So, do you play Garba?

I have two left feet when it comes to dancing so dandiya / garba events never excite me. But for those who love to dance, the garba / dandiya nights are something to totally look forward to.

Then again, what's not to love. You get to dress like a princess in a traditional ghaghra wear tons of jewelry, dance the night through to the most foot-tapping heart-pumping numbers ever and get to meet lots of members of the opposite sex. So yes, it can be a lot of fun.

Here are some garba and dandiya  tutorials that you can learn from, if like me you don't know how. (i am aiming to go next year; by which time i hope not be a health hazard to anyone!)

1. Dandiya basics
2. Pragnesh Shah shows how to get the legwork right.
3. Chitra teaches how to play them - here.
4. This is a really good tutorial.

And this here, will take you to the best 5 dandiya moves in hindi movies.

Enjoy your Navratri - whether you are fasting or feasting.

PS: That's my cousin all dolled up to go dancing. I am loving her yellow and red ghaghra which is simple, yet eye-catching.

Mani Ratnam's Raavan

It's a movie i have long wanted to see but since the reviews were terrible, we never did go to the theatre to watch it.

What it's about: The eternal fight between good and evil. What's interesting is that good has shades of bad and bad has lots of goodness. Beera kidnaps Ragini, a police officer's wife in order to kill and avenge his sister's suicide that was brought on by the police. 

My 2 cents: The movie fails in its character sketches and you are not drawn in - i din't feel anything for any of the 3 main characters no matter what they were doing or experiencing. No fear, hatred, anger or sorrow (except when Jamuni dies). Off the 3 - ARB, AB, and Suriya - only ARB's Ragini is well sketched, the others are almost flat. AB's Raavan appears  silly-crazy not crazy-crazy, if you know what i am trying to say.

And yes, Raavan also made me understand why Ravi Kissen is so popular with the bhojpuri junta. His character manages to leave an impression.

Despite what i said earlier i'd recommend that you watch it. For the brilliant cinematography and the beautiful way the rugged Indian landscape has been portrayed. It's fabulous that way. Super-fabulous. Really beautiful. So beautiful that i can't get it out of my head. And then there is the music. That's sometimes soothing, sometimes haunting and sometimes enervating, and at all times awesome.

PS: I have a DVD, i don't know how, but i do. So if you want to borrow feel free to ask.

What's your name?

My friend is called Chikoo by his family and he is pretty embarrassed by the one nickname that he has.

I have grown up with several nicknames - my father called me tuki-tuki and for the longest time he called me papa which means kiddo in telugu. 

My cousins and friends call me anything from ambi to binx to biki to bika to binca, whatever they fancy. 

I call the other A 'Da' and he calls me 'Di'. Sometimes i call him 'Jaanu' in public which he finds embarrassing (i am trying my hardest to stop calling him that, in public at least!).

Do you have a nickname or more than one? Do you find it silly / embarrassing?

PS: That's my dad and i. 

Green

Limey lemony green for the feet. And a map to rest the feet on. Gimme.

Available online at bestylish for Rs.287.40.

Swatch it

Something about this sunny yellow always gets me. Too childish for a 30-something?

At one point in life i hated Swatch. Now it's one of my favorite brands. I don't even know when it changed but now i love Swatch's fun, colorful and quirky designs.

{pic from the swatch kidrobot collection}

Party Theme: Unicorns and Rainbows

Unicorns and Rainbows - it's such a vibrant party theme. Everything is so pretty and colorful - the thread balloons, the party favors, the food, the cake.

The Juicy Bits blog has all the colorful details that made this party dreamy.This pic does really doesn't show how gorgeous it all was.

I found another rainbow party here.

Now i want to do this... since i don't have a little one, can someone lend me theirs?

Don't you think this would be the perfect theme for a party for a 7-year old? 

Designer Ed Chew made these gorgeous lamps with used tetra pack boxes. Amazing what creative brains can do with waste that would have only added to a land fill.

