Fake or Real?

Red is the colour of love. It radiates warmth and a strong sense of vitality. And red is also the colour of the ruby, the king of the gemstones. In the fascinating world of gemstones, the ruby is the undisputed ruler.



For thousands of years, the ruby has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones on Earth. It has everything a precious stone should have: magnificent colour, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance. In addition to that, it is an extremely rare gemstone, especially in its finer qualities.

It is very difficult for a common man to tell the difference between a real & a fake Ruby.

If you see the above pictures, one is a fake ruby & one is a real one..The colour & shine are almost same.

Of course an expert in gems would definitely make out which one is real in a second.

Most people will never know the difference between Red Glass & Ruby & wouldn't matter to them what is it that they own...

Some people would know the difference & wish for the Ruby but get stuck with the Glass either because they can not afford the price of Ruby or they don't deserve the Ruby..Their destiny is to be with the Glass..

There would be only rare few who would know the real Ruby, understand & appreciate its value & provide a perfet setting of Gold / Platinum for the Ruby..to own it & cherish it!!!

So what would you own? Fake? or Real?

:-) :-) :-)

 

What is my future???

You have to make the right choice. As long as you don't choose, everything remains possible..

Any of the choices you make is the right one! Every path is the right path. Everything could have been anything else and it would have just as much meaning.


Each & Every day of our life we have so many choices to make..Right from what time to get up, to what breakfast do we have, what do we wear to work, what kind of attitude I wear today, what profession to choose, to whom should we marry, where should we live, etc.. Life sometimes feels a plethora of choices..And even after making a choice, we deliberate..did we make the right one???


Nevertheless we go on with our choices only sometimes stopping by to reflect what if we had taken a different path???


Today, I realised whatever path I would have chosen would have been the right one..Till the time I did not choose, the possibilities were endless but once I have chosen, whatever it may be, is the right path for me!


Did I read any self help book? or did I meet any spiritual guru???


I just saw an amazingly incredible movie "Mr. Nobody"!!!


Is it Science Fiction? or a Drama? or a Love Story? or is it a Spiritual Journey???


It is all of these bundled into one!


Breathtaking plot, incredible direction, mindblowing performances, thought provoking quotes, some gyaan on science..this movie has it all!

My most favourite part of the movie though is the Love Story of Anna & Nemo..A Love so passionate yet so pure...Diane Kruger is officially now one of my favourite actresses..The way she portrays Anna's love, passion & helplessness really touched a chord of my heart!!!


Choices alter our life forever..choose to watch this movie..you will surely be altered for better :-)

High High Higher!!!

All I want are high heels, high heels. If I was a girl, I'd wear a lot of high heels. High, stiletto heels!! - Isaac Mizrahi

Why you may ask..'coz Wise men aka doctors always advise against it! Five Reasons you shouldn't wear them:

1. Alters the anatomy of your calf muscles.
2. They might cause you to trip & fall.
3. Create Foot problems.
4. Put stress on back & knees.
5. Causes Pump Bump.

Why you may ask...'coz Wise Women aka Members of High Heel Club advise to go for it! Five Reasons you should wear them:

1. It makes you look taller.
2. It adds oomph & confidence to your personality.
3. It gives you a feeling of floating in the air.
4. It makes flatters envious of you.
5. Looks great with Indian dresses as well as westerns.

Who cares about med problems? They can be cured with Meds & TLC but nothing can beat the advantages of wearing heels!

Just wear it once & increase your SQ! (Sexy Quotient ;-))

So many varieties to try from...

Platforms, Wedges, Chunky, Kitten, Cone, Spool, & the best the Stilettos!!!

Kucchh bhi nahin, Koi bhi nahin..

This one in Hindi..:-)

Hawa thami si thi..

Waqt thehra hua tha..

Main chal rahi thi

Raah mein gumsum, hairaan..

Kucchh bhi to nahin tha paas..

Koi bhi to nahin tha saath..

Sochti thi kya hamesha aisa hi rahega

Kya kucchh bhi nahin badlega..

Achanak se ek tufaan aaya..

