of travels and travails

in the header

2009-07-19T17:26:00.004+04:00

Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who said that they liked my new header photo. I love taking shots of doors and windows, as much as I love taking shots of the little things around my home. This was taken on Princess street in Fort Kochi in December 2008 just down the road from Old Courtyard Hotel and the Chinese fishing nets. I remember this day well, since it was my hubby's birthday and we wanted to eat some continental seafood, his two favorite kinds of food.

I'm not that great at taking shots of people, or maybe it's just that I haven't done it enough, or that I'm self conscious, but for whatever reason, these urban shots without people are becoming quite a favorite type of shots for me, espeically when I travel.

See it where I'd posted this shot on my flickr photostream earlier this year. Posting a small version of it here, so that this post makes sense when I change the header photo :-)

on an old addiction

2009-07-15T14:51:00.002+04:00

There are some things that turn into addictions, that end up consuming all your time, frustrating you and giving you joy at the same time. Well, golf used to be one of them for me. There was a time that I spent a lot of time on practicing my game, heading to the practice area early in the morning, working with a golf coach, using golf training aids and so on. For a while I really was stuck to the schedule, but then it just wore me out and I went to the other extreme of not playing a round of golf for ages.

I still love the game, but realize that it's not a game that one can take up as and when one feels like it and still end up with good results. To be a good golfer, you have to be consistent. That's it, really. You don't have to spend lots of money or hours and hours on the course, but you do have play the game on somewhat of a regular basis.

tag: 29 things and counting

2009-07-13T12:35:00.005+04:00

I'm way behind in responding to tags, so I thought I'd start with this fun one that Patricia tagged me with. So sit back with a cup of tea or coffee and get to know me better.

1. What is your current obsession?
Figuring out which camera to buy, baking, buying artwork from Etsy, using my new juice extractor and crafting.

2. What is your weirdest obsession?
Endlessly putting stuff away in the kitchen at night.

3. What are you wearing today?
Jeans and a cap sleeved eyelet top. I work at home as a freelance writer and researcher so I can wear anything I want :-)

4. What’s for dinner?
Something healthy....but not sure what...just had lunch.

5. What’s the last thing you bought?
A set of postcards from Ikea a couple of days back.

6. What are you listening to right now?
Pandit Jasraj Live at Shivaji Park CD and of course the ever present hum of the air conditioners.

7. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Patricia's always got so much energy, and it comes across so effortlessly in her posts and photographs. I'm always impressed with her creativity and vibrancy.

8. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
So many choices....I think I'd love to have a place in the Himalayas...like 360 Yeti in the Kumaon hills of Uttranchal.

9. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Fun summer sandals, capris, dark glasses and an umbrella to combat the heat.

10. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour,where would you go?
Anyplace where it's raining!

11. Which language do you want to learn?
French and German. The hubby speaks Germain, and he's really keen that I learn. I already know how to count in German and say the essentials, like "I love you" and "oh crap"!

12. What’s your favorite quote?
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
Mohandas K Gandhi

13. Who do you want to meet right now?
My new nephew, Alexander Indus

14. What is your favorite color?
All colors....but lately greens, yellows and blues.

15. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?
A floaty cream colored top with crochet details at the neck, so perfect for this heat.

16. What is your dream job?
What I do right now...freelance writer and researcher. I work at home, which I love, set my own hours, take up as much work as I want to, and best of all, I don't have to ask anyone for time off!

17. What’s your favorite magazine?
Used to be Domino, but since that's shut down, am browsing through a whole bunch of other ones. I like Living etc quite a bit.

18. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Artwork from Etsy...it's an addiction.

19. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Sari's tied too high, white socks with black pants, wearing see-through clothes...

20. Who are your style icons?
In the Indian sphere, I love the effortless style of Maharani Gayatri Devi. Internationally, Isabela Rosalini.

21. Describe your personal style.
Something that I feel comfortable in, well fitted but not skin tight, natural fabrics, vibrant colors.

22. What are you going to do after this?
Get back to work and have a cup of green tea to keep me going.

23. What are your favorite movies?
Too many to list....but some that I have seen again lately historicals like Jodha Akbar, Ben Hur and Cleopatra and crime capers of all kinds.

24. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?
Eyeliner, moisturizer, lip gloss

25. What inspires you?
Beauty in nature

26. Give us three styling tips that always work for you
1) Be comfortable...in your clothes and in your skin.
2) Don't try too hard to be something that you're not.
3) Stay away from impulsive buys, it's just not worth it.

27. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?
Put on some music and dance! I always come up with cool combination's of clothes after doing this!

28. Coffee or tea?
Both...just depends on the time of day and my mood.

29. Pet peeve?
People cutting in line.

**The rules are: Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other people.

I'm not tagging anyone, but feel free to take this up if you'd like.

PS: The cup in the photo is neither tea nor coffee (obviously!). It's a cinnamon and honey concoction that tastes really good and feels very soothing.

photo: outside the door

2009-07-11T19:03:00.002+04:00

A shot from several months back of the lovely bougainvillea bush outside our door. I'm sad to say that this lovely plant is drying up and dying. The gardener changed a few months back and the new chap really doesn't know how to look after any plants, and I have no idea how he really became a gardener. Well, the more likely explanation is that he really isn't a gardener, but just does this kind of stuff for some extra money. The landlord is away on vacation and until he comes back nothing can be done, except give the plans a bit extra attention between all of us.

on learning something new

2009-07-11T18:57:00.003+04:00

Don't you think that sometimes life takes on such a routine course that one forgets to make any changes or do anything different. One just seems to carry on without making any effort to learn something new, it seems. I've been feeling that I've been getting just too comfortable in my usual routine and must do something different. The options really are quite varied here, everything from riding lessons to ceramic classes to foreign languages. The requirement for riding lessons include breeches which are an essential part of the experience and I'm really quite keen on learning, but for the weather which makes it quite a bit like torture I'm sure. I should probably be smart about it and go in for indoor activities until the weather improves.

travel notes

2009-07-11T18:55:00.001+04:00

As an avid traveler, there are some things that I always carry with me on our travels, such as a camera, notebook, and either a roaming phone service or prepaid phone card when traveling overseas. Phone services have changed a lot in the past few years and it has become extremely simple to get connected to any part of the world, so why not stay connected with loved ones while you are away as well! It is the simplest thing in the world to carry some prepaid phone cards and use them from anywhere to anywhere, without worry about having the right currency, the right change or any such thing.

Now, when you search for prepaid phone cards on the Internet, you will get lots and lots of results, but be sure of where you actually buy it, since it's no fun getting stranded with a dud phone card, right? Sometimes, I find that it's really important to be able to get away from it all and like to go on vacation where there are no connections at all, just so I can switch off my phone for some time. It's such a relief not to be connected all the time.

Good luck on your travels!

I'm no expert on this...

2009-07-11T18:45:00.003+04:00

Continuing on from my last post, I must add that I'm not really sure how I became such an "expert" or rather perceived to be an expert for topics like top diet pills, weight loss and so on. I think I should go back in my archives and dig up the post that started it out, right! It might all make more sense to me than it does now. There are lots of actual experts that readers should be going to, instead of coming to a casual blogger like me, well at least on this subject, but what is a girl to do. Stop extra traffic from coming to my blog, no way....I welcome all visitors, no matter how you came here. Enjoy the reading and bits of expertise, although I'm not saying what I'm an expert on :-)

Writing according to what is expected by readers

2009-07-11T18:38:00.003+04:00

Well, the thing is that it turns out that my reviews for many products are in hot demand. How, you say? I know, I find it hard to believe to, but apparently it is so. The number of people coming to my blog searching for things like diet pill reviews and best ways to lose weight seem only to be increasing, much to my consternation. I mean, how many more times do I write about the best ways to be slim and trim, how to do it healthily and so on. To be very frank, I'm not that much of an expert anyway, well, not any kind of expert at all, but my unseen readers seem to think I am and they're visiting me in droves. How can I disappoint them?

Happy Weekending!

2009-07-02T19:50:00.002+04:00

Happy Weekending everyone! I'll be away from the computer on my weekly computer free day....there seems to be so much time when I don't turn the computer on :) I hope to finish The Duchess by Amanda Foreman that my dearest hubby gave me when I reached Dubai and I plan to dig out and sort out all my recipe books and cook up something wonderful to impress my dearest one!

Hope all of you have a nice weekend too!

How many computers are too many?

