As the contest draws to a close....

All I wish for each of us, is the Zeal to Live life everyday to the fullest.

Pic Courtesy Hubs!

As Rumi Says in the book "Forty Rules of Love" - "The past is an interpretation. The future is an illusion. The world does not move through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead time moves through and within us, in endless spirals.Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness. If you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and the future out of your mind and remain within the present moment."

The reason why I choose 'Zeal' to bring the A2Z contest to a closure also happens to be the reason why am most thankful for taking up this contest!

You see until a month back, almost every day I would wake up with despair over us not yet having a child. But well the past month dint give any time to brood over this - every morn the first thot as I wake up is "New Comments", "New Posts" :-D. N for this alone am thankful to A2Zeders FB page - for all the camaraderie there that gave me the extra impetus to post everyday. A special thank You to Corinne for being the force (behind this  page n of course to each n every one of you who took time to drop in here over this month! Errrr nee I am not thanking Phenomenon(for his pics), Sabs(for literally burning the midnight oil along with me)  n to Veena(well u know for what!)... well who thanks family rt!

Linking this to A2Z challenge - Ooo to think I did all 26 posts despite the trip, despite the out of blue shocker! Yeaa me proud or what :-D.

Yummmm!

Its been some time since I did a post on whats cooking in our kitchen ~~ Thou for records the last one is still my fav!

Can we enthuse u home with this menu ....We Shall start with drink of your choice n Chicken Seekh as the starter. For main course, we give u a choice between burger n roasted chicken(No, we dont believe in healthy food) n then a simple dessert. Sounds delicious rt .... Jus so that u r convinced here is a pictorial walk-thru ;)

Drink of your Choice in nature's drink holder ;)

Chicken Seekh ala BBQ courtesy the latest addition in out Kitchen the BBQ maker!

The Fail-proof Ham Burger!

First Attempt at Roasted Chicken!

Strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce served chilled!

But of course the cook - photographer behind all this is Hubbs :-D. Now I know I can be biased, but lemme guarantee you that each dish is yummmmmmmm!

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - Y is for Yummm(what else can it be for a foodie)!

Xie Xie Xiang!

Nee I hv not gone nuts."Xie Xie" is supposedly "Thank You" in Chinese! This titbit is courtesy Sabs who has spent over a year in China. She came up with this post when I ate her brains for a "X post". So over to her for rest of the post .

Guess who's the celebrity in the pic :-P

"Xie Xie" was perhaps the first of the Chinese words I learnt to pronounce correctly with the right intonation and expression...bow gently and say ‘Shi-eh Shi-eh’ without a pause, really fast so it flows. Imagine that you are the vent weight of a pressure cooker that has given the first two half whistles :-D - yeah, now the ‘shi-eh shi-eh’ sounds right. Well jokes aside, I think nothing can be more beautiful than the word ‘thanks’ and that too said with an added effort. Interestingly they say thanks to you for taking their cab, buying their wares or for paying the due for their service(N not other way round!)

Chinese words and names can be tongue twisters to the unfamiliar. My students at the Anhui University found an easy way out, by adopting ‘English’ names...what amused me was the creativity in choosing their assumed names- butterfly, dragonfly, book, mayflower, Meg Ryan, David Beckham, coco cola...and what not. I used to tell them to go back to their Chinese names but many of them found it uncool ! On the contrary, I was keen on choosing an assumed Chinese name for myself and from a list kindly made by my students, I narrowed down on dongmei (winter plum), Xiang(Fragrant\To-soar) and yinghua(cherry flower), planning to use them someday as pseudonyms.

So XieXie Xiang for this post.

Linking this to AtoZChallenge - X is for XieXie Xiang

Wine N dine @ Mangalore

For huubs n us, food forms a integral part of having "Good Times" be it a weekend or a hol.No vacation is complete for us till we taste the local food from that place! We are a couple who will drive a extra 50 kms if there is a promise of good food :).

On the drive back from Malpe beach to Bangalore, we decided to go into Mangalore city to sample their regional food. Based on the recos in "Outlook Traveler", we zeroed down on "Pereira Hotel" that we were told serves authentic Mangalore Christian Cuisine. The place is literally a "Hole in the wall". It seems a popular haunt thou for the myriad shoppers n students from colleges nearby - The "Value for
Money" should have something to do with it.

