shuma.rani

Moving on...

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:33:00 +0000

Have become quite frustrated with blogger of late, and so I'm 'shutting up shop' here and moving to pastures new. Come and visit me at shumasays for random my posts ;)

some days...

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:56:00 +0000

don't you wish you could just disappear...

4 days, 3 nights

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:35:00 +0000

Stuck in the office with mountains of paper work, but happily distracting myself with memories of my visit to Berlin.

Day 1

- Walked from hotel to the alexanderplatz area

- Lunch at an Italian restaurant

- Visited the DDR museum

- H&M shopping and bought myself a mustard top

- Return to hotel and rest (watched a couple of films)

- Picked up tickets for 7 Khoon Maaf

- Dinner at Cafe mohring

- Fabisch Bar and tried Berliner Weisser for the first time

Day 2

- Hackescher Markt

- Visited Berlin’s main Synagogue

- Techeles - graffiti place

- Brandenburg gate

- Reichstag from the outside

- Cappuccino and cheesecake

- 7 Khoon Maaf - Berlin International Film Festival

- St oberholtz for some chill time

- Ronsenburger - hotdog and fries

- Hotel for relaxation and films

- Monsieur Vuong – Vietnamese dinner

- Drinks at Fabisch Bar

- talked and welcomed birthday till 2 am

Day 3 (my birthday)

- East side wall gallery

- Checkpoint Charlie

- Cappuccino and himbertraum - raspberry dream

- Main train station and pretzel

- Holocaust memorial

- Presbleger platz

- Anna Blume for tea and cheesecake

- rest and relax at the hotel

- Monsieur Vuong for dinner

- Presecco at Sankt Oberholz

Day 4

- Breakfast

- walk to Alexander platz

- U-Bahn to magadalenestrasse

- Stasi museum

- Biscuits and chocolate from Leiffege

- U-Bahn back to Alexander platz

- walk to Hackescher Markt

- Window shopping

- Lunch at Fabisch

- Latte macchiato at Sankt Oberholz

- Taxi to airport

it's music monday

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:29:00 +0000

this week's #MusicMonday choice is There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths - which i like despite the depressing lyrics ;)

Yesterday's music Monday recommendation

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:26:00 +0000

My music monday for you all this week is http://bit.ly/fLRpAy . It makes me want to dance till the early hours of the morning and I'm sure you will be doing the same :)

Another year, another birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:03:00 +0000

…and another city visited….spent a very sedate and cultured weekend in Berlin. Is it not funny that you can meet a person very randomly or through mutual friends; and than agree to meet in a random city not knowing whether you will actually get on with them without the other friends being around and find you have so much common. Human behaviour never seems to stop amazing me. I’ll be posting photos from my trip soon, for now enjoy this photo of a slice of my favourite cheesecake in the world ;)

music monday...oops

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:45:00 +0000

I've been going to the gym religiously recently, and so came home last night; and warmed up dinner, watched Glee and then went straight to bed and forgot to post my music monday recommendation - oops.

My music choice for this week is by a band called Horse In the Sea (who I came across by chance - i know it happens frequently to me) and really like their song Can't talk to girls. You can hear the song at http://horseinthesea.bandcamp.com/track/cant-talk-to-girls

Have a good week.

music monday

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:41:00 +0000

My music monday choice would have to be Moulinette by Anna Calvi, she has such a powerful voice and it’s hard not be drawn in. I could have her album on a loop. I tried to get tickets to see her at Bush Hall, but such is my luck they were all sold out....

Music Mondays

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:04:00 +0000

I have recently started to recommend a song/band on twitter every Mondays, and so in a bid to blog more often, I'm going to do the same here too.

Today's recommendation is a band called Faded Paper Figures, who sound a little like Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend and the Postal Service, which isn't a bad a thing.

Check out their video for The Persuaded

Lunch time discoveries...

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:52:00 +0000

The weather seems to be improving day by day, which is a good enough incentive to venture out for walk at lunch time. At the end of last year, I changed jobs which equals exciting new challenges, but also the chance to discover another part of London. Watch out for photos from Fitzrovia, Camden and Regent's park.

Making the most of the sun

Scandinavian Kitchen a great discovery on Great Titchfield Street - super service and food

Happy New Year | 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:35:00 +0000

Here's to another adventure filled year....

Fish pie | Sunday supper club

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:26:00 +0000

For yesterday's supper, I tried out Jamie Oliver's fish pie recipe (minus the prawns) and it turned out to be perfect for a cold winter's evening. We had a salad on the side to balance out the potential potato overload ;)

Yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:29:00 +0000

So another sunday came speeding by, and I decided to make lamb burgers with an extra kick i.e with green chillies, garlic, lime zest and a handful of coriander for the sunday supper club. To accompany the burgers, I made potato wedges (with a healthy amount of spicy seasoning) and flat mate made a salad to balance the rest of the meal out. Lets just we were warmed up by spice, just what was needed on a cold sunday evening.

Baking festive cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:07:00 +0000

At home with a cold, so the best way I can cure myself is to do some baking. I bought some cookie cutters from John Lewis (during the week) and my flatmate very kindly went out and bought the ingredients. Below are some photos from the baking session, we had particular fun adding designs to the cookies.

Arcade Fire at The O2

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:17:00 +0000

The photos below were taken last night at the O2, where Arcade Fire played their last night in London. Great performances with so much energy, they really knew how to get the crowd all warmed up. A fantastic way to end another fabulous year of music discoveries....