2009-07-02T19:30:00.004+04:00

I was so relieved when our computer saga was over earlier this year. Saga, as in both of us looking to update our laptops and buy them before they crashed due to old age. Well, we did manage to get good deals for both of us and thought that it was all over. But now, we realize that we do need to have some kind of desktops too, since there are still some advantages over having one of these laptops. But the thing is that we already have two laptops, and my old laptop is still around, so do we need another toy to play with? I'm hoping to have a look at some of them and let the decision come over me....or is that wishful thinking!

list: The simple sounds of Summer

2009-06-30T11:22:00.011+04:00

While I load some new CDs onto my iPod, I jot down some of the little sounds of summer that make me happy.

some of the little things that I love....
~hearing the tiny birds peck at the window in the afternoons...
~listening to the dull thud of a ripe mango falling to the ground outside my windows...
~reliving the joy of listening to old music....currently listening to In the Ghetto by Elvis Presley....
~enjoying a revival of old style music....Duffy's Mercy coming up next....
~setting a fun ringtone on my new cell phone...
~relishing the sound of lawn mowers from the neighborhood. It's the desert here, remember, having a lawn is a luxury....
~missing the sound of the all the ice cream vendors....
~water splashing from the hose as the kids play in the water....
~the tinkling of ice cubes in a glass....

Enjoy the summer!
It's burning up here....46C here yesterday and with the heat factor added in about 50C. Can't wait for cooler weather....just 5 more months :-) It's a test of will power to focus on just the good things about summer!

on the road

2009-06-28T20:51:00.008+04:00

~A local village house with the traditional slate roof. Fagu is along the crest of the mountain behind, above the left gate.~

Driving through Himachal has been something that I have always loved, especially exploring the back roads where one might see some really beautiful and unspoiled spots. On our trip to Mashobra, we took the Bekhalty road to go to Narkanda instead of going on NH 22 via Kufri. The Bekhalty road was the original alignment for the continuation of the railway line beyond Simla, which eventually never got made, so it is completely level and is great for walking as well.

~The Oberoi's Wildflower Hall Spa and Resort is the white building with green conical roofs at the top of the hill~

The road starts from Mashobra bazaar and joins up at Bekhalty on NH 22 just before Theog, from where one goes along the crest of the hill towards Narkanda. Incidentally, this is the same ridge as the Simla one and is the continental divide. Toss water down to one side and it'll end up in the Bay of Bengal and the other down to the Arabian Sea.

~Thick forests in this area and very steep hillsides. Can you spot the house hidden amongst the trees?~

The total drive on this road is 17 km from Mashobra to Bekhalty, which is a decidedly longer time than it would take on the main road. Interestingly, the total distance from Mashobra to Narkanda turned out to be exactly the same from either route, since we went one way and came back the other. There was a good amount of construction on this road, albeit in the few patches that opened up in the forest. Many were weekend homes being constructed by city dwellers and probably a few small resorts as well.

~The next valley, which is much wider and flatter, with agricultural fields. There is lots of construction going on in the area.~

What a reprieve!

2009-06-17T12:17:00.002+04:00

Miracles do happen!

I am still in a bit of a daze, regarding the whole flickr thing, which I really thought was a complete done thing. I am relieved that I still have access to it, even though I now know not to take it for granted, and accept that it can go any time, and that I have to be OK with that.

I had planned a series of things to do, for work and for creativity, to keep busy and not dwell on the fact the such a fun part of my daily life would just disappear all of a sudden. It just goes to show, how attached we all get to things, and this is not even a real thing that we can touch.

airport conversations

2009-06-17T11:41:00.002+04:00

OK, so do I have something like "ask me for diet advice" written on my forehead? I didn't see anything like that when I last checked in the mirror, but people seem to be coming to me to ask questions about this left, right and center. Yesterday, a girl sitting next to me at the airport, while we were waiting to board the aircraft, struck up a conversation, and pretty soon asked me what I did to be so slim and trim (as a skinny girl always trying to put on weight, it becomes a bit irritating to hear this, even though it sounds like a compliment), and if I took any medication, what the best diet pills were and so on. She was rather slim and trim herself, so I asked her why she was so interested in them, so very sweetly, she said they were not for herself but her hubby. Hmmmm, not so sure about that one.