{via}

Google, Happy Birthday

You turned 13 yesterday. Happy Belated Birthday. (Delayed birthday wishes, has always been my thing. Sorry). You have been a huge part of my life and have been answer to all my questions.  I love everything you do and you are. As you enter your teens i hope the hormones don't kick in and turn you into a crazy adolescent.

Happy 13th Birthday Google. May you live long, strong and forever free.

Paimona by Zeb and Haniya

I am totally in love with this. My morning just got sweeter.

Thank you Amrita for sharing this on Sound of Music, the FB group for music lovers. 
The meaning and lyrics are here.

Chambor Lips

I have finally found the perfect pink lipstick. Most pinks just don't look good on my dusky skin color and i have been searching for quite some time for a shade that would be pink, yet natural.

It's a shade called Pink Rose / 252 from the Chambor Flowing Lipstick Range. Costs Rs. 475

You can see the shades on the Chambor site but you won't really get a good idea until you go try.

The lipstick feels light, almost like you have nothing on. I have long been a fan of Chambor's products and among the brands available here, their shades suit the Indian skin tone the best. Go try... it is fab.

Charge anywhere

What can this little pouch do?

It can convert any of your sockets to a charging point even if there is no table nearby to connect your mobile to.

I certainly need 1 like this. Ok make that 2. Or 3. (my mobile, his and the ipod.)

{found this idea at}

Snow me

Dear (the other) A,

I hope that this will be year when i finally get to see and touch snow.

I promise to not complain about the cold.

XOXO,
A

Picture of Auli, Uttarakhand. More information on Auli can be found here, here, here and here.

The stars remind me

I saw a million stars.
Actually none, to tell the truth.
It was too cloudy.
But the ones I dint see reminded me of you.
A million times.
And i wish i had seen the stars instead.

Khaman Dhokla

I usually use my mother's recipe (which turns out great); but i saw 'nylon khaman dhokla' on Tarla Dalal's site. Sounds weird, true but intriguing as well.. .

{Previously, i had made an eggless chocolate cake using a TD recipe and since that turned out so good, i decided to give it a shot.}

The dhoklas turned out delightfully soft and fluffy. The flavor and texture were perfect. Totally gorgeousnss.

I made the dhoklas in Idli moulds coz i find it easier to dish out and serve. I had some left over batter that i microwaved for about 3 minutes. They were not as soft but i am guessing the 3 minutes were a bit much.

Khaman makes for the perfect evening snack with a cup of a hot milky ginger tea... Would you like to join me?

{recipe}

Fashion for kids

I wish more parents would choose clothes like this for their children. Bright, colorful, airy and most importantly, cotton - perfect for our climate.

(I did notice that Fabindia chose a firangi as their model. I still love the dress.)

How do you pen a tribute?

Like this, i guess. 

RIP Nawabsaheb.

{pic via}

Meeta's tips for food styling and photography

Meeta K Wolff is one blogger whose food pictures always look so delicious. I love to go to her blog to simply look at the pictures. (I don't use egg in my cooking and then she weird / exotic ingredients that i can never find in my part of the world. So yes, i have not tried a single recipe so far. But the photographs, i can't stop gawking. Sigh! Sigh!)

She has shared some tips on her blog - on styling, props and finding your own style. Go see. (Even the pictures of her props look gorgeous.)

{tips for photographing food}

<---- this is the kind of photographs she takes. gorgeous, right?

Kooky hotels, or not

I would love to stay in a tree house sometime. I think it'd be magical. This one's in Mudumalai Forest (in Karnataka).

The other hotels in the 12 Unusual and Creative hotels are kookier (one's in a pod, another's made of sand and so on). 

Be my chammak challo

Are you loving it as much as i am? Chammak Challo from Ra.One makes me want to dance.

If tomorrow comes

If tomorrow comes
Author: Sidney Sheldon

It's on the list of the my top 5 crime / thriller novels. And even though i have read it 3 times already, i could read it again.

What about you? Can you read books you have already read earlier?