Hawa zoron se chali..

Mujhe apne sang le udi..

Sab kucchh bikhar sa gaya..

Ek bhanwar mein phansi mein..

Rehne lagi khush aur hairan..

Haan ab kucchh to hai paas..

Koi to hai saath..

Par jaise achanak aayi thi,

Hawa waise achanak tham gayi..

Aankhein khuli to dekha..

Waqt bhi wahin par tha aur main bhi..

Aur kucchh paas nahin tha..

Koi saath nahin tha..

Aur jaanti hun main ab..

Hamesha aisa hi rahega..

Yehi meri Kismet hai...

Do you remember me?

My first poem, which I did not tear up :-)

Do you Remember

The Rain without season?

Do you Remember

The Kiss without reason?

Do you Remember

The waiting for your call?

Do you Remember

The time when I had a fall?

Do you Remember

The moments we shared?

Do you Remember

How much you cared?

Do you Remember

Stolen moments to be with each other?

Do you Remember

Being Interrupted by my mother?

Do you Remember

The walk in the light of moon?

Do you Remember

The walk in the blazing noon?

Do you Remember

Loving Me?

Do you Remember

Hurting Me?

DO YOU REMEMBER ME???

Fuelling The Passion

Writing is socially acceptable form of being naked in public - Paulo Coelho

When I read this quote, I was dumbfounded! I always shied away from sharing my writings as I was not comfortable baring my thoughts or feelings..I used to think if someone reads this, what would they think? If I write something about love / pain would they think I have experienced it myself? I was not ready to answer anyone's questions if they did! I wrote still but not about anything personal. I wrote for my office mags / on Facebook / blogs. But everything was about non-personal stuff most of the time. If I posted anything that would look personal, my inbox would be flooded with oh, what happened, etc.

After I read this quote, I was like if such a great author can feel this way, it was ok for me to feel the same!

It is time now to write about what I really want to write without having any inhibitions..It may not be liked by all...but I would love the freedom of having all the thoughts outside my mind onto my blogs / books / whatever medium.

'Coz I have also learnt that when you put out all your thoughts on paper it reduces the intensity of your feelings..you become more calm & are at peace with yourself.

I would be very happy to unleash my love / passion for writing & also sharing it with few people who are interested in my work.

So how did it all began?

It all started with my another passion, Reading! Ya right, If I do anything, it has to be passionately! I don't know any other way to do it :-)

Reading has always been like a passion for me since childhood. I have always been a voracious reader. It may be newspapers, comics, short stories, novellas or full fledge novels. I forget myself when i am reading.. I become one with the characters & feel their emotions empathetically. It takes me to places where I can not physically go..transporting me to a world of imagination. Reading has also fuelled my already active imagination! The next logical step for me was to then pour out all the imagination in the form of writing..

I used to write poetries, short essays & stories..but I immediately tore them up after writing..Apart from the reason above, I was also not sure whether I was a good writer or not..

Getting appreciated for whatever I have written till now has made me more comfortable with sharing my writings with public..

To cut a long story short, it is time to fuel my passion & drive it on the highway of imagination..If I get some friends along with me, cool!! If not, then Ekla Chalo Re!!!

Back to the Roots!!!

A typical Kutchhi meal consists of Bajre Ka Rotla (Millet Bread), Odho (A Brinjal Delicacy, also known as Baingan ka Bharta), Garlic Chutney, Jaggery & Chhas (Butter Milk)!!!

The influence is easy to understand as Millet, Sugarcane & Brinjals grow in abundance in this area. Jaggery not only adds the Sweet Rasa to the meal but it also helps in cooling the body. In many households, guests are welcomed with Jaggery water rather than the fancy sherbets for this reason. Chhas is required to balance the dryness of Bajra Rotis & also to combat the heat of the desert. Nothing cools you off like a glassful of Chhas :-)

How the garlic chutney was added in this meal is not known..whether it was to add spiciness to the food or it had Kathiawadi influence, is a subject of research..more so because majority of the population in Kutchh is Jain who abhor anything grown under ground :-)

This kutchhi meal is not restricted to Kutcch..All kutchhi families residing in Mumbai are proud to have this meal as their staple diet inspite of temptations in the form of Pao Bhaji, Chats, & recently Pizzas & Pastas..;-)

A spread of Garlic Chutney on the Bajra Roti would make it an amazing Kutcchi Pizza & it would be drowned with couple of glasses of Kutchhi Beer (i.e. the heavenly buttermilk ;-))

So that was the menu of this Sunday!!!

