Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone...

..and that applies to Paneer and sizzlers now! S and I simply love sizzlers and have been longing to have a good sizzler since we arrived in Paris! As we don't get some of the things like Paneer which I love, I actually try and make them at home. Paris has made me a domestic Goddess in lots of ways!! Like Maa says, I am doing all the chores all together now for all the time I didn't do in all these years! Its like cumulative work... :-) and you know what? An idea is worthless if you don't use it. So I googled a bit on the net to find some sizzler recipes, browsed through some...got an idea of the ingredients and method a lil bit...and came up with my own recipe!! It came out very well, my own customized Thai Sizzler! We were both thrilled to bits coz it tasted really good...we put on a good movie and enjoyed the weekend with this!

A visit to Versailles...

We set foot into the garden...literally!

One of the numerous French Kings in the Chateau...

Musical Fountains...

Paintings - Baby?

Our effort at photography...

I am on a break!

S and I saw 'Dostana' yesterday night and it was a much-needed distraction from all the tension and sad turn of events in the Mumbai terror attacks. Those images haunt me and I keep going back to what their families must be going through. I send a silent prayer for all them to cope with their loss, its very difficult, easier said than done....but life has to go on for them. Me too. The Mumbai Siege reiterates the fact that we should live each day as it comes and enjoy every single day doing things you have always wanted to, like there is no tomorrow...literally!
I leave for Italy tomorrow night and my flight is from Mumbai-Delhi-Helsinki-Rome. I can't help but fervently hope that we return home safely. Of course, finally it is DESTINY. But I have to admit that there is a morbid fear of 'what-if', must admit! What has become of my beloved country? We will come through this, this too shall pass. I know that!

Anyway, I am hoping to have a lovely holiday and explore the lovely country Italy is! :) I hope I am missed a teeny weeny bit when I am away!! I will be away for 2 weeks, on vacation, the much awaited trip to Italy with my S! I am back on the 18th of December. I shall be back with stories and pictures to share with you guys. See you all on the other side of my break! :) Keep smiling!!!

The weekend that was...

Most part of Sunday was spent in an office get-to-gether with S's office colleagues. It was interesting to meet their families and adorable kids and babies. S and I were the youngest couple there... As I made conversation with one of the women, a mother of two, I realized that everyone yearns for something or the other in life. They always want something else, in contrast to what they have..she kept telling me how she could not pursue a career despite being well qualified as her inlaws/husband did'nt want her to work after she got married. She has two beautiful kids. I thought to myself ' So Its not just me then, who wants different things at various points that keeps changing constantly!' ;-)
************************************************************
The preparations for the trip in December are in full swing and we are almost done except for the visas. Got some nice walking shoes for me as we will need to walk a lot and I thought it makes sense to invest in some good shoes instead of carrying numerous pairs there. We scoured numerous shops before we got something that I liked, coz I have big feet!!! I have been trying to find some nice shop to buy a stylish trench coat. There are awesome styles and colors abroad, which are not too expensive either...I looked it up on the net but there is no shipping to India. I will need to ask around and look...that is one major essential detail that needs to be taken care of...which I did...I asked my friend Tess to buy it for me, coz she is in the States now and we had a long discussion about colors, sizes, prices, styles et al! Persistent you say? That I am...very sweet of Tess to help too! Lets see how it works out.
************************************************************
I try to stick to fruits on Mondays throughout the day. An attempt to cleanse the system and lose weight too. But by evening, I feel really pukish with no salt throughout the day, so i have fruits for lunch and some cornflakes and milk and something light for dinner like soup or sometimes if i am really hungry, i have dosa! :-) It really does cleanse the system, feel like all the toxins are flushed from my system. You can try it, it really helps.
************************************************************
Things are in a state of flux right now in my life. I have to wait for a couple of months to understand or even know how its gonna be... keeping my fingers crossed and hope everything happens for the best. I have faith in GOD, he knows what is best for us.
P.S - This is my 150th Post! :-)

Something to look forward to...

The long weekend was extremely relaxing and we were blissfully living in our own heaven! :-)

S and I crossed our fingers and finally booked our tickets to Italy! :-) So the preparation starts now, and we pored the net, travel books and some detailed information from a dear friend, Asha who made a trip to Italy and Austria in April this year ( she has neatly filed all the details and I get ready-made organized information!). Last time, when we planned a trip to Singapore, it was much easier as we stayed with S's mama there who also took us around a lot! Here, we will obviously have to figure out accomodation, finances, leave, clothes ( yup, I never let go of any chance!) among other things...

Anyways, I am very excited about the trip and wanted to put it down in writing!! Something that I am REALLY looking forward to... if any blog readers have some information to share, please comment...

The Baronial Ellora Caves!

Its a no-brainer that I went to the splendid Ellora Caves over the weekend! :-) We made plans last weekend but finally did'nt make it coz we did not make proper arrangements. I have read so much about the Ajantha & Ellora Caves in History at school, I had great expectations. It did not disappoint me one bit, the architecture and the grandiose is simply magnificient...

Its about a 4.5 hrs drive and we spent about 4-5 hours exploring the caves on Saturday and we left Aurangabad on Sunday and drove back for another 5 hrs...S drove the car throughout,put up my legs and slept halfway!!! The natural light falls into some of the caves so beautifully..its a sight worth watching and I am assuming it is a deliberate attempt for natural light to flow in!! Some of the caves smell of bat poo but i guess that is something that can't be helped...and in some of the caves, restoration work is going on and hence are closed for visitors...There are about 35 caves or more in Ellora alone! By the time we finished exploring all the caves, it became dark and it started raining! S and I went to a nearby snack place and had kandha bhajiyas (onion fritters), and enjoyed watching the rain, while talking about our childhood days...it was a very pleasant evening!!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to buy Paithani sarees, which is an Aurangabad special and an age old art of weaving. I don't wear any sarees at all, so instead I picked up a Paithani Double Bedsheet...in black!! ( Yes, I love black!!)

I guess i really need to build my stamina coz i am feeling extremely tired and dragged myself to work today! My whole body aches and I look like I have worked hard at the construction site with the local mason!

But, S and I really enjoyed this trip that we plan to do many more such trips often...

A weekend well spent...

Did a little bit of everything this weekend....and I have come to work with a good feeling! :-) Saw 'Jaane tu' on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it, a light-hearted romance with some humour every now and then...Both S and I did a bit of cleaning too, as I was equipped with the vaccum and S with Colin! ;-)...I am surprised to say that I actually enjoy cleaning and its almost therapeutic...went grocery shopping after the movie and made pasta for dinner! Pasta is something I could never imagine myself eating, but recently I have acquired a taste for it, thanks to S!

Sunday began late as I lounged around reading the paper in leisure and we had a heavy breakfast. S and I are planning to go to Rome in December and kept discussing the finances, leave at work and of course, the dates!! I have to figure out how to get the Schengen Visa done too and hopefully ( my fingers crossed!) our trip gets confirmed soon!!! I am soooooo excited...
That's how we planned our trip to Singapore last year and it was super fun!! We watched many movies too and played a game of scrabble in the evening, which was a lot of fun! All in all, we enjoyed ourselves TOTALLY!!

Edited to add: I am planning some new home improvements...will post pics soon as soon as they get done!..and oh! i almost forgot, I managed to get a haircut too!!