Trip to the tip of India

This weekend in order to celebrate our 8th year together as a couple, Vincent and I along with our friends decided to take a trip to the backwaters of Kerela (a long due and much awaited trip), as it was a long weekend we also added Kanyakumari to our itinerary. We spent our leg of the Kerela journey in Poovar Island, Trivandrum. The resort we stayed in "Poovar Island Resort" was truly as their tag line suggests.."out of this world"..the location, the scenic beauty that surrounded us, the hospitality, the food...everything was just awesome. 

I had seen pictures of the backwaters of Kerela but nothing had prepared me for this fascinating beauty of nature, never in my wildest dreams had I envisioned it to be so breathtakingly beautiful. The ride in our boats through this meandering water path surrounded by tall coconut trees and trees and plants of all shapes and hues captivated me, the fishes swimming in the water, the birds spreading their wet wings to sun...it was like a fairy tale coming to life, I was a character in Alice in wonderland discovering amazing things..truly magical is how I would like to conclude my backwaters experience.

Kanyakumi was a two hours drive from Trivandrum .Kanyakumari always fascinated me, in school I had read about how it was the tip of India surrounded by water, how you can see the different colors of the the three seas (Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea). When I reached the Vivekananda rock I was overwhelming by the realization that I was at the tip of India and that there was no Indian soil beyond the point where I was now standing...just the vast sea facing me. Being a child of the hills surrounded by the Himalayas this feeling is surreal.

Had the most amazing time, an awesome way for us to begin our 9th year...cheers to that

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Catching up

These days whenever I log into my social network page I see at least three updates or photo uploads where friends or acquaintances are getting engaged/married. I not quite sure if I am the only one who gets freaked out whenever I see these updates....its like there is this race and Im slowly lagging behind...Gosh I don't wanna be the last one to touch that finish line. But it helps that none of my besties are married yet...infact that's a major relief, but i know the instant anyone of these girls start getting hitched...the panic attacks will start setting in....in fact a heart attack. I'm afraid I'll be left out as "the girl who was the last to get hitched".

The fact is I have already met the man I see my future with. He adores me and I adore him too. In fact I would say we are head over heels in love with each other. But I live in India and like all Bollywood movies our perfect romance has a small road-bump...dan-ta-ta....here it come....."he is not a Hindu"...yes seven years of relationship and I have not yet convinced my parents...I admit I suck...first 3 years I was convincing myself Ill just get out of the relationship once college is over, then after I realized I could not live without him the next 3 years I was waiting for a chance to tell my parents...yes I'm just a chk chk chicken...then last year I gather all my guts and finally spilled the beans and now I'm waiting for my parents to say "you kids can get married now we have tortured you enough".

So till my "WAIT" phase is over there is hardy much I can do except to wait patiently for my D-Day to arrive. While I do that Ill just plan the "awesomest" wedding ever.....in you face you early birds...:)

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love handles

One comment a women always dreads "You look chubby". Yes chubby is a kinder way of putting it...but in reality it means "you have become FAT". I hate the constant struggle to keep my easily weight gaining body to its ideal weight. One side the yummy burger beacons me and on the other side my love handles weep for some exercise. But seriously my "full figure" has started giving me nightmares. I don't mind being called fat or thin as long as I look yummy in all those dresses, but recently that has become a distant dream. All my tees seem tighter and my dresses seem shorter and the bulges appearing out of nowhere don't help the situation. So I decided that I will start losing the extra 10 kgs I had gained in the past year (yes i gained 10 kgs..). I watched body transformation videos in YouTube and was all pumped up. This time I would lose all that weight for sure...and then I had a heavy/rich dinner and slept off planning my breakfast menu. Follow @khapong

A brother's dream

In India weddings are a big deal. Family prestige is on line here... that's how serious business a marriage is. Everything has to be first class...food, venue,entertainment and not to forget the jewelry and clothes. So imagine the kind of pressure the families of the bride and groom go through for their "dream wedding". Yes, in India the the couple alone don't share the burden & luxury of a dream wedding...the dream is shared by the entire family :)

I recently attended the marriage of a close friend's sister and without doubt I can state that this was one of the most interesting weddings I had ever attended. Unlike the typical elaborate and over the top Indian wedding this two day affair was simple and intimate which made it such a beautiful ceremony. The only focus was on "fun" that everyone including the bride/groom had.