We ended up tasting their staples - Sannas, Neer Dosa, Died shrimp chutney, Beef sukha, pork sorpotel, Pork Bafat... Each mouth watering yummm! But what warmed my heart the most is the hospitality they extended - From giving detailed driving directions to ensuring we found a parking spot in the crowded narrow streets, to lining up their regional delicacies (which weren't even on menu) to customizing the tastes to our liking ....

I unfortunately dont have any decent pics with me.. so all you will see here is a slice of Neer Dosa with Sannas! N BTW if you around this area, do check out "Ideal Ice creams" - this place has a legendary following among the locals there!


Linking this to AtoZ - W if for Wine-N-Dine.

@Vensa

"Vensa" - The apartment were we own a flat that we have made our home for more than three years now.

Pic during a Diwali Celeb!

Narrowing down on an apartment was perhaps the easiest or rather the fastest decision we ever took in our life...perhaps faster than choosing the flavour of ice cream. We accompany friends to see a flat that they were speculating on...hubbs falls in love with the huge corridors as we walk in saying they are ideal to put TT tables and the rest as they say is history :) Needless to say we booked a flat here even before our zapped friends did :-D

Looking back, Vensa has never given us a reason to regret our decision.It may simply be cause this place stands for what we essentially are – no-frills - read no swimming pool, no jogging track, no club house -  we have never had cookery competitions or fashion shows like the apartments around.K err I agree it must be the most staid, non-happening place :-P.

But Ho what we lack in Infra, we more make up with the variety in people - the boring corporate types, adventure seekers, the health conscious types who motivate u to move ur ass - the more ambitious ones even stealing out the gym equipments to their houses, the dignified and quiet elderly types who stay with their children, the boisterous ones who behave like the apartment is also part of their ancestral property, the retired elderly who are now a bit cranky and feeling displaced in the new set up, few wannabees, dreamers, desperate housewives,possessive husbands  n My- Husband-my-lord types, the Amway- herbal life ambassadors who will have no qualms telling u first thing in morn that u are 10 kgs overweight just to sell their products!

what makes Vensa special thou for me are friends who are more than just neighbours, they are family...people I  blindly leave my home or cars or kids(Well when I have them!) with.  Friends you can go door knocking in the middle of the night with no second thots, friends who will drop everything n accompany you just to be your pillar of support!

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - V is for Vensa

PS: This post was ghost-written by my best friend n neighbor - Sabs. N she made a desperate effort to write it in my style - she did a commendable job I should say :)

@UB City......

Pic courtesy Hubbs

This is a click of Mallya towers from top of UB City. Am a sucker for open air dining - n tht alone is reason enuf for me to frequent this place thou the dent it creates in my pocket is significant enuf for me to not to make it a regular affair...

Lemme admit thou that today after 6 years in Bangalore I am almost anti-mall. Simply cause entering a mall over a weekend will mean jostling for space with people, literally stepping over their toes! N that exactly is my shopping-mall pet peeve - the fact that at least for Bangaloreans, hanging out at shopping malls is a form of entertainment'! No, am no talking of teenagers - am referring to Families(Complete with parents n kids). For quite a few of my colleagues, a family day-out means packing the entire family off to a mall - the kids run amok in the unimaginative "play areas" crowded with silly video games, mother-father do their share of retail therapy n then the entire happy-family troop into the food court to treat themselves to some staid boring food!

I agree Bangalore is a city that has more than its share of these usually obnoxious - ugly shopping malls n not many options when it comes to other forms of entrainment! But then a a stroll in lalbagh, jumping into the apartment pool, cooking up a meal together or jus simply catching a movie together - reading out a story to the child - aren't these better form of entertainment than hanging out at these malls!! Maybe its jus that driving out to the mall needs much less planning - much less work than these other activities.....

Linking this to AtoZ Challenge - U is for UB City...

Thankful.....

... Is how I felt at the end of the day yesterday!

Yesterday(Apr 22) was my B'day (That's ur cue to go ahead n wish me :-P). The day started on a ominous note with the news of Husbands 85 year old grand mom being hospitalized! This coming close on the heels of uncles death made my mind go into a overdrive n  jump into worst of conclusions :-/. Everytime the phone rings, I would literally have butterflies in my stomach. Goes without saying that my Bday was the last thing on my mind...

Late eve, slowly things turned around with the news that grandmother was in no mortal danger! Haa the sigh of relief when I heard her voice on phone.

What made the day complete thou are  friends n family who took the effort to go the extra mile to ensure that  my frown is not upside down! From a friend who on knowing that I hv no plans for dinner took the effort to whip up a spl chicken curry for yours truly to another one who managed to sneak in a small cake right under my nose - simply cause they knew that bday is incomplete for me without the mandatory cake cutting n a grand dinner! Not to forget the friend who was my agony-aunt thru the day - haa the pleasure of having somebody who will hear u out n reassure u that things will tide over. Of course there was the gift galore - From books to dresses to 2 wrist watches  (Each meeting my specs of Big dial to the 'T'). 

The best thou was reserved for the last - my 8 year old niece who's still not got over the death of the man in her life - calls me almost post 10 in the night n literally whispers her b'day msg into my ear! Must be the best B'day wish I received this year :)

Definitely a day to be thankful for - To God, to friends, to Family, to destiny for making my day :)

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - T is for Thankful!

Summer Delight....

... For me should be these succulent, golden beauties. 

Drool Worthy aren't they!

I wonder thou if a large part  of this liking is due to the nostalgia I associate jackfruit with. You see, during school days, The only time I would get to feast on these lovelies were during the annual summer visits to our ancestral home in Kerala where the backyard was peppered with jackfruit trees. Half the fun then was the definite banter that would ensue among cousins to see who would get the larger share.  I hv a cousin bro, who would mark his share by licking on each(so that nobody else would touch it) n then leisurely eat his voluminous loot... Ho the cries of outrage that would follow tht! Those memories still bring a smile.

So famed is my love for jackfruit that for one of the Bdays I was gifted one large one - N mind u it wa slugged a good 25 kms on a bike. N I hv a family who will wake up at unearthly hours jus so that they can cut, deseed n pack it in neat boxes ready for me to carry it back to hyd n now Kerala :)

Linking this to A2Z challenge - S is for Summer delights!

Reading Challenge!

This year I signed up for two reading challenge - One on good books and other on S.Krishna's books. The former to read 50 books this year n the latter to read 20 books based on south Asian Literature. Today after reading books from different genre, I realize that my fav is the south Asian literature.

While I started off reading full steam, somewhere the pace is slowed down. Now I know its about enjoying the books  read n not meeting some random target. But the point is, the more I enjoy the books, the faster I devore them. Anyways here is a snapshot of what  have read till date this year

Out of the mere 12 odd books, not surprisingly more than half are South Asian literature! My top 3 picks from this list are : Alchemist(No surprises that one), Toto Chan(A must read for all teacher n parents), Ancient Promises(I wonder how a non keralite will find the book thou).

Am currently reading Forty Rules Of Love by Elif Shafak.

I should also thank my lit sis here as she sources half these books from her office lib :).

Go on recommend any book that you think I will love reading. Any recos that I truly love will be duly rewarded :).

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - R is for Reading Challenge.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

A question I have always had is  - why do bad things happen to good people? Why are some people more unlucky than others? Why should some struggle more than others for even the simplest of joys in life?

This death just bought these questions back. Uncle was the sole source of strength for his daughter who is a single mom. For his 8 year old grand-daughter - her entire world revolved around him. That kids life was already incomplete without a dad - did she deserve to lose out on a grandfather on whom she doted

My daddy died a week post my engagement. My sister who was 21 then was a month into her first job. Happy times were just beginning when disaster stuck. N today even the most joyous seems incomplete

A v dear friend who is always gone out of her way to help others is stuck in a unhappy marriage

I have always loved kids - why should I struggle so much to conceive a baby. This while I see friends n cousins around me having babies without even making a conscious effort!

 Well the answer I seem to get is, there is a reason behind every suffering! Well am yet to find one...

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - Q is for questions?

Life.....

Pic Courtesy Hubbs!

Life... 

 The biggest temptress of all,

Lulls you into a false comfort zone with promises of a happier tomorrow,

before jerking you wide awake with the rudest of the shocks...

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - P is for Pic of the week.

Obituary to a V dear uncle......

This were days of late 80s .........

Every year come summer, I n my sis were packed off to Kerala for two months. The train journeys thou meant a tiring 2 days trip with a 12 hour halt in Chennai. Mostly we were accompanied by our no-nonsense grandmother. But the rare times when she couldn't make it, velachan(which literally means elder-father - fathers bro or moms sisters husband are called so) would make this trip to-n-from just to accompany us. Now u know how fun a 48 hour train trip can be with two restless, boisterous under-10 year olds!

 Now those were the days when we couldn't really afford to buy sweets n other goodies from market on a daily basis - which meant laying hands on bakery items - ice creams were meant to be 'treat'. Thou as a kid bought up in Hyderabad, I had more access to them than my older cousins back in Kerala. But that dint make lust lesser for these rare treats. So the days when velachan(As uncles are called) would come home with some rare treat - I would throw a tantrum demanding a bigger share. N more oft than not my veliamma - Velachan would oblige. How many uncles will u find who will favour their SILs children over theirs?? N mind u this wasn't a occasional happening....

The trip back to Hyderabad, accompanying us back was this huge box of goodies - each thoughtfully n painstakingly put together so that we carry back a box full of our favs. Today I realise not just the time that went to it but ow taxing it would have been monetarily(N money was indeed tight then!)

Each a V small incident I know, but its these incidents that make for the happiest memories of my life! The knowledge that you are loved......

For my mother, he was not a BIL but more of a bro. At the same time, theirs was a typical Jeeju-saali relation - they continued to rib each others leg s until the last(He was almost 70!).

He was the original feminist - pitching in with all household work, with no qualms whatsoever about his wife taking forefront!

Today(Apr 16 2013) he breathed his last........

PS: This is a back dated post published on 19th Apr....

A slice of Nalini's life ...

Take a trip along with me to late 60s into a temple town in Kerala....

In the town of Guruvayur, lived a girl 'Nalini' in her late teens. Just out of school, she was excited to start her college life. Her life was the idyllic  filled with the simple joys n innocence of a small-town 'temple town' life. She was bought up in a house full of strong ladies - her mom and two aunts as her father was a govt employee in the far away land of Andra(Ho! the distance of 1000 Km was indeed v far those days). Hers was the typical middle-child life - her mom had her hands full with the younger bro in  crucial class ten and the elder sister having given birth to the first grandson in family. So Nalini's time was spent frolicking with her maiden friends n pampering her little nephew - as picture perfect as it could get!

But(there is always a but) the good times didn't last - tragedy stuck n Nalini's father suddenly passed away! Our hardly eighteen year old Nalini had to become the bread winner of the family (Sister already married, Bro was still a school student). Overnight she finds herself in city of Hyderabad to take up her dad's job.

Now imagine being in her shoes - shes somebody who's never ever stepped out of Kerala, her medium of education (n well the only language she could comprehend) was Malayalam. This was the pre-TV, pre-internet era and her exposure was next to nothing! All of a sudden, she finds herself  in Hyderabad where  her job needed her to read n write Telugu, the food was a far cry from what her palette was used to n the room she called her house was smaller than the store room of her home back in Kerala....

Fast forward to 40 years later, Not only did she manage to master Telugu(thou the 40 years couldn't wipe the Malayalam accent :-P)  shes recognized today as one of the most valuable contributors in her department.

BTW 'Nalini' is none other than my mom :).

Ho what I wrote here is just icing on the cake - life threw many other googlies at her but she faced them all with her chin up - goes without saying that I never needed lessons on being a strong woman :).

Funnily thou, it took me more than 30 years to recognize my mom for the strong woman she is!

Written for As Beautiful As Your Work  as a part of Mia contest, for Womensweb

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - N is for 'Nalini'.!

Memoirs of a Home....

Now indulge me for a few moments n walk down this memory lane with me...

This story is set sometime in late 50s in God's own country - A grand old man who is on verge of retirement is on his annual visit to his native village. He was a official with Indian railways and so the railway quarters peppered across the county was his home for years now. But the rustic charms of his native village isnt where his heart was. He had in fact almost narrowed down on Cochin - debatably one of the most modern cities within Kerala.

So on this annual visit, he was making a courtesy call to one of the village elders. N this being the pre-industrialization era n stuff(well not tht things are v diff today), the visit entailed walking kms in the hot humid Kerala Heat! He walked n walked but soon the sun beating down was unbearable. He decided to take  a"break" at the nearest sign of civilization - a old house set amidst the Paddy fields.

