September - the month that was

September came and whooshed by before I could blink. It even seemed like we skipped it this year. Like it was just August, and now October. I guess mostly because I've be racing to meet deadlines.

Books:
Umm.. well.. reading took a back seat this month, sadly. To make up, I attended the Bangalore Literature Fest and was enlightened by the many discussions I sat through.

Movies:
Strangely I saw very few movies this month. Seems unbelievable to me too.
Finding Fanny - A sweet movie, unlike a typical Bollywood film. Since I am a DP fan, I was happy to look at her for 2 hours. The story was o-k-a-y, performances were nice. Wouldn't say I loved the movie though.
Mary Kom - Saw this in the bus while going home to Pune. Thank goodness I did not waste moolah to watch this on the big screen. What a terrible thing they have done to such a remarkable story of MC Mary Kom.
Good Morning Vietnam - Heard so much about this one and finally got to watch it. A lovely movie, Robin Williams at his best. Great story and acting.

TV Shows:
I started watching Gotham (amazing), which is a take on Gotham before Bruce Wayne became 'Batman'. I love it.

Travel:
This month we were too caught up in work to travel anywhere. Except for a weekend when my college friends were in town and we had an awesome mini-reunion, the month just went by drowning in work.

Restaurants:
So I went to The Beire Club for the very first time. Yes, ironically I did not have beer (i'm not that big a fan) but instead ordered a Sangria, and must I say, it was one of the best I've had till date. Really well made. Also their Nachos were delicious. I had a really fun time there.

Also visited the hip and happening 'Church Street Social' and really liked the place. It's just the right amount of loud that I like in a place. They serve their drinks in really cool and innovative ways - candy floss cosmos, shots in syringes etc. It was a rather fun evening !

Also, tried out Dyu Art Cafe in Kormangala. The place is really pretty, and has a charm of its own. Can't say the same about the menu though. A really limited number of dishes, though the tea is nice. I ordered a Chamomile Tea and they served us an entire potful - 3 cups ! A nice place to just sit, read and doodle maybe.

 

October already looks like a fun month. Let's see how it rolls.

July: the month that was

July was a slow month. Thankfully the great Bangalore weather compensated for it. I spent all the extra time I had in doodling, illustrations, painting, and other artsy-crafty things. Here's how it rolled:

Books: 
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai - A book set in the times of the gorkha uprising in Sikkim. It begins in the peaceful foothills of the Kanchejunga and slowly moves on to describing one of the most violent times witnessed in the mountains of North Bengal and Sikkim. I loved the book and the way the author describes the lives of all the characters that are slowly altered by the situation. Great, enjoyable read.
Toba Tek Singh and other short stories by Saadat Hasan Manto - A collection of beautifully written short stories, mostly around the partition of India. One of the stories (Toba Tek Singh) has been narrated brilliantly by Zia Mohiuddin HERE. Must listen.

Movies:
The Jane Austen Book Club - A lovely movie, more so because I do love Austen and her tales. I might just take up reading all her works once again. A sweet movie I say.
Arthur Newman - A movie about a man who runs away from his old life. I've been on a Emily Blunt marathon. I find her quite gorgeous and she acts well too. Colin Firth has done a good job.
Your Sister's Sister - Another Emily Blunt movie about the relationship between two step sisters. Nice, feel-good movie.
The Royal Tenenbaums - Oh I'm simply in love with Wes Anderson's movie making style. I loved this one; the quirky, eccentric characters and story et al. I'm making it a point to watch all his movie, one by one.
Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya - Very miss-able movie, best watched at home on a very dull day to kill boredom. Loud songs, not to my liking at all, except of course the very catchy 'Saturday Saturday'. Saving grace: Alia Bhatt's good looks and the fact that it was a fast paced movie.
Stuck on Love - Oh I really liked this one and it has a lovely soundtrack too, some songs are surely gonna be played on loop for the next few weeks. It's a story about a family and their relationship and about 'love'. One time watch and a very enjoyable chick flick.
Enemy - From the maker's of the really good 'Prisoners' and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, I was expecting a lot but I really did not get the story. It was either really twisted or didn't make any sense at all. The end was completely bizarre. Watch it, if you figure it out, help me do so.
The Squid and the Whale - I thought this was another Wes Anderson movie but turns out he only produced it. It was a queer movie about a family, two brothers whose parents are separated and the emotional changes they face. Quite interesting, though a little strange.
Moonrise Kingdom - Oh Wes Anderson. I really wish he makes many more movies. This is about two misfit kids, who run away together and their little adventure. It is a really wonderful movie.
Admission - Starring Tina Fey (which is why I watched it) this one is a silly feel good type of movie. It is about an admissions officer from an A-league school. Sweet. Also, Paul Rudd is one of my favs.

