Feeling Blue

In Melbourne, when the weather transitions into the next season (from autumn to winter or the other way) there comes a week when the body feels highly fidgety without any symptoms of illness! The temperature flatuates rapidly during the day and makes you feel feeble. These kind of sudden climatic changed are vague and difficult to overcome as the mind responds in the normal manner but is not backed up with the usual physical support! This week we are suffering a lot from this change and its making us feel uneasy and gloomy. 

We try not to pay heed to this restlessness but it still grips us! I hope this ends soon and we settle down into the cold weather.

Selection Matters!

Sometime back last September, Praveen had to reason out a question at Reject Shop as to why he feels like going home everyday (basically what's very close/important to his life?.. something in that context...). So he submitted our wedding pic which indirectly showcased that family was important to him. 

Yesterday at office, Praveen had a quick meeting with his IT manager (an Indian guy) who had been to the same store where Praveen worked part-time previously. The manager and his wife saw our photo put up in the store. His wife loved my blue sari soo much that she started the typical lady talk of shopping and selecting! The manager also asked Praveen from where we got that and told that it was really very nice!

He came home and narrated the whole incidence to me and I felt just one thing "Selection Matters"!

Feeling Satvic!!

The cold and rainy weather urged me to cook Patanjali atta noodles!

When I unsealed the pack, somehow the name 'Patanjali' and 'noodles' dint go together! Maybe because Patanjali products are always associated with good health!

It was just yesterday that one of my sisters posted that FB should add:

"Feeling satvic while eating Patanjali atta noodles". 

Soo apt and well said!

Birthday Gals

28th March is a day full of birthday wishes! Coincidently my mom and sister-in-law share their birthdays today! Soo its more of a celebratory mood that we experience even though we are not directly a part of it! We spent almost our entire noon today being on phone and wishing the ladies. Luckily as it was a holiday today on the eve of Easter monday our calls continued even longer!

Soniya shared few pics of my mom's in-house birthday bash which made us feel nice to see everyone back home!

Good Deed!

It was since long in our mind to make a feasible donation to the society in some form which would be useful to our people. We were specific that whatever we chose to donate should reach to people (mainly students) who are new to the place and need social help. In sync to this, we decided to donate 5kg bag of wheat flour at a temple near our house which serves free dinner on Thursday's and Sunday's. Students, bachelor's and many others have a satisfying and nourishing meal at this Sai Baba temple. We felt this would be the best donation suiting and fulfilling our wish!

The pandit took the flour bag, touched it to the god's feet and then gave us a nice garland as a token of reception by the temple authorities. After reaching home, I placed it near the Ganapati idol in our house and it looks custom made for the idol!

Our hearts are full by performing this small good deed that we yearned for since we moved from the 'student phase' to the 'bit-settled phase' and it gives us great pleasure in having completed it successfully!

Easter Saturday

We had our quarterly car servicing scheduled for today and we decided to club it up with exploring the Eastland mall where it was being serviced. As it was a chilly morning, we felt like having a hot cup of coffee at Jamaica Blue.

I loved the latte art that they served! The design was soo pretty that I felt like looking at it and not disturbing the delicate creamy pattern!

Till midday we wandered all around trying different clothing outlets then picked up our car around 3.30pm and drove back home.

We both felt drained off as we reached. Out of curiosity I checked the Iphone Health app which justified our tiredness!

Relaxed

With lots of household work and cooking to be done yesterday, today morning demanded me for being relaxed and to enjoy a hot cup of tea! 

Holi 2016

Holi today become unknowingly special with a school friend of mine visiting us from Sydney for lunch. We met after a really long time (almost after 11 years since we graduated from school)! It felt nostalgic to recall those times and talk about how we were! She gifted me a daffodils flower pot whose blossoms have added grace to our centre table and a classy look to our living room!

As it was Holi, I decided to cook the traditional menu of Puranpoli, Batata Bhaji, Kothimbir Wadi and Matar Bhaat. They both loved my preparations for which I felt content. 

Even though they spend a little time of the noon with us, it was fun and a refreshing meet!

In the Choco-World!

My cousin sister shared the newly launched 'Chocolate Thali' at the Desi Club restaurant in Mumbai. 

I dont think a chocolate freak would expect anything more than all these varieties of chocolate dishes served in this scrumptious meal! A delicious spread for the chocolate lovers, this innovative thali consists of Chocolate Gulab Jamun, Chocolate Khakhara, Chocolate Shrikhand, Chocolate Kheer, Chocolate ice cream, Chocolate truffles, Chocolate barfi and a large chocolate lollipop. 

I really appreciate the new ideas that restaurant owners come up with these days. They put together the right combination of unique dishes which instantly makes them stand out from their competitors and also readily grabs customers for them!

Wish List

Being a nature-lover, my wish list to visit different places across the globe grows exponentially each day, but I try to narrow down the list and have some realistic destinations which we could visit in the coming years. 

One from that list is the Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. Its name comes from the underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low water tide. We can dig into the sand allowing hot water to escape to the surface forming our own hot water pool!

Its something that I have never witnessed before! Watching the videos of this steaming beach itself are enough to give me a feel of how fascinating it must be to relax on the beach sand and see the sunset. It would be an experience very different from that of nature trips or sightseeing places that we have done so far which makes me more eager to pay a visit to this place. 

On the court, always!

Today was a pleasant day with bright sunshine and cool weather and we thought of enjoying the day to the fullest capacity. It was in our plan since long to go for a game of badminton and we finally did that today!

It made for a great workout from 10.30am to 2pm with multiple games against different players. We played all sorts of combinations: singles, doubles, mixed doubles. Being a part of the badminton club gave a sporty feel and we enjoyed the energy of the professionals on court. 