photo: valley view

2009-06-15T15:14:00.003+04:00

I'm back from my Mashobra trip! It was a good getaway, but June is just too busy a time to go to Simla and it's environs. There are way too many tourists and just too many cars. I will be posting more shots of my trip in the coming week. This shot was the view from our room. Behind the first range of mountains and hidden in the clouds are from left to right...the snow covered peaks of Kulu, Spiti and Garhwal.

an idea for a patio table

2009-06-03T08:52:00.003+04:00

I was browsing through some decor sites the other day and found some really great ideas for patios. While most people use them in the summer, we get to use our outside area in the winter, but having the right sort of furniture and accessories, can make an area a retreat no matter what time of the year it is, right? I am especially keen on getting some kind of a glass tile table, that will weather the sunny days and cold nights of the desert, something that I don't have to worry about moving about too much either, and obviously something too heavy for someone to pick up and take away!

photo: apple ade for breakfast

2009-06-01T11:28:00.004+04:00

How about a nice tall glass of apple-ade to beat the heat! We were eating breakfast at The Lime Tree Cafe in Dubai, when I took this shot. This is a popular place for breakfast and lunch...it closes at 6pm and serves no dinner. I love the casual and completely relaxed atmosphere and we try to eat a leisurely breakfast here every few months or so.

Posted here on my photostream on flickr.

would you use a short cut to lose weight?

2009-06-01T11:14:00.004+04:00

I met a young girl the other day at a party, who wants to be a model, and believes the best way to lose and control weight is by using an appetite suppressant. She asked me what I thought about them, but I really didn't know what to say. I don't think I've ever known anyone who has used them before, but one reads about people using them in mags and sees the tons of advertisements at the end of the magazines and on the Internet of course. I'm a firm believer of using natural remedies, of eating the right fruit and vegetables in the right season, eating them in the right combination, to look and feel good. Some short cuts are worth it, but by and large, most of them end up backfiring in the long term, so one must be extremely careful. I would recommend consulting with a doctor and getting a proper checkup first.

list: travel memories

2009-05-21T11:30:00.006+04:00

Spectacular view of the mountains around Mussoorie in the morning.

Some of my oldest memories go back to travel and trips and they are the ones I cherish with all of my heart. Travel has always evoked happiness in my life, whether the travel was short day trips or picnics or longer and more adventurous trips. Some are of places that I traveled to just once, but have stayed with me, others are of well-loved places that are re-visited often.

In our list feature this month, Lakshmi at Celebrations of Life, Kanchan at Elan and I decided to feature the 5 places that we love, that we cherish, the 5 places that are entwined in our travel memories.

1) Kulu Valley: We used to live part of the year here or rather spend the season there in the summer when we were kids. I clearly remember how pristine and beautiful the landscape was, how few people there were, how there was just one Punjab Roadways bus that used to drive by each day, how there were so few tourists, no litter, barely any graffiti and most of all, the feeling that everyday was an adventure. We used to go for picnics regularly, to Fagu, to Koti, to Tillasharni, to a forest across the river, which we crossed on a little rickety wooden bridge, with the Beas roaring below us.

Looking down from our room towards Camel's Back Road in Mussoorie.

2) Mussoorie: A short trip last year in September, which was a wonderful time to be there, after the main monsoon was over and before the puja holidays started. The town was quiet and calm, which is what we wanted. We walked everywhere, a new route everyday, taking in the fresh mountain air, the stillness, the perfection and the feeling of wonderment at nature's bounty.

3) Dagshai: This quiet little cantonment town in Himachal is always overlooked by tourists, and rightly so, there is nothing to do here. And that's exactly why I love it so much. We spent several weekend trips from boarding school here and had a wonderful routine of walking around the town. As with most old cantonment towns, there are two roads that circle the hilltop, one going over the top and one circling lower down, so one always had a choice on what type of walk one wanted. Being able to see the lights of Chandigarh so clearly from the front bedroom was a beautiful sight.

Traditional planters chair outside our room at the Birds Lagoon Village Resort, near the Thattekadu Bird Sanctuary.

4) Kerala: A family vacation, with 11 of us plus driver and attendant, driving from Bangalore to Kochi via Wayanad and Thrissur. From there to the Thattekadu Bird Sanctuary, then Thekkady and finally to the houseboats at Kumarakom. A hectic trip, but a fantastic one. We stayed at small resorts and one home stay, which we all preferred to hotels, since the atmosphere is much nicer and more appropriate for family travel. We wanted to spend time together, rather than just meeting up for meals in the restaurant.

