Soul Kadhi

On A Gourmet Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 11:47:00 +0000

I have been cooking here and there since I got into college. My mother never forced both her daughters to 'learn cooking' and rather they'd focus on their studies. But like my mother learned from hers, I did from mine - just by watching her cook. The great power of the subconscious mind is that it registers things even without you trying to do it intentionally. And so, all those study sessions on the long cooking platform while mom cooked, those chat sessions where I would recite the day's events - all were parallel-y registering the way my mum cooked.

When I moved to Bangalore with my sister, I became a better cook. Cooking under an hour, preparing breakfast and lunch for office just in time to catch the bus - everything happened nicely. I never got feedback on my cooking, though my sister was a darling and never said it was bad :D I became confident.

But when I got married, I hardly had a chance to cook because my father-in-law has developed peculiar tastes - let's just say he mostly likes what his wife cooks :) Which gave me jitters! The idea of getting rejected may be. And so I almost hardly cooked for two years, except when the need be. Eventually, I lost interest in cooking for various reasons, one of them being no motivation. So instead of getting my head into it and being dejected, I would only help my mother-in-law.

Two months back, I and the better-half rented out a place of our own, a world of our own. I had limitless opportunities in front of me to lead a life my way. To cook my way. The better-half took a good interest in cooking and my my! Does he cook well! [I always knew leos are great cooks ;)] But he is no less of a critique either. My work keeps me busy too (grateful!) and the husband would take care of one meal, mostly dinner. But then, I have collected all these amazing recipe books that need some attention and were making me feel guilty. So I decided to take a self-imposed cooking challenge - one recipe everyday, both from the book and otherwise. The movie Julie and Julia is behind this idea and I want to give it a try. A personal record of what I make on a daily basis.

Seems apt to say - food is my religion now!

Bottle Full Of Emotions...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:07:00 +0000

Bottled up

So this one fine day, I find sea shells tucked away in my closet. I remember keeping them safe so that I will come up with some idea to use them in a beautiful way someday. And that idea struck me that same day. So I ask V if we can execute it, and he was more than happy to take part in it.

Although we've reached only half through, we coloured the bottle in this beautiful aqua-blue. And as I was reading one day, there was a ray of sunlight which made me bring this bottle to be kept against it. I love the effect it has created!

The colour, apt to its name, gives a reflection of water inside it... It made me think on how sometimes we bottle up things inside us. The emotions seem to flow smooth as water, and all we have to do is vent out to the right person. Look at the brighter side - it brings out the best in you, sheds you of the assumptions you have, and makes you look beautiful...bringing out the true colours.

Though it's not as easy as it sounds (for me, at least), all we have to do is let go...

The Smaller Picture

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:30:00 +0000

It's a beautiful weather here in Nagpur since a few days and I was walking to my in-laws' place today when some good thoughts struck me.

- How great it has been to have such good friends around, both old and new.

- It feels awesome to know friends relate you to good things in life.

- How enormously lucky I have been to be married to a person who I fell in love with, and who loves me back.

- I have been able to work in an off-beat career.

- I am finding so much time to read and relax.
- I am trying to be better at things, every day.

Oh how I love it when I'm happy :)

The Everyday Ritual

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:59:00 +0000

I don't know why I recall this incident today particularly, but I got reminded of it this morning. When V leaves for office everyday, it is a ritual that I stand in the balcony, till he leaves. Pretty much like any other wife I guess.