It was a well-spent sunday morning and we have decided to enroll in the Deakin Badminton Club and continue being on the court on every Sunday.

Pantry Storage Rack

Friday night purchase was this:

Not having a pantry room in a small house makes a huge difference and it becomes a challenge to make space for groceries. We were looking for different varieties in kitchen racks. Some had enough rack space but dint have wheels. We were in a quandary about what to do and ended up buying the first one which we had shorlisted! 

The rack's mobility and compactness are a big advantage for our tiny kitchen. I am happy that we could quell our confusion to make the right choice!

That Difference

We could spot the best example of social responsibility and accuracy in mowing/cleaning the nature strip for the houses in our neighbourhood. Leaving aside the maintenance part, the exact marking of the mowed lawn in front of the owner's house made us giggle as we walked by! It was not even a two feet wide patch of that strip, but he ensured that it was trimmed and tidy. 

We come across many such day-to-day experiences of people here being highly considerate and valuing time, work, labour, family but this one was more appreciable than any of those!

News of the day!

My bestie at Capita, Radhika shared the fabulous news of her engagement today evening. I was extremely happy for her on this lovely occasion! 

She looked stunning in the beautiful silk saree and matching jewellery! I loved the contrast colour combination of both their dresses. Just feel like browsing the pictures over and over again to see her! 

I wish her best luck with this new phase of life and hope to make it to her marriage ceremony which would be in Udupi sometime towards the year end!

Favourite one!

Out of all the latest pics that I have on my camera roll, this one is my recent favourite! I adore it and wanted it to be posted on the blog as a seperate picture.

Beau Ideal

I have been in the category of 'homemakers' these days and have been experiencing how it feels to do all the household chores completely by myself. Its surely not a very easy job!

I just dint realise how the day got over cleaning and arranging stuff today at the end of which I was completely exhausted. Whatever time and energy it might take, I am happy to see everything tidy and organised and self-appreciate my hardwork!

Sweet Hosts

Our Uni friends, Prajyan and Anu invited us today for lunch at their place. It was long since we all had met and it was nice to see them. They both cooked a delicious lunch of Bhindi masala, mixed bean dal, green peas pulav, carrot halwa and roti. Everything was tasty and as always we ate more than our normal intake!

It made for a relax and chill out holiday for us with no botheration to step-in the kitchen for the day! 

Creating memories!

Me and Praveen thought of creating a anniversary tradition by capturing a photo on every anniversary with the previous year's anniversary pic and framing it.

We have also decided that each year we would take the snap in a different place to add further to the fun. For this year, we went to the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens where the bright sunlight and surrounding greenery gave a fresh and natural look to the picture. We had a enjoyable but tiring self-taken photoshoot! 

We felt this an superb idea to see how we are as to how we were as we go along together! I am sure its going to be exciting for us to view this picture a decade later! 

First Anniversary Celebrations!

We did a grand celebration to make yesterday special! 

Had early dinner at Mamamista (Mexican restaurant) which we were keen to try since long.

Then we thought of spending the night on Eureka skydeck to enjoy the breathtaking view of Melbourne. I cant resist to write about the elevator at the skydeck which took us to the 88th floor in 38 secs! We just went zoooooop and reached the top!!

It was exciting to see how the the city looks in daylight as well as at night! We also had a quick visit to the Moomba festival which was being celebrated in great pomp on the banks of the Yarra river. 

After reaching back home, we cut our anniversary special icecream cake which tasted cakelicious!

Fun, fun and fun thats what the day was for us!

Wedding Day Flashback

I started my day today with loads of wishes from everyone and I was feeling overjoyed to have those greetings! 11th March meant nothing to me till last year and this year its been distinctly celebrative. Ohh, what a sudden change! It truely made me realise that its the only day which becomes special to you after 25yrs since you were born! So wonderful! 

Last year on 11th morning, Praveen performed a puja which signified the end of his bachelor life! The exciting part of the ritual was when my brother convinces him to marry me instead of going to kashi! Both the families enjoyed this function soo much that we could hear claps, roars and screams of the dialogues and convincing abilities till the start of our street! 

For this, I was not supposed to be around so I missed the fun (fun as in to see if he was really happy to leave his bachelorhood!! Just kidding!!) Later when I heard of it all, I got to know that my brother Pranav had told Praveen, "Because I love my sister I am forbidding you, else I would have also come to Kashi with you!!"

Around 5pm we all headed to the function hall for the marriage ceremony. The hall was beautifully decorated with a canopy in the centre for the wedding rituals. We had everyone coming on stage and showering their blessings and wishes on the special day!

The moment of the wedding for me was when my uncles carried me to the stage in a basket! Before they bought me, Soniya told everyone about this which kept their attention glued to my room and all were ready with their cameras!!! As soon as I entered, there was a loud applause as nobody had ever seen this kind of stuff before! I lack words to describe that moment but felt like a renowned actress entering a mob waiting desperately to see me!!

All the rituals went smooth and were performed as planned. The transition from Dhongade to Mangalapalli for me and transitioning to understand the Dhongade clan for Mr.Mangalapalli had began!

Wedding Flashback Day2

10 March 2015 was a extra-special day for which we were desperately waiting! We had Grahamak puja in the morning and Mehendi function for the evening. 

Relatives and friends had arrived early morning and the house was filled up with vigour. Everyone looked gorgeous in sarees and suits and were offering an helping hand in whatever they could. I was in the limelight and enjoyed every bit of it!

My dad had planned for a elegant layout for the Mehendi night. Everyone was zapped to see the open space transform into a captivating function ground! The winsome look pumped in more enthusiam to enjoy the event. Dances, mehendi, songs, flashmob, mimicry and sweet birthday celebrations, