all the kannada sanghas of North America)...the list is endless. Its one big festival where bisibelebath, kharabath, vangibath, mysore pak and mosranna flows limitlessly, run-ins with celebrities are oh-so-casual and one dresses up in one's finest, twice a day.

Our saga of run-ins began the previous evening, where on our cruise, we ran into none other than Yedi(short for B S Yediyurappa, Karnataka's CM :P). After a short guftagoo with him, for the next 2 days we had wonderful run-ins with C.Ashwath, Vatal Nagraj, Ramesh Arvind, Jayamala, Upendra and Mukyamantri Chandru. I found Upendra exceedingly down-to-earth, warm and approachable. He has an air of humility and honesty that is hard to miss.

The literary sessions consisted of a Q&A session with S L Byrappa, talks by Chandrashekar Kambar and Gurulinga Kapse, book/cd releases, book reviews and other such thought-provoking discussions. What a great congregation of brilliant minds! I was almost ashamed that I was so out of touch with Kannada literature.

Guru Kiran night was grand, as always, featuring singer Nandita, Ramesh Arvind and a host of others. That went on well past midnight of Saturday. The Meravanige on Saturday morning was wonderfully executed. There was a long chain of Kannada Sanghas of the US where each group had a display of the essence of Karnataka- whether it was Kodagunaadu, or North Kanara or even showcasing our tribal dance forms.

There were bursts of some wonderful humour with Haasya Loka with humorists such as Prof Krishne Gowda. Stomach achingly funny!

Yuva Raaga had a entertaining music show of talents of the youth here in the US who have an amazing appreciation for Kannada. Sunday's most fitting end to the entire event was "Kannadave Sathya" by C. Ashwath and his team. The show began with Aswath asking the entire audience gathered in the main hall of the Convention Center(which was packed to capacity) to stand up for his opening song, which was the state anthem of Karnataka, penned by Kuvempu- 'Jaya bharata jananiya tanujaate'. This was moving and touching and it warranted singing along. The evening continued on with gems by the legend such as 'Elladaru iru, entaadaru iru, endendu nee kannadavagiru' and 'Raayaru bandaru maavana manege' and 'Kodagana koli nungitta tangi' and so many many more.

At the end of 3 nights, I was overwhelmed with being back in touch with Kannadatva. For 3 days I was entertained by stalwarts of whom I have read so much about and seen on TV, that which would have taken me months to get the same kind of exposure back home. As I left the venue on Sunday night, my heart was filled with gratitude, my mind was filled with enough cud to chew on for the next few months, my parched throat was quenched with all the love and oneness that came along with being amongst like-minded people and thus I was satiated. SO totally worth it. I am on a high right now as I write this out.

It was a long drive back home in every sense of the word. I found the countryside around the MidWest entirely charming strewn with luscious corn fields, red barns and open spaces. I present some of the scenery that kept me entertained all through the drives.










We stopped for a couple of hours, since it was on the way, at..

Pittsburgh, PA :

A quick dekho at Tirupathi Thimmappa, a quick stop for tamarind/curd rice topped with boondi at the temple cafeteria and we set off...for a another stint of driving for the last lap, homeward bound.

It is said 'home is where the heart is' and what that means is not your physical dhak-dhak beating heart. Its your soul and my soul right now is telling me 'Kannadave satya, kannadave nitya'. Yes, undoubtedly. That will always be home.

Footnote : My next post will definitely have to be about two small miracles that I was a subject to while I was at the windy city. Stand by for details...

Late blossoms and last few days of summer

On a road trip.

So you enjoy these late blossoms as I enjoy these last few moments of blessed bright sunshine days and flipflops. So much to tell, so much to write about- for now its just these beauties, while I collect my thoughts and churn out posts.

Along a summer trail

Yes! This summer's hike happened, finally! Upward to Buzzard Hill.

A few friends of mine finally poked me out of my self-induced lethargy and got me going. We started fresh and early around 7:30 on a bright, sunny Sunday morning. Armed with just bottles of cold water, some insect repellant and sturdy shoes, we were all set. Its been a while since I've been on strenuous trails, just been walking for a couple of months now. So the first 1/2 a mile was challenging. But once I picked up rhythm, there was no stopping me. While the rest led the way, I led the rear. With my headphones on(with Sonu singing "Nagada Nagada"), I picked a nice solid recyclable tree trunk as a walking stick and off we went. The trek was steep at times, at times flat and refreshing, at times across little streams, at times stopping at a scenic overlook over the beautiful, sprawling Shenandoah valley all the way with views to the Appalachian mountains. It was a clear day and we could see for miles. When we stopped at such a clearing, we'd pick a rock and sit in contemplation. For a good 10 mins. Just us and nature, in serene communion.

We made it one way, settled down on some rocks for a protein bar break. There was small talk, some humour and in general a whole lot of camaraderie. A bunch of people, who've left their struggles behind - for a few hours of 'roughing it out'. Jackets are offered, sun tan lotions are exchanged, someone gives away their spare stock of granola bars, someone else offers additional bottles of water for the thirsty, some wait for the others to catch up, some let the rest catch their breath. All in each one's time, there is no rush to get anywhere, there is no clock ticking- just the rustle of leaves, the soft trickle of the stream, birds lazily chirping, a stray squirrel, a laidback butterfly....and us!

After a good 3.5 hours, we were back- a little tired but totally rejuvenated. We felt it was worth an Ihop kind of an ending. And thats how it ended!
(Since I hadnt taken my camera, there is not one picture to show for this wonderful summer hike, take my word for every bit of it ;)

Footnote :

• After this hike, I even managed to get some outlet shopping done. Needed some semi-casuals for work- in lieu of some presentations that are lined up soon.



• 7-mile walks, on a daily basis, are wonderful, I say.



• After ages, I actually played throwball at a picnic on Saturday. Gosh, felt like being back in school, for sure.



• I love sitting in my "sun" room watching Olympics at night, specially on this Saturday, when I had a "full moon" peep in through my french windows. Kept me company for quite a few hours while Phelps made history. And then it followed me upstairs to my bedroom and kept peeping till the wee hours of the morning, thanks to the bathroom mirrors that reflect it as I sat in bed catching up on some reading.



• Since December 2007(when I first set my eyes on it), till now(August-8mths)- I've been consistently, exponentially taken to it once in two months- so the count officially as of date is 5 times.
  
  Unhealthy, no?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What am I talking about? I am referring to the movie 'Jab we met'. I've never in my life watched ANY movie this many times. Sony(at least the one I subscribe to, where I live- and I have no plans of discontinuing this superior service :P) seems to have a penchant to playing this movie once in two months. And I make it a point to never miss it. I watch it from start to finish with relish, each time, every time. I dont step away, even for a minute. (Oh, and there's that one time...errrr, uhm, oh well- I watched it on youtube as well)
  
  Issue?

While 'Yeh Ishq Hai', 'Nagada Nagada' and 'Mauja hi Mauja' are my all-time faves(in EXACTLY that order), as I watched the movie this time, I seem to have taken a liking to this song :

PS: Next time, I absolutely have to list some of my favorite lines and scenes for ths movie. I mean I absolutely HAVE to!