What's you favorite thriller / crime novel? Any authors you would like to introduce me to?

(I am a fan of Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardener's books and have nearly every book written by them. Some i even have duplicates of.)

If you haven't read If Tomorrow Comes, please buy / borrow now.

PS: It's available for sale on Flipkart for Rs. 163.

The Lonely Planet Tips on Photography

If you are an amateur photographer like me and want to learn to take better pictures, here are some useful links on photographing.

1. Sunrise and sunset
2. Streetscapes
3. Rainy days

I took this picture on our trip to Machilipatnam. One of my favorite clicks from this trip.

Little things

Enjoy the little things in life,
for one day you will look back
and realize they were the big things.

So True. So Wise.

via

Mary Janes

If i needed formal wear i would buy this now. The little heel is perfect for a day spent on you feet and the color - it's  not black. Yay, perfect.

The navy will match almost all colored trousers.

You can get yours from Inc 5 stores or buy online from bestylish.com.

That's why I like to watch movies at PVR Cinemas

For the longest time i have been using bookmyshow to book my movie tickets. Until recently, i dint realize that you couldn't book PVR tickets on there. Then i rediscovered PVR recently when we went to watch a movie for which we hadn't booked online, i realized why PVR rocks and it's a fabulous theatre to watch a movie in.

1. the seats are super-comfy.
2. the leg room is way more than any other theatre's.
3. PVR is not as crazy crowded as Prasad's is. (in Prasad's you dont even have to walk, you just get pushed and jostled. it's that bad.)

PS: Mausam bookings are now open and guess who booked 7 tickets already?

pic from

Making eggless chocolate cake

The other day i had a chocolate craving that wouldn't go away. I had a recipe for eggless cake that didn't work too well the last time i made it plus i couldn't even find it. When i asked Google to find me a recipe, it found me several. I have found most internet recipes to be unreliable.

 (I made chocolate chip cookies  one time from a popular blogger's post who i dont want to name and they turned out super-duper extra sweet when i followed the recipe to the tee. There were also errors in the recipe - no binding agent and ingredients mentioned in the directions that were not in the ingredients needed and some ingredients missing. Pretty pictures do not make for tasty food. )

When i finally found one on the Tarla Dalal site i was super-excited. One, i have found her recipes to work well and have never had a disaster so far. Two, the recipe didn't need condensed milk or butter. Yay!

I followed the recipe to the tee, almost. I replaced the all-purpose flour with wheat-ragi flour, a 1/4 cup more milk, a bit more cocoa, and 1/2 a teaspoon of coffee (a trick Aru told me, so the cake turns out darker and the chocolate taste more intense.)

This is a pic of the last piece! That's how delicious the cake turned out to be.

If you'd like to bake this go here and if you'd like to send me a piece, email here. Happy baking :D

Oops

I have scars to prove it to you.

via

Mausam, finally

I told you how i had been waiting to see Mausam. What i dint tell you was how every morning i would go to 3 different movie booking sites and try to advance book. The movie's release got delayed by a week and it's going to be releasing this Friday. I am so looking forward to watching this.

The Park, Hyderabad - Pretty but shallow

This post is going to be longish and quite detailed so read at your own risk.

When Chopi came visiting last month from Bangalore we went to The Park for drinks and dinner.

We went to Aqua for drinks and were told it's about to shut (this at 10:00 PM). A little cajoling later they finally agreed to seat us and serve us - but one drink only. We sat, ordered, and requested for another round of beers. The steward declined but a few minutes later we saw him take and serve an order at a table right in front of us.

That kind of set the mood for the rest of the evening. Some time later, we were told to pay Rs 3400 without a bill being presented to us. Apparently there was a problem with the bill printer. We said we'd wait. Less than five minutes later we were presented a bill that was about Rs 500 less. I still can't believe this happened. A wrong bill i can understand but a verbal bill - that's a little too weird.

[i asked for a bill print because i have worked in retails and printer not working is a standard excuse the staff makes to either charge more or pocket the money.]