SSC - sunday supper club

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:46:00 +0000

Sunday supper club at my newish place, has become a nice way to end on the weekend on and prepare for the week ahead. Each sunday, my flatmate and I take it in turns to make supper. I made a roasted vegetable (aubergine, peppers, onions) tart with goats cheese sprinkled on top - my own recipe.

Sunday with friends

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:02:00 +0000

New adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

What's your favourite meal of the day?

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:52:00 +0000

My flatmate and I decided to treat ourselves to a proper home cooked sunday brunch. So, we cooked up a mighty feast of pancakes, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs with jalapeño and cheese; and topped off with fresh strawberries. Brunch certainly is the best meal of the day. What's your favourite meal of the day?

hmm, pancakes

crispy bacon...

grated cheese for the eggs

eggs scrambling away

all set with a lovely glass of apple juice

Open House | Royal Society

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:16:00 +0000

Original wooden doors from the time of the Germany Embassy in 1930s

Original floor preserved under glass

Benjamin Franklin

Lovely wood work on the original doors

The Royal Society's Coat of Arms

Painting of the Royal Society at it's previous location

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Council Room

Made me laugh!

A quite weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:22:00 +0000

Paris with Mum - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:32:00 +0000

Day 2 - Day trip out of Paris - to visit Chateau de Versailles

Golden Gates

Mum was very good about indulging my photography antics

The Hall of Mirrors - Grande Galerie or Galerie des Glaces

Amazing paintings in every corner

Tourist Heaven

The Palace is surrounded by some amazing parks

We ended the day with a visit to the Arc de Triomphe followed by dinner on Champs-Elysees

Paris with Mum - Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:37:00 +0000

Day 1 actually started after lunch at a local cafe/bar near our hotel in the Marais

We took the metro to nearest station to the Eiffel Tower

We noticed the south piller had the shortest line, we later realised the reason was that you have to walk/climb to the second stage before taking the lift to the top, whereas the other three had lifts all the way to the top....

And, so we began our walk/climb to the second stage. I don't think Mum will ever forget this experience...

You can see the Sacre Coeur in the distance from the first stage

Parisian rooftops

The only way is up...

Postcard moment

Champ de Mars

Trocadero

Sunset over Paris

Let the show begin

Cafe de Trocadero - ready for a well deserved dinner

You can't beat a good tarte au citron to end the day..

Finally in concert...

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:32:00 +0000

After years of listening to his music and seeing them picturised on the big screen, a small group of us went to see A R Rahman in concert at the Wembley Arena in London; and what an amazing experience. The production was very well organised and catered to old and new fans. I was particularly excited to hear songs from Roja, Humse hai muqbala and Rangeela. A surprisingly exciting evening with equally enthusiastic fans like myself. It's great to be able to tick this off my list of performers to see live....

The man himself - A R Rahman

Beautiful dream sequence

Singing Bharat Humko Jaan

Singing a duet with Lata Mangeshkar

A R Rahman singing Vande Mataram

Dancers and singers on stage performing the final song of the evening of the Jai Ho.....

Mum's first trip to Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Suma) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:34:00 +0000

Ever since I can remember, my mum has always wanted to go to Paris, see the Eiffel Tower and said that I should wait for 'the one' to take me there.... Well, I broke the last wish (as I was tired of waiting) and went last year for the first time. I knew instantly that I would have to return very soon and take mum with me. So, on one boring afternoon at work, I decided to book two Eurostar tickets for Mum and I. Below is a quick note of the things we did during our fabulous time in Paris (I took over 400 photos and have not yet had chance to sort them out, but will upload some shortly):-

Day 1

- train to Paris at 8.02am. Awake from 5am, left house at 6am.
- in coach with predominantly American and Canadian students - generally very loud
- delayed arriving into gard du nord due to fatality on the tracks...,
- checked into hotel. Nearest metro San Sebastian
- lunch at a local cafe
- rest back at hotel (changed rooms)
- We met a very friendly Bengali couple from Calcutta resting near the Eiffel Tower en route from visiting their son in the States
- Eiffel tower (a long walk to the top for mum)
- two hours from start to finish
- sunset view of Paris from the tower
- dinner at cafe de trocodero (with dessert - tarte au citron)
- metro back home
- taxi (as we got our metro station mixed up)

Day 2

- breakfast at local cafe
- train to Versailles
- tour of chateau de Versailles
- lunch in cafe near by to the chateau
- back to the hotel for a rest
- arc de triompe
- champs élysées
- dinner at fouquet's
- banoffe ice cream from haggen daz

Day 3

- French breakfast at local cafe
- arc Le defense
- musee de l'orangerie (water lilies by Monet)
- jardin des Tuileries
- lunch at Le forentine
- galleries Lafayette
- afternoon coffee at illy
- musee d'lourve
- hotel for some rest time
- walked from hotel to Bastille, dinner in Sully, walked through the marais to notre dame, crepe citron at cafe Paris
- metro back to the hotel

Day 4

- breakfast at the two windmills in monmarte (the cafe featured in the film Amelie)
- easy walk up to Sacre Coeur
- metro to musee d'Pompidou
- book shopping at Shakespeare and company
- lunch in the marais
- walked back to the hotel (bastille and marais) - Owen Wilson cycled past with his dog
- supermarket shopping
- taxi to gard du nord for our train back to London