The Garlic stock was empty at home & hence rushed to the nearby vegetable vendor to get some..Then began the humongous task of peeling the garlics..A quarter kg of garlic stared me in the eyes..I wasn't deterred by those but removed my weapon from its scabbard, i.e. knife from the stand & started peeling off the skin..some of it stuck to my fingers & it was becoming increasingly difficult to complete the task..Meanwhile my neighbour aunty popped in for a chat..she saw me struggling & gave me a tip to crush the garlic with my hand & the skin would be removed easily..& voila flashback time..I remembered how I used to peel garlic in my earlier days..Then the task was easy peazy..;-)

All the garlic peeled & sitting happily naked in the dish, waiting to be crushed & mated with the red chilli powder ;-)

The mixie was plugged & while attaching the jar, I realised that the power was off due to load shedding..There were two options: one, wait for the power to return, which would take another hour or use the good old pestle..And guess what? Pestle it was..Though thought to be strenous, I found it quite easy to make the chutney in the pestle..in fact it was quite fun, easy & did not take much time..

In fact this chutney tasted much better than the mixie made!!!

I asked my neighbour to taste it..She loved it so much that it inspired her to make it at her home as well!!!

Preparing buttermilk is no big deal so won't waste much time on it..

Bajra Rotla is another story though..Its a bit difficult than normal wheat rotis & I was not satisfied with my first performance..Would require more practice for the same..Anyhow, as they say Rome was not built in a day so would not be the Bread!!! ;-)

All this work has made me realise that how much I love cooking & so much time I have wasted in useless activities or just lazing around..

I have pledged to continue my tryst with the kitchen & hopefully make it interesting enough to share the experience!!! ;-)

Happy Cooking to me!!!

Ghevar!!! - A La Rajul :-)

Cooking is a lot like Love - You need to enter into it with total abandon - half hearted efforts don't give good results ;-)

I have always enjoyed cooking since I was quite young..It was a thing of curiosity, a thing of necessity and always had mystery around it..

And it helped that whatever I cooked turned out to be more than decent, tasty most of the times..& when your labour of love is enjoyed by all, it gives you immense satisfaction!!!

Over the years, I had lost touch with my most favourite activity..yes, I cooked sometimes but it was only when mom was not around to do so..

I had been so occupied with my work that the desire to cook was buried deeply in a box which had been locked for a long time..

The first time when the desire popped its head out of the box was while watching Masterchef India..It was amazing how day to day ordinary cooking was turned into an art!!!

Still, the desire had not made way to action..Lately the fire has started burning & need to put a stove on it ;-) (Reasons to personal to publish) ;-)

The one dish on MC India that fascinated me was Ghevar, looks so simple yet so difficult to prepare..

I had tried an attempt earlier, but the batter was ready & had mom's help all the time..(This is one dish that Mom doesn't know how to cook, so had to take Google's help)

It was a disaster in a way..

However, this Sunday, I was determined to make it independently & as perfect as possible..

Thanks to nishamanjulika.com for the easy to understand recipe, I armed myself with all the ingredients required to make Ghevar..

I was also attempting making Rabdi for the first time, as a garnish to my Ghevar..

So Almonds & Pistachios chopped finely, milk kept on boil for rabdi, now Ghevar time..

A herculean attempt to whip Ghee & Milk to the extent they become one..Note to Self: Need an electronic beater :-)

Whipping with spoon wasn't helping & hence had to whisk with hand..At one time i was wondering whether these two will ever come close ;-) He He..

Meanwhile was stirring the milk, so it doesn't feel unloved..<3

Finally, the milk & ghee relented & I heaved a sigh of relief..Mixed the flour & made a nice batter with perfect consistency..