We then headed to Carbon for more drinks - which was still open at 10:45. We ordered an Andhra-style paneer snack that was yummy. All in all a good experience here.

The boys by now had decided to go to Al-hamdulillah for kebabs so i decided to eat at Verandah where  one portion of dal makhani and 2 rotis took 45 minutes to arrive. [The dal was definitely good, though.]

We left at about 1:30, dazzled by the beautiful interiors, a few thousands poorer and a lot wiser.

My cup of tea

I liked to drink tulsi tea / green tea. But these mornings, i simply drink the strong ginger tea the cook makes for everyone else (Raam and the other A). I have the big mug of tulsi tea in the evening.

I am thinking of reverting to my old habits but now that Jayamma has finally learned to make tea the way we like it, using the cup to measure and adding just the right number of spoons of sugar, i am worried she will go back to her old ways if i change the number of cups from 3 to 2.

I am going to have to think a bit more about this now. :(

The Westin, Hyderabad

The other A, Raam and I went to the Westin sometime last month for drinks and dinner. We had a great fabulous time - the service was great, the snacks were delicious and the ambience was gorgeous. [A great place to seek design inspiration from if you are looking for classy, clean and stylish.]

We had drinks at Mix, the cocktail lounge and dinner at Prego, the Italian restaurant.

[The staff at Prego gave us a table even though they were about to shut down. The Italian fare was disappointing though. Not a patch on the food i ate at Windsor Pub / Toscano's.]

I must also tell you about Popy, the girl who served our drinks and snacks with a smile. In fact, we ended up ordering more eats and drinks because of her recommendations.

Hotel pic from the Westin site.

Horsing around

I went horse riding on Saturday. It was super fun butt tiring.

I hope to do it again soon but with Nivel A2 classes also on the weekend, i am not sure how that's going to be possible.

(If you live in Hyderabad and would like to give horse riding a shot, then join GHAC on FB. Lessons are conducted on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Sat-Sun evenings.)

Times Sufi Nights - Vidya Shah and Rekha Bharadwaj

I managed to go see Vidya Shah and Rekha Bharadwaj's concert that was part of the Times Sufi Nights.

Vidya Shah mesmerized with her singing. There were moments when her singing reminded me of Subha Mudgal. Later, i got to know that she trained with SM. (Truth be told, i loved the times when she dint sound like SM.)

Rekha Bhardwaj sang Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry while a husband and wife duo read out the letters Faiz and his wife Alys wrote to each other during his 5-years of imprisonment. Soulful, indeed. (The wife, Lubna, though botched up the reading and made a huge difference to the evening.)

I did take my camera along but managed to get very few pictures as someone i dont want to name kept the camera on for about an hour and the battery drained out.

These 3 pics will give you an idea of how the colored lights added to the Qutb Shahi Tombs. (Makes me wonder why the tourism department doesn't do something to attract more tourists!)

Singham starring Ajay Devgn

We were to go watch Transformers 3 last night but we settled for Singham on Showcase. We got lazy, but then Sundays are meant to be lazy, aren't they?. 

We had a rollicking time laughing at the inane dialogues and the crazy action sequences. It's an action movie that's a whole lot fun; a typical potboiler with zany, filmy dialogues and everything's over-the-top.

Ajay Devgn's sculpted body, rippling muscles et al and the intense look in his eyes... ooh! I could watch Singham again just for that. He is truly the star of the movie carrying it ably on his broad, strong shoulders. (Sorry, i just can't stop gushing.)

I only wish we had seen it in on the big screen so i could scream, whistle and hoot. (I do it all the time. I have even carried a whistle for Om Shanti Om, the rest of the times, the other A whistles-on-request coz i am no good at it.)

I'd rate it A - Awesome Fun.

PS:  Here's a vdo of some of the dialogues.

What's in a Chocolate?

My earliest memory of chocolate is getting a bar to eat everyday. My father would drop me to school on his Kinetic Honda and buy me a bar of chocolate on the way. For some reason, if the chocolate did not happen, then i would get an ice cream in the evening. Yes, i was spoilt rotten and plump always.