Wow, I think I watched a record number of movies in July. Yay !

Travel:
We were just back from a really long vacation, almost completely broke and so July was peacefully spent at home, except for one short trip to Pune for our niece's mukhebhaat (first real food) ceremony. Dunno how much she will remember, but we sure ate some delicious food.

We also took a short trip to Chennai. The fella had some work and I tagged along. We had a really good time except for the terrible sunburn I got back.
We reached early morning and after dropping our bags off, headed straight for the beach. It was a lovely, cloudy morning. I took a little walk, dipped my feet in the sea and pulled out my sketchbook. Oh, I really wish to live by the sea someday.

We were also able to visit my childhood home, 30 kms outside Chennai, Avadi. The place had changed a little but we met a lady who used to live there years ago and she remembered me. It was so overwhelming. She was almost in tears when we spoke about the good old days. I'm so glad we finally made that trip.
This is one of the trees near our home in Avadi.

We also discovered a little hillock near Banerghatta. Not the most ideal spot as there were quite a lot of people around, thanks to the two temples in the vicinity. We managed to find a quite spot and sat there enjoying the lovely breeze and the beautiful sunset.

Highlights:
The kittens have really grown up now. All except one have been adopted and have gone away. We are left with this tiny little grey furball, who we call Shakira. She's been crying quite a lot ever since her siblings left. She was really terrified of us for some reason, and only recently she has warmed up and allows me to cuddle her. Her favorite place to sleep is the fella's helmet. Oh also, it seems that the mother is pregnant again !

July is now over and after quite a slow month, work-wise, I now have lots on my plate and stuff that I'm really happy to be involved in. So here's to a busy August !

Summer

It's getting way too hot in Bangalore. I know it won't last too long but while it does, it is unbearable. 

The only way to beat this is to wear loose, flowy cotton dresses, skirts and tops. 

Drink a whole lot of juices, liquids and fresh fruit !

Look up interesting summer recipes to cook up, like this interesting salad !

And just dream about escaping to the mountains !

 The Dhauladhars

(pictures from our trip to Mcleodganj last year)

Any tips to share?

(This post is part of the art adventure at A Sunny Yellow Window)

March: the month that was

The third month of the year is over. Phew. I can't wait for summer to be over. It has become quite unbearable in Bangalore, especially because we live on the top floor and the sun does not spare us at all. Need to come up with some solution for the heat soon ! 

HIGHLIGHT:
March has been an important month for us because we support the cause of Tibet and 10th March is the day that marks the anniversary of their freedom struggle. It was been 56 years. This year, I walked 32 kms from Hunsur (a Tibetan settlement in Karnataka, close to Mysore) to Bylakuppe (another settlement) The entire walk was on 44 kms but sadly I could not complete it. What was more overwhelming than walking 32 kms, was the fact that there were 65-70 yr old Tibetan men and women who completed the entire walk, taking fewer breaks than us yound blood. It was quite shameful at times, looking at them walk undeterred, in sandals and chappals, when we struggled to walk in our walking shoes. It was a support march to show our solidarity with their cause and next year we hope to do something bigger, to make more people aware about what exactly is happening in Tibet and the atrocities meted out by the Chinese government for the last 56 years. 
Read more about their cause and educate yourself on this FB page: For the Cause of Tibet

BOOKS:
Damn. I didn't finish the book I was reading. Just about 40 pages left but I can't put it here. The only book I finished reading was this lovely illustrated book on Vincent Van Gogh, one of my ever fav painters. 