The entrance gate was v unassuming - a small rickety gate. It opened up into a long narrow "driveway" shaded with a canopy made of jasmine n other flowery creepers. Past the driveway, was this grand old house which thou seemed deserted. He took a sip of water from the well at the backyard - But so exhausted was the old man, that he decided to take a moment of rest at the courtyard. N then before he knew, the cool breeze coming from the paddy fields lulled him into a pleasant siesta. Only once he woke up, was he stuck by the beauty of the house - set strategically amidst the paddy fields, with a small stream running in between n house itself was surrounded by all kinds of vegetation! "Maybe this is home" - a sound within him said!

As luck would have it, the house was up for sale n that's the house my daddy called his "home" during his childhood n many years later! The grand old man was my grandfather.

What adds charm to this house to me is the story of how this house was built - The house was maybe 30-40 years old when my grandfather bought it. So the period am talking of must be early 20th century. The interesting tidbit here is that during those days, the teak wood used for construction was supposedly transported via water streams. They would be set up afloat from upstream from where they would float down n be collected from the appropriate points downstream. Elephants would then drag them all the way to the construction sites(Imagine elephants being used for mundane activities like building a house!)

N here's just the juiciest bit of gossip to spice it up - The house was originally built by by a paramour for his mistress! Now this paramour was a high ranking official who was commissioned to build a new house for his employer. So v conveniently his mistress house sprung up overnight right next to this "new house" - no prizes for guessing where the best of the teak ended up reaching :)

I unfortunately do not have a pic of the house to share with u as it was razed down a couple of years ago :-/

PS: the desc of the house is how I remember seeing it as a ten year old. I will dedicate this post to my uncle (dad's bro) who was the one who regaled us with this story n many more ... Indeed he is a master story teller !

Linking this to A2Zchallenge. M is for Memoirs.....

Lighting the Lamp.......

Pic Courtesy Hubbs

  Lighting the Lamp - to banish the darkness, to welcome a new day - a new year that brings along in it's wake the long overdue blessings, smiles n happiness. Amen !

Tomorrow is Vishu - The new year in Malayalam Calendar. It promises to be a day of delicacies courtesy my sis in-laws :). Wishing all of you from Gods Own Country a V happy Vishu...

 Linking This to AtoZ challenge - L is for Light, Lamp.

Book Review: Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett

This is a guest post courtesy Hubbs. Now over to him...

I have always been fond of Ken Follett. His unfolding of a story is tantalizing and as well as gripping.

Pic Courtesy: Google

In the book - Hammer of Eden - he takes the most unlikely of concepts and makes it a terrifying
thought. Imagine a bunch of commune dwelling radicals having the idea and finding the means to set off controlled earthquakes just to bring down the urban egocentric and conceited know-it-alls. Follett has done some extensive research on seismic studies to pull this off.

I will of course not cover the story thereby ruining all the excitement. What I will do is recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thriller at breakneck speed.

A warning to the busy bodies.... You might leave ur daily activities and finish the book at one go :-P. So if you are prepared for this go for it and savor the complete essence of Ken Follett. Go on get hammered... 

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - K is for Ken Follett

"Jack N Jill" Retold.....

Here is a retelling of the fav poem "Jack N Jill" put together by Hubbs.

Jack and Jill
In high places
Reckless
the great escape
Strong Medicine

This was a part of then spine poetry contest conducted 2 months back.  I have spoken abt "Spine Poetry" here - You could also visit their FB page to know more.

Another one that he put together that day is my fav thou ~~ with a dark Undertone to it

Aghora
Fifty Shades Darker
The Art of Dying
Every Second Counts
Bringing Up the Bodies

 So tell me which one did u like?

Linking this to AtoZ Challenge - J is for a retelling of Jack n Jill!

@St.Marys Island

Bang in middle of Malpe Beach is the St.Marys Island. The ferry ride from Malpe beach to island is a feast to eyes(few pics posted in the last two posts are from this ferry ride) n after a point soothing to soul.

While in a beach, you will have to sieve the sand for shells, this island is literally covered with shells tht u hv to sieve the thru the shells to see the sand! Another interesting aspect on this island are the natural basaltic columnar rock formation in a hexagonal form - supposedly the only one in India! You can read more abt the place here

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - I is for Island.