He goes near his bike, adores it for a while and patiently pulls it out. And his part of the ritual is that he should look up at me and wave, before he drives off to office. It's become such a habit now, for both of us! So this one day, a few weeks back, he forgot to look up at me and drove off! I was surprised and felt bad that he left without completing the most important part of his ritual (no, not adoring the bike :P)! A few seconds later, I see him pushing his bike backwards to look and wave at me :) And I laughed heartily while looking at him :)

I doted on that incident that whole day, and I fall in love with V all over again, today :'-)

A Closet Full Of Memories And Life!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 13:21:00 +0000

My books have been lying on the table at my in-laws' house. I noticed how they have reduced the space at the table and decided to line them up in V's shelf. As I started taking out books to make space for new ones, there was this whole line of V's books from school and college behind this visible line! I smiled instantly, my geek! He has preserved everything that he has learnt. I find that to be very adorable. But this activity also made me want to clean the whole of his shelf. And so began the annual cleaning ritual; only this time, it's at my in-laws' house :)

All I could find throughout the shelf was books, books and books from college! It reminded me of the study shelf we have at home. All you can find there is books from childhood till college. Though V loves his books, sadly he doesn't have time to rearrange them. Every time I opened that closet, I would want to arrange those haphazardly kept books and stuff. So I did today! Amidst pulling out all his books, I found things from his childhood which he has preserved. A broken miniature van from Hot Wheels (of which I've heard stories from V and his parents), his geometry boxes, rakhis, keychains gifted by friends, lots of fountain pens (yay!!)... And a world which opened up in front of me. At every find, I kept thinking what a sweetheart V is.

My mother-in-law told me that he preserves everything, even little pieces of paper which might have only one sentence written on them, which I did notice. She also told me that nobody ever touches his shelf and looks through his stuff! I have the privilege to do so ;)

I also found our wedding cards in that stack, it felt so nice to look at them :) An envelope in which I had sent a letter to him during our letter-writing days, refreshed my memory. Although the letter is in another stack, he still kept the envelope! I had completely forgotten about a post card I had sent to him from Fort Kochi. I looked at the message and was happy to realise that I understand him.

After the cleaning up session, I realised how much I love V. That in love, how you have small joys hidden in such small rituals, or closet if I can say! And also how V's home has become mine too :)

Day 31: My Workspace

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:38:00 +0000

It's been 7 months since I got married. After 3 years of work, I wanted to take a break and be a housewife for a while. Because of this wonderful opportunity, my home became my work space. And since I keep visiting my in-laws, I have two work space! Today I am at my in-laws' house, and this below is my favourite spot since I get to sit by the window :)

This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's prompt is Workspace. With this, the challenge ends today!

Day 30: Friendship Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Among a lot of things, friendship is also about friends coming home just to wish your mom on her birthday and bringing a huge bouquet of flowers for her :)

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's prompt is Friendship.

Day 29: My Perspective...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 06:27:00 +0000

I don't know if this qualifies for the theme of the July Photo A Day Challenge, day 29 - perspective - but this is the best shot I have! This is a small rivulet near V's grandfather's house in Kerala. Whenever I look at this picture, it instantly feels as if I have my feet dipped in this cold refreshing water...

Day 28: Another New Experience!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 17:19:00 +0000

If you ask me what's new in my life, it would generally be updates and purchases about new clothes or stuff for the house. But after a long time, lately, my purchases have been books! This is the latest one which arrived :) Loving it so far! Another new experience comes, yet again from a book.

This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for today is This Is New!

Day 27: It's Black, It's White!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Instead of taking a picture and turning it into black and white, I wanted to take a picture of something that is black and white. So today's prompt for the July Photo A Day Challenge is Black + White, and this is my picture for the prompt.

Day 26: Always In Bloom!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:07:00 +0000

These artificial flowers have been at my in-laws' house since almost 10 years now. When I came to this house 6 months back, they caught my attention. They are as pretty as fresh flowers and it makes me happy when I look at them. An everyday beauty that deserves to be appreciated :)

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's theme is The Everyday.

Day 25: The Ground We Live On...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:17:00 +0000

Since childhood, I've lived in houses that have mosaic tiles. I know it's very common to have mosaic flooring, but it is one of those things which we probably ignore in our every day routine. Today's theme - Ground - for July Photo A Day Challenge gave me the chance to pay attention to it, again :)

Day 24: D Is For Destiny!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Today's prompt for the July Photo A Day Challenge - D is for...
And the idea for the photo was thought of by my better half :) D is for Destiny, he said. Yes, we were destined to be together.