Outside Old Courtyard Hotel in Fort Kochi, where we ate a sumptuous lunch on Boxing Day.

Gathering for morning tea at all the places was one of my favorite memories from the trip, and they all happened impromptu, with all of us exploring the resorts, walking around and ultimately heading for tea at a common area.

St Michael's Manor bed and breakfast in Scotland, Maryland. I took this shot from the hammock where I lazed in the afternoon :-)

5) Maryland to Maine: Another family trip in the summer of 2006, when we decided to drive from the DC area up along the east coast, exploring the area, visiting old family, friends and old haunts. We drove from DC to Long Island, from where we visited NYC on the Jitney, took the ferry across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, stayed in Providence, RI for a while, visiting our old haunts in Bristol and Newport. We then drove further north to Boston, exploring nearby states of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. On our way back south, we stopped in New Jersey and then headed to a little town called Scotland, in rural Maryland, where we stayed at a charming bed and breakfast called St Michael's Manor. All in all a great trip, with lots of fun, great food and fantastic memories.

search for anything at all

2009-05-21T11:25:00.003+04:00

When it comes to the Internet, everything seems possible, whether it is finding the right kind of binoculars to take on that birding trip or pressure washers for your boss. Interestingly, each search makes one as curious about the next. I'm a huge believer in books and their longevity, but when it comes to searching for words and spellings, I automatically go to the Internet to search and bypass the physical dictionary and thesaurus. So, while it's good for many things, it has also led to such a different way of life and turned the emphasis on searching.

traveling with insurance

2009-05-21T11:17:00.002+04:00

As any frequent traveler knows, the key to have a trouble free vacation is to have some dependable travel health insurance that can take care of any kind of health issues while you're away. There is nothing worse than being sick when you're away from home, and not having a plan just makes it worse. Besides health insurance, I think having a basic travel insurance is a good idea too...to take care of lost baggage, delayed flights and so on. A lot of providers offer a comprehensive package, while some offer it free with credit cards etc, so be sure to check up on all this information before heading out on a trip.

photo: after a short rainy spell.

2009-05-14T11:07:00.003+04:00

Everything becomes washed clean, everything smells fresh, everything looks new and everything seems possible.

I took this shot outside our home in Dubai....living in desert, means lots of sand everywhere, which is why paving stones like these are very popular, to cover part of the garden and instead turn it into a mini-grove of date palm trees.

vacation movie watching

2009-05-14T10:57:00.003+04:00

When on vacation, I usually like to catch up with movies and TV watching, but this time with the IPL going on, there hasn't been much time for that. We've been thinking of getting a new tv mount of some kind to change the angle, but haven't got around to that as yet. This time around, with the standoff between movie producers and the multiplexes, there are no new releases, so the emphasis has just been on old classics at home, whenever the IPL match is on only at night. Last week, we watched Casablanca, Cleopatra and Sound of Music. On the list are Ben Hur, Gone with the Wind, The Ten Commandments and some of the old Shakespearean plays.

Fashion for recessionary times

2009-05-14T10:37:00.002+04:00

They say fashion follows the economy, or is it the other way around? There have been reams written about how if you dress too well on the job, you're not likely to get a promotion, since it looks like you already have enough money. They say thick and plush ties are out, and a very streamlined narrow tie is in, along with slimmer cuts of jackets and pants, which supposedly makes you look better, and more lean and mean, I suppose.

It's a bit of a catch-22 situation, as to get a job and nowadays, to keep one as well, one has to dress well, but without a job, how does one invest in clothing? And that's where wholesale clothing companies come into play. With inventories going ballistic at most retailers, they are turning to liquidation companies to clear older stock, some of which is high-end merchandise. While you're sure to find some really odd ball merchandise, consumers are quite happy at finding quality merchandise for less.

Overheard: at a book launch

2009-05-09T16:44:00.005+04:00

Says the lady behind me, who looked like an older version of Bachi Karkaria, as we slowly made our way through the narrow balcony passageway to the wine and cheese counters, "This seems to be a two-way street of continuous displacement."

Heard at the book launch of Keki Daruwala's For Pepper and Christ at India Habitat Centre on 8th May, 2009. More on the book launch in another post.