Happiness is....

Waking to sounds of waves hitting the Shore (beats the incessant city honking) n views like this...
N today we bid goodbye to Malpe beach n hols :/

View from the room!

 

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - H is for holidays n happiness 

Good times are here again ....

Which by default means time for a short getaway. Reporting live from Malpe beach.

Good Locale!

Good Food!

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - G is for good (good food, good times, good locale) 

Fantasies of life !!

Whenever I visit a new place, I always indulge in few mins of "what if I were living in this place" fantasy. N this fantasy has ranged from

• Being a bohemian in goa who hangs out in beach with a glass of beer
• To running a coffee estate cum homestay in coorg with hubbs the resident chef ;)
• To being a professor teaching in a quaint hill station in srilanka
• To a laidback life back in Kerala complete with daily walk of a fictitious dog on beach n visit to the temple in the evenings

 For now many of these look jus that ... Fantasies!!! But dont these fantasies take us away from daily rut of life for a litt while ;)

 Linking this to AtoZ challenge.

Heights of Embarrassment!!!

Now without any nonchalance I will tell u that I don't have even a tweeny creative bone in me.Drawing even a straight line was n still is a huge challenge for yours truly.

One day pretty soon after marriage (with lota encouragement from hubbs) I decided that its time I set this wrong right. So with all the gutso, I go pick up watercolors, paint books n all other paraphernalia needed. The very same eve without losing any time, I set to work.The trooper that I am, I dint loose the heart despite the initial disastrous efforts at painting.

Well well, everything was hunky dory until a ten year old neighbor decided to pay us a visit n flip thru my paint book. With the trademark innocence that only a kid can possess turns around n asks hubbs with a straight face "Bhaiya, who is the kindergarten kid in the house who's scribbling away in this paint book"!! @#$%&#$@$

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - E for embarrassment :-/

My Dear Soul-Sister......

My Dear Soul-sister,

The very word "soul-sister" - took me ages to accept it thou u hv used it liberally from a long time! Maybe simply cause I could not believe that one can love a third person as one would love a sibling.....

The funny part is how the equation changed between us - from a manager - reportee one to a I-am-so-in-awe of u to one today that has some semblance of being "equals". Of course u can still be the tyrannical elder sibling who can spoil my happiness until I decide to see sense :-P

The thing that I love the most thou is the unflinching confidence I have in you that I can throw any verbal missile at you, bombard you with my darkest thots (lemme assure u tht it woul hv made anybody else look at me like a weirdo) without u being judgmental.

You know u have been a strong anchor in times when i lose hope n drown in my own grief! Thank you for being there always!

Here is wishing u on ur B'ay a lotta good luck, good health, more money, more happiness n many happy memories simply cause u deserve them the most!  hope this year sees us breaking the jinx of " Why Bad things happen to good people"! Amen......

Heres a slice of virtual-cake to bring in ur spl day......

Linking this to AtoZ Challenge - D is for Dear N delicious cakes (Cake n pic both courtesy Hubbs)

It's only in Chennai ....

.....that I have seen 'coconut flower' being sold by dozens on road side.

Considering my roots are from the 'land of coconuts' this one is a definite delicacy for me ;-). What makes it all the more special is the fact that my chances of tasting it before was purely based on luck !!!!

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - C is for 'coconut flower'

What A Bahu has to say.....

This was a pic shared on my FB wall. It's such a lol post that it deserves a place here

N with no qualms whatsoever lemme tell u that the gal in this pic could as well be me ;). As somebody on FB pointed out the only diff is the last line in pic should read "Am here to be entertained by your son" ;).

On a serious note  ***anti-jinx*** for my in-laws who give me all the space to let me be without any scathing comments.

Linking this to A to Z challenge- B is for bride\Bahu(DIL in Hindi). 

April is here....

... N with it brings along a promise of lot of happy times ~~ From the prospect of a short break to the new year (in kerala calendar) to my upcoming B'day (tht deserves a post in itself) to meeting my lit niece! It indeed promises to turn my frown upside down ...... About time I say :) So here's to a "A New Dawn ......

Pic courtesy Hubbs!

With this I kick start the A to Z challenge(A is for April). I signed up for this after a lot of debate ~~ But maybe this is the impetus that I need right now!