Day 23: Sketched Out A Bookmark!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:02:00 +0000

I feel proud of the small achievements and can brag about it for long :P Thanks to the July Photo A Day Challenge, I got back to sketching/drawing after a long time. Today's prompt is I Drew This!

I love this picture I found on the internet a few months back:

And this was what I tried to sketch! I think this is my best shot :D

I got more enthusiastic :D Cut this out and stuck it on another beautiful piece of paper to make it a bookmark!

A close up :D

Yay!!

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You like it? Would love to know!

Day 22: Grey It Is!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 07:59:00 +0000

I cannot associate grey with being depressed. It's a smart colour when it comes to garments. And it is even more lovelier when it comes to monsoon :) Since I've already posted quite a few pictures of monsoon clouds, I took time to pick this one out. This was taken at Calicut Beach in Kerala... I personally think the rocks make this picture very beautiful...

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This is for July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for Day 22 was Grey.

Day 20: Sweet Tooth - A Big One At That!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 14:32:00 +0000

When it comes to favourite food, it HAS to be cake for me! I love cakes (and now, baking them too :D)! I love desserts in general, but cakes especially; cannot resist one if put in front of me! I love trying different flavours in cakes. This one was baked by me :)

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's theme is Fave Food.

Day 20: Hot And Refreshing!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 17:21:00 +0000

We finally visited a coffee shop we were waiting to try out. And I tasted something interesting on the menu - maggi noodles in Thai red curry! They were very hot :D I liked it, though V did not :P (I also like the colours of the bowl and the plate; the colours of flame, no?)

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's prompt is Hot.

Day 19: Standing Tall

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 11:26:00 +0000

Beautiful, sacred and tall. St. Philomena's Church in Mysore, Karnataka.

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's prompt is Building.

Day 18: The Number Game... On My Clock!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:07:00 +0000

I love different types of wall clocks. Nowadays there are such interesting and fun designs! This one was something me and V had to pick up when we saw it. And I also picked it up since it is perfect for V :) Every morning it's like waking up a child so that he doesn't get late for school :D And every time, this clock reminds me may be this is what is going on in his head!

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for today is Number.

Day 17: What Inspires Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:19:00 +0000

The theme for today's July Photo A Day Challenge is Inspirational. There are so many things I can list. But then, I was stuck on travelling. I find it inspirational and healing, in a way. I feel better if I travel often, though my often is not very often! I feel guilty of not travelling when I look at pictures. There's so much to see! But at the end, travelling inspires me to do lots of things - to step out and see the world, to be humbled by the people I meet, to try and know other cultures, to dream and to have plans of completing those dreams... And so much more!

This was shot in Kerala, on my trip there in June. It's a picture I love since it is very typical of Kerala too :)

Day 16: Shadow Play

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 17:08:00 +0000

We cast a shadow on something, wherever we stand. ~ E. M. Forster

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's theme is Bottle.

Day 15: Sunset From My Window...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 17:22:00 +0000

With the monsoon being so generous and romantic, the view outside is always beautiful :) This is sunset from my window...

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for today is Outside The Window.

Day 14: New For Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:34:00 +0000

When it comes to food, it's exciting to see and, of course, taste new things. My father-in-law loves to eat beans. He brought these purple coloured ones which I haven't seen before (!) and we cooked them today. They are essentially the same as green ones, it's just the colour that's different.

Also, these cute heart shaped chocolates were also brought by my father-in-law for all of us :) He knows how much we all love chocolate!

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. Today's topic is Edible.

Day 13: 4 o' clock

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:25:00 +0000

What am I doing at 4 o' clock? Waiting for rains and loving the weather! My terrace gives a beautiful view of Nagpur city...

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for today is 4 o' clock.

Day 12: Bad Habit? May be...

noreply@blogger.com (Nirupama) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:17:00 +0000

I cannot put desserts and beverages under bad habit. But then, I don't have a bad habit either. So let's go with what everybody thinks is one - tea! I love tea, especially during monsoon and winter.

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This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for Day 12 was Bad Habit.