But talking to my friend (the bride's brother) I realized that this simple two day event was not so simple after all. Actually a lot of effort had gone in, the effort specially borne on the sturdy shoulders of the brother. Poor soul must have lost some 10 kgs with all that running around he had to do(although it was good for him.. he was seriously becoming too unhealthy). But its so true when he emotionally states "I have got only one sister where else will I get to do all this."Awwwww..really a brother-sister bond is irreplaceable....

Anyways I had a blast...my friends and I prepared a dance number for the Sangeet ceremony and screwed up big time...it was a peppy punjabi number and the guys just forgot the steps midway and just gave up and the girls ended up bumping with them on stage...but we had fun and everyone had a good laugh so..."all is well that ends well". Then on the reception a Ukrainianband performed..they were as unique as can get...they performed some Hindu hymns in theirunique accent...it was just so amazing...the ambiance the picturesque location...everything. Had an amazing time. :)

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The Tempest

I was going through some old photographs and I crossed path with this one. This photograph was taken in Pondicherry, India, a few years back and this has been my all time favourite ever since. I just love the backdrop, it reminds me of "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare.

" If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. "

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Paradise gained

I admit I have really tiny feet and these days finding the perfect shoes for my tiny feet are next to impossible (especially in Bangalore...the people here have really large feet...at least in comparison to mine). So it was a real pleasant surprise when I came across this tiny shop tucked away in a corner of the busy Mahakal market of Darjeeling. This shop was pure heaven, a shoe paradise for all those shoeholics (like me). I found some amazing and affordable heels and flats. Whats a girl gotta do when she has such amazing stuff staring back at her??? I lightened my purse of a few grants and got home some sexy babies...and I sure don't regret it. Here are my top three favourite buys. (Please dont mind the pics it was taken by my really old mobile cam)

1. These sexy studded blue heels top my list. Its light and really comfy. I can wear them all day long


2. These heels remind me so much of Kim K. The animal print bow just adds to its sexiness.

3. These brown loafers are so comfy. A right mix of fashion and comfort. Just love them.
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Tihar....

This year I was home to celebrate "Tihar" the Nepali version of Diwali. Tihar has always been my all time favorite festival and celebrating it with my family after almost four years made me realize why I love it so much. From the salivating smell of selrotis, the beautiful melody of bhaylenis to the beautiful diyas enhancing the charm of the bright orange saiparti malas adorning every household door, each element adds to the charm of this joyous festival.

I just love the way our quiet Darjeeling is transformed into this busy town throbbing with excitement and vigour during Tihar. The market scene before tihar is a total chaos, every shop is brimming with activity. Every place you go you will find people busy purchasing something or the other. Sweets, flowers, jewellery, clothes, utensils the shopping lists are endless.

Tihar in Darjeeling is a three day long event (sometimes four). Starting with Laxmi Puja, the main day we pray to Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and welcome her into our houses, the many bright diyas guiding her way. Words can't express how beautiful my Darjeeling looked on the eve of Tihar. The familiar song "Bhayleni ayo agan ma, barali kurali rakha na" lingered in the air and brought back wonderful memories of childhood when I used to go around my cousins house singing the beautiful melody. The next day we hear the bhais and dajus singing "Deusure", some as ethnic as it can get with madals guiding the singers and some with modern twists including Sakti Kapoor and Sunil Shetty (so hilarious). The final day is the bhai-tika where all the sisters fast for their brother's well being and adorn their foreheads with long and colourful tikas. The beautiful bond of the brother and sister cannot be expressed more beautifully then the tikas, the longer the tika the longer the life they say.

Being at home this tihar made me realize what I had been missing for the past four years and being submerged in this vibrant ethnic festival made me proud of my ethnicity, proud of the fact that I am a Nepali...."yo maan ta mero nepali ho"...

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