Now the time to make the Sugar Syrup..

Testing (& Tasting as well) whether it was to two thread consistency was a sweet task as had to lick the syrup off the fingers ;-) ;-)

Now came the hardest part - making the actual Ghevar..

How hard i tried but the batter refused to create "Jalis" (A mesh like consistency)..Anyway, the taste was quite good (Papa Speaks)..So Far So Good!!!

Well these look nothing like Ghevar but I did not relent till the batter was quite finished..

This one is the final one:

I know, Marwaris will kill me to call this a Ghevar, but i would call it Ghevar A La Rajul!!!

To appease them I have garnished it with rich rabri & dryfruitssss!!!

Enjoy!!! :-) :-) :-)

Old Girl in the New City!!!

I had been obsessed with something lately..Couldn't think of anything else...Now that stuff is out of my life..needed something to fill the vacuum & that too pronto..What better than going to Happy Places & recreating memories that I hold so dear to my heart?

Remembering a change in my life in 2008...I was fed up with my job profile at that time & badly needed a change..& voila got promoted as a Team Leader..

I am working for a team where we process accounts for UK Client. Our team works in two locations, Mumbai & Bangalore..Initially I had to just check the work done by team & send it across..Later I got to handle the team from Mumbai...If anyone has done that they can relate how frustrating it is when your span of control is limited..Initially there were many communication & trust issues..Over a period of time we had made peace & my team members wanted me to be with them in Bangalore! I too wanted to meet my team in person..

In January 2009, I was shipped to Bangalore for 3 Weeks! My first thought was how I would survive for 3 looooooooong weeks without my beloved Mumbai, & without my Aai :-)

The only comforting thought was that I would get to meet my dearest cousin, my best friend from childhood, Dalesh & spend quality time with my bua, cousin, sister in law & their lovely daughter Rhea!!!

There was also a dream (of course due to the Mills & Boons impressions) that i will meet my special someone in a strange city ;-) Well, it's still a dream but made my travel light & easy <3

I travelled through train & was hoping to see interesting sights on the long journey..However, all the people in my compartment were hell bent on sleeping for the entire duration of journey & I couldn't see anything beyond Kolhapur..

By the way, was very excited to see Kolhapur..Had heard so much about it..Kolhapuri Chappal, Kolhapuri Mirchi & the black sand, etc..I also wanted to have something of Kolhapur, so had a vada pav (Proud Fan) at Kolhapur station..But it was bland beyond imagination..My one thought was no one can beat Mumbai as far as Vada Pav goes ;-)

Well, then stuffed myself with Bourbon biscuits..Mom had packed some sandwiches but they got stale due to the heat..

Off to sleep & M & B dreamland..:-) Till landed at Bangalore City Station.

Was tired as hell but eager to meet team..

Then Went to guest house & rested for whole day..

From Next day began my happy carefree & independent life at Bangalore..

Thanks to Shaji & Shekhar, it was a very smooth stay..

Still remember the south indian yummy breakfast at Sandhya, the awesome sandwiches, Sapota (Chikoo) Milkshakes, continental breakfasts at CCD, hunting for good places to eat..:-), all you can eat buffet at Masala Chowk (Eva Mall) - Had a first look at real Chocolate Fountain! Was mesmerised <3, MTR Ki Coffee, its amazing how they serve ghee in a tiny bowl!!!

Also did some sight seeing on my own..Garuda & Forum Mall, Brigade Road, Lalbaugh Botanical Garden (Was fortunate to visit during the Flower Show)

What a sight..Was delirious looking at all the amazing flowers!!!

Had a pleasant surprise when my younger cousin, Mihir was also in Bangalore at the same time with his newly wedded wife, Masumi..It was great as got to know how lovely she is else wouldn't have got a chance :-)

Had a great time re-bonding with everyone..playing dumb charades & cards, playing with my sweet niece Rhea, talking endlessly to my sister in law, Vinisha & visiting the Bannerghatta National park with them..It was the best experience of my entire trip!!!