He would also buy my cousins and me all sorts of candies, toffees and ices and take us for rides. And dunk us in the small water tank and spray water on us. And since there were four of us cousins we would get taken out in turns. Our fondest childhood memories all revolve around Papa / Ashok mama / Baaji.

I have never stopped loving chocolate ever since. My favorite used to be Double Decker but it stopped being sold here a long time ago. Then there was Nutties, Crackle, Gems and Tiffins which were my other favorites.

[I see it's still available in London, so if you are coming here from there, please bring me a bar. And if you are in London, then eat one and tell me how it tastes. I will be very grateful.]

Coming to my new favorite, the Lindt Intense Orange. On our way to Bangalore, I picked up a bar of at the airport. I am half way through the third bar already despite the fact that too much chocolate intake can give me a migraine.

So, what's your favorite chocolate? Or are you like my friend Bhargavi who just doesn't like chocolate.

If like me, you love chocolate, then rush to Rosa's ZOMG candy for reviews and ratings of all kinds of calorie filled goodies. 


Lindt image from the Lindt website.
Double Decker picture from the Cadburys website.

Times Sufi Nights: Day 1, Farid Ayaz and group

I almost didn't go yesterday. Before the start of the show, i dint know the name of the singer even. Just that it was a Sufi concert and a famous qawwal from Pakistan was performing. And of course the venue - Quli Qutb Shahi Tombs (QQS).

I love open-air events and concerts especially when they take place in heritage monuments, another reason i wanted to go.

I went hoping for a pleasant evening in a beautiful location. I came back stunned and gloriously happy.

The venue was beautifully lit with colored lights in garish hues. Magenta, orange and green, on the walls of the tombs looked loud and cheerful and very 'Hyderabadi'. The platform of the stage was festooned with glittering silver streamers and candles in glass votives were placed in front of the performers. Big white POP filigreed lamps were placed all over the grounds - dreamy. Total awesomeness and the concert had not even begun. 

The concert started an hour late. But that was totally forgiven. Farid Ayaz and group entered to a standing ovation (yes, i finally learnt the singer's name). A few minutes in to the first qawwali and i was mesmerized. That's how i was for the two and half hour show. Farid Ayaz and group rocked it. 

The rendition of Chaap Tilak Sab Cheeni had me teary eyed. The song is by no means sad but their powerful singing affected me so. Over the course of the evening i felt shivers running down my spine several times. (And i also embarrassed myself totally by falling into a knee-deep pool of water on my way back from the washroom. Hurt, embarassed and dripping wet, i sat through the last two numbers.) 

That's how awesome the evening was. Entry to all 3 Times Sufi Nights (TSN) concerts is free but you do need a pass that you can get from the TOI HQ. 

Vidya Shah and Rekha Bharadwaj are singing today at the QQS tombs. I am hoping to snag passes and go with my camera so i can share the awesomeness of the venue with you all. Tomorrow, is the last of the Times Sufi Nights. 

As part of the TSN, the Wadali Brothers are performing at the Char Minar tomorrow. I am desperate to go but apparently the passes are all over. Considering that the concert is free, if i don't get passes, i am thinking i will just go to the venue and work my way in... 

PS: Do you get as irritated as i do when people next to you talk during the concert? And don't you think it is rude to walk out of the concert a little after half the show is over, when the artist is mid-way through a song. ( i dint see any reason for the few people who left early to leave the way they did since the concert was fabulous).

Pic from Coke Studio

Wedges and other kinds of heels

Just last week the strap of my black wedge sandals broke :( and i am still feeling a little sad because i really can't wear anything more than kitten heels without feeling uncomfortable and these were the only ones i felt comfy walking in. Alas.

Aren't these black Louboutin's gorgeous? I know i would never be able to get one of these but if you find pretty wedges, please drop me a line.