MOVIES:
Non-Stop - This movie began the movie-marathon weekend. It was super fun, great suspense and an unpredictable ending. We were thrilled after watching it. (4/5)
Escape Plan - Finally saw this movie after missing it in the theatre. Pretty good, also because I am a sucker for 'prison-break' stories ! (3/5)
Highway - I expected way too much from this one. By the time we went to see it, everyone was raving about it. I thought the story was below average. It just didn't fit together. Alia acted really well but that's about it. The music was lovely and of course the travel was wow. (2.5/5) 
The Big Wedding - A silly story of complex families. Light watch. (3/5)
Prisoners - Oh man. I regret not watching this in the hall. It was one of the best mystery movies I've seen in a very long time. Brilliant acting and super plot. Must-watch. (4.5/5)
Queen - One of the most fun Bollywood movies of recent times. The story was funny, acting great and the little elements of the movie that the director paid great attention to, made it really special. I laughed, and laughed so much. Oh and I love the Hungama song. LOVE. (4.5/5)
Lakshmi - a movie about child trafficking. Horribly directed, didn't expect that from a director like Kuknoor but there were way too many loop holes and glitches in the story. I was in a bit of a depression after watching this. We really live in a strange, cruel world. 

TRAVEL:
Hunsur - Apart from the support march, we attended our first Tibetan wedding. it was so much fun. According to their traditions, the entire village helps in the wedding, right from cooking food, to setting up everything. After the wedding and lunch, people sit around drinking and playing cards. In the evening there is music and dance followed by diner. It was a lovely sight. 

 My first night sky photo. It was quite cloudy, but I was so happy :)

CHENNAI:
This was our first road trip after the fella bought his Bullet. Man, it was a memorable trip. We started late (damn early morning plans) and encountered the harsh sun on our way to Chennai. If only we had started 3 hours earlier. The ride from Bangalore to Chennai is quite dry. There is pretty much no scenic views, except for the hills made of huge boulders. Hardly any shade to stop, and absolutely no decent places to stop for refreshments. We couldn't wait to reach Chennai. Thankfully my back did not give way. 
Surprisingly, Chennai was not as hot as we expected and we were glad we made the decision to go there for the weekend. We sat by the beach and enjoyed the cool breeze from the Bay of Bengal. We ate some really delicious Chettinad food throughout the trip. The last day, we drove to Mahabalipuram. It was fun, bit slightly crowded. We started our return trip at 4 am and that was one good decision. The journey back was totally opposite of the onward journey. We quite enjoyed the sunrise and breakfast on the roadside. 

 Boats galore !

 Sunset in Mahabalipuram

 Noone can beat coffee from South India

Early morning ride back home

March was a special month. Looking forward to April now :)

Food

Lately, everything in my life seems to revolve around food. Ya sure my diploma project is to design a cook book and that makes it way too difficult to not think about food. I came across this super cute passage:

I think I should stop trying to avoid it. It's of no use anyway. 

Meals of May

I started this little illustration project for the month of May to keep myself occupied and creative. 

This is what came out of week 1.

Jugaad

The closest I can ever come to enjoying Rajma-Chawal in France ----> Chili con carne ! I must be the only living person making the comparison but ya it does taste like that and I like it. 

Yummy in the tummy :) 

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

So we tried making pumpkin soup a week after Halloween and it turned out to be super delicious. The pumpkins in France are rather strange and nothing like our Indian ones. It has a hard shell which is super difficult to cut. It took us almost an hour just to cut up the two pumpkins. After that it was smooth sailing. 

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7730/pumpkin-soup Do try it out, as it was really yummy. I couldn't believe that something made out of pumpkin could taste so good. 

Bon Appetite !