Of course i worked too, in case any one is wondering..;-) ;-) ;-)

All the fun was during lunch time & week ends :-)

I had grown too fond of my team & most of all Bangalore..As my day to return to Mumbai was approaching, I was feeling sad to leave & what do you know? Got an extension of a week to stay!!! Was Loving it :-)

but all good things come to an end! Also, was badly missing mom ke haath ka khana..Thought If I saw Idli for one more time, I would just puke :-)

My Last Day was on Saturday, 7th February, when we were also celebrating Rose Day in the office!!! I was returning back by Flight, my first time ever..

I had got a whiff that my team was planning something for me so I had to go to office plus had to do packing & collect sweets & also get roses as we were celebrating Red Day + Rose Day. My bua had given me shukan money & I got a lovely red top from Revolution to celebrate the Red Day :-)

When I reached office, a huge white teddy bear was waiting for me on my work station & one by one the gifts started pouring in..I got a Will Miss You card, a handwritten poem, a painting, a pen stand with a barometer & a lovely saree. Also got 6 red roses from one of my team member, a fibre red heart on a stick from another & a yellow rose each from everyone else.

And as if that was not enough, they gathered & sang a Song for me, Chalte chalte mere ye geet yaad rakhna…considering where most of them don't even speak Hindi, it was too overwhelming…

Then I had to rush to guest house & fit in all the gifts in my bags..:-) It didn't help that I had a bagful of books, which I bought from Landmark!!! Shekhar & Shaji managed somehow with my luggage & then I left for airport. They had planned earlier to give me Bangalore Darshan but since there was a huge traffic on that day & we were already short of time, just went straight to the airport. My colleague was there till I entered the gate. After that it was a cake walk as Vinisha & Shaily both had told me what to do next..

I got my boarding pass & a window seat, collected tags, went for security check & then roamed around the waiting lounge..I didn't feel anything extra ordinary..it was just like walking in a mall..:-)

My seat was in the middle row & there was a wing right beside me so I could not see much..But as I had settled in my seat, I did not ask to change my seat..just turned my head in the window behind me & took in the view..

The view was amazing, specially when we were flying above the clouds & also when we were about to land in Bombay. The view of the sea from the plane was absolutely amazing..


Mom & my brother in law, Sanjeev had come to air port to pick me up & Mom also got a guided tour from Sanjeev outside the airport :-)

And thus ended my paid vacation, which has left sweet memories to savour!!!

I miss my team & Bangalore very much but i am very grateful to them for some of the happiest days of my life..

I don't regret not having their snaps as their faces are etched forever in my heart :-)

Colour your world Green!!!

We all love our parents, our special ones..still we need one day to celebrate the love through Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, etc. We not only show our love on this day but also pledge to do more, care more & love more!!!

Similarly we need to do more, care more & love more for Mother Earth as well!

So friends lets pledge our support on Environment Day!

Lets pledge to make this earth Greener & keep it Greener!!! Remove the Black Prints one at a time!!!

Q. Do I need to become an activist?

Ans. No, if it means taking out morchas, etc..

Yes, if it means being aware & creating awareness!!!

Q. I already am swamped with my work & home duties..Where is the time??

Ans. Incorporate some activities in your routine..No need to do anything extra..
Maybe couple minutes more, but as all say, "No pain, No GAIN!!!"

Q. What kind of activities I can incorporate in my routine?

Ans. There are more than thousands of activities. Choose some. Stick to all.

1. Ensure that there are no leaking taps in your home or office. Get it repaired ASAP.

2. Always turn off the switch of charger once your phone is charged.

3. Always turn off the main switch of TV / PC at home / office. Dont keep it on standby mode.

4. Switch off the monitors when logging off for a short while.

5. Do not litter.

6. Use cloth bags for shopping.

7. Preview before taking prints.

8. Turn off unneeded lights.

9. Purchase appliances with the Energy Star Label.

10. Use CFL Bulbs.

11. Reuse & Recycle.

All these tips not only help save environment but also help reduce your electricity bill. Try this & see the results..You will Surprise yourself!!!!

Remember, YOU CAN DO IT!!!