This and more such sexy shoes on Pinterest are on Tara Pyne's shoe board. I love them all, except maybe the animal print ones.

Shoe fairy: These are my favorites from Tara Payne's collection. Can you please send me one? I promise to donate two pairs to someone needy.

PS: Do you wear heels? Pointy ones? Are you super comfortable or is your shoe pantry over flowing with flats and flip flops like mine is?

Time

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time...

Have a lovely weekend :D

via

Basic tart biscuits with blueberry compote

My friend Arundati of Escapades made this super-yummy biscuits that she topped with blueberry compote. They were just so delicious. Sigh!

I am headed over to her home for lunch and hoping i can convince her to make some decadent dessert today.

Wish me luck.

(And she hasn't posted the recipe on her blog yet so maybe hounding her to do that may be my second-best option.)

VillCart

This bamboo clock from VillCart is perfect for the children's room. It costs Rs 455 and would make a lovely gift. To buy this and other cute handmade products at reasonable prices, click here.

I placed an order for this embroidered pouch bag for my mother and these earrings too.

PS: Do you remember the Ganesha on a swing? It's available at VillCart.

Go away, this pesky feeling

my feet itches. my heart aches. i want to go somewhere.

poster from revelment.

North Vs. South aka Shahana opened a Pandora's box.

I love my India. But rather than feel terrible about the North-South mud-slinging blog fight that is doing the round on the Internet i am totally loving it.

Broken Mornings - Shahana has written an extremely funny but true post on the North (read Delhi) way of life. Go on read it, it will totally make your day.

BasioMeusPuga has jumped into the fray muscles rippling, but it's kind of lacking the punch Broken Mornings has managed. Worth a read nevertheless.

Round 1 goes to Shahana. Here's hoping for more fireworks...

Why are you still here? Go read those posts.

Stamp pic from Amsterdamned. 

Update: Found another post on the topic where MadMomma dishes it out.
Another update: Woo hoo! This one's getting crazier. Read this.
And another one where Chickwit has this to say.

Great Hyderabad Adventure Club

I have seen this group several times on FB and almost joined but then didn't. Till today. Yes, I should kick myself for taking this long. 

The Great Hyderabad Adventure Club has an event calendar filled with activities like trekking, nature walks, rock climbing, rafting, horse riding.  - You can choose an activity that's an hour long or a weekend trip.

I have chosen to go for a morning walk tomorrow that starts at 6 AM. (The challenge would be to wake up and go. After that, i am hoping i will be fine.)

I have also chosen to go for a riding lesson on Saturday. I have a strong feeling i am going to get a kick out of it.

There are some other interesting activities like a night trek + camping that i would love to do but they have a wait list and even if everyone confirmed decides to cancel, i won't get a spot.

PS: Did i mention that the activities are all reasonably priced?

Dramanon's Pointless to a Point

Six plays. In 2 hours. I watched this about 2 months back and had a blast watching this.


You can catch it again this Sunday at 7:15PM.

Tickets are priced at Rs. 200. (The show ran to a packed house the last time and there were a lot of people at the venue trying to get a ticket. Which they didn't.)

Book your tickets on bookmyshow or leave me a note.

"Dramanon presents ‘POINTLESS TO A POINT’ a series of short stories that explore and reflect our everyday interactions in a new light. Every play will lend a new dimension to a discussion, a new perspective to a conversation, a new angle to an argument, all woven in an intricate interplay of mirth, happiness, melancholy, absurdity, triumph, tragedy and fear. 
Read more...

How to style your hair (or not) in your 30s

     

These tips on hair color and hair style for women in their 30s is interesting (and useful). Go read before you get your next styling appointment.

Total Beauty has the goods. But if you'd like a summary here's the basic things you should keep in mind:
1. Frame your face. Don't pull it all back. Even if it's trendy.
2. Don't choose unnatural colors or colors that don't complement your skin tone.
3. Condition + deep condition your hair regularly.
4. Invest in products that will add shine to your hair.

Pictures picked up randomly from the Internet of the styles i liked.