This summer is super exhausting! Its not normal to feel super tired in the evening, especially when the day is filled with relaxed gossip with a friend, yummy lunch and sweet Indian tea.
Maybe with a 5 minute walk in blazing hot sun, with temperatures up to 40c, almost nil humidity and being thirsty for an hour can reverse all the exemplary value the day had earlier.
Summing up a mundane day, relaxed mid mornings and debilitated evenings.
.......cant wait to start school again

The intensity of the evening increases with a 4 mile bike ride!

The exaggeration for my coffee affliction has no bounds. I am not sure anymore if I like coffee or like the notion of being called a coffee addict! anyway, this confusion landed me with an espresso machine.

Don't get me wrong, I love this guy, he makes an amazing double shot espresso with steamed milk everyday in the morning for me which stops me from hitting the bed after Bala leaves at 7 in the morning!

Its just that somehow the enthusiasm for a story on coffee yet again does not fascinate me. Maybe, it was getting a little too boring anyway.

So I as of now, will leave my coffee stories alone for a while with a hope for something exciting to come along to replace it!

My vision for a summer semester off was ;

a. A vacation leading to a few extra pounds
b. Never ending cups of coffee so good that getting back to my morning dose here would seem suicidal

The perfect culmination then would be to relax after the vacation, an Espresso machine and a brand new bike : each for their respective obvious purpose.

Everything was going on just fine...Only somehow, everything I visualized fell in place and I
a. Had a vacation, easily gained weight
b. Had the most aromatic, death defyingly good coffee (my love for coffee can create strong adjectives)
c. Also somehow smooth talked Bala into buying bikes for both !

This talk is so special to me that I should make it a series, maybe.

Its midnight here, Im working on my assignments, all due within a span of 10 days! and look whats running in my head.
It all started with Bala asking me to play the classic "Adha hai chandrama" ; he dozed off (no surprise here) midway and I had a reason to go on working with beautiful melodies in the background ( Rafi & Kishore can keep me smiling w/o coffee for hours)
As the night grew, the songs came to a point where Silsila hit the Que and I curiously googled Rekha.
Heres where I share my secret, my ever alive desire to look like Rekha or atleast be mistaken for her ;-).
The infamous affair between big B and Rekha was obviously everywhere, with this fresh in mind, I watched the video on You Tube and could not help but grin at the sizzling chemistry they potray so naturally on screen.
It permeates so much that I had to stop myself from feeling so bad that a couple that incinerating could never be together!
I solemnly confess that I would not, absolutely not have felt bad if B had dissolved his marriage to be with you know who!

Babies galore

Such a beautiful time for so many of my friends! Ive had this nice chain of mails with healthy babies, beautiful names and happy moms and all my very good friends.
So far Ive had 2 nephews and 5 nieces!
I guess its like 3 or 4 years ago, when the same bunch of girls announced their engagement and I got to attend some of their weddings too!
I wish the very best for them, wish them many happy, gurgle filled, stinky diaper days ahead!

Names so far Ive remembered and loved;
Neil, Nishka, Vibhavari
More being added...Pranet, Ojas, Manasvi.
A whole new generation...

" Solitude "

There's something about Salt Lake downtown that makes me smile even on a cold day!
Today evening, I got off one stop behind and decided to walk the last 2 blocks to our apartment.
There is this beautiful cathedral on the way which has always beckoned me but Id never had this urge to get in though! Today, I decided would be the day to explore this. I walked in with a little ambiguity as I didn't know if they allowed everybody!
Two doors later, just as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I found myself in absolute solitude.
Ive always had this complaint that my mind has a hard time to get clear and no matter how peaceful the surrounding, it has some damn thought lurking in the background.
Well, this evening I had no difficulty in achieving that. This cathedral was so captivating with its ambiance and this strange quality that is totally unexplainable that I found myself lost in some spell!
Now on, every time I hear the church bells ring, I'll get to picture that moment of solitude.
This case, its going to be every 15 mins, when in my apartment!

( Will post a picture sometime soon )

Its snowing here...and about time too,
Last few days were nothing but a bad dry spell with yellow haze and dark mist masking the mountains and the valley. This got young moms worried that they would have to bring up their precious lil ones in this grey city!
I was once in B'lore, worried about the same thing; was worried how worse my beautiful city could get before being labeled unfit for living? I now am convinced its the same thing everywhere, as long as there are Hummers and no one pooling their SUVs.
Having taken 2 courses on sustainibility, I have become a little more than conscious about our environment.
I hope everyone makes one effort every single day say, use Public transport or bike to work....public transport is fun, trust me I do it most of my days and it gives me time to think, read my books and observe people!
Id love it if anyone who reads this ( please read me ) drops in a comment on how they, in their own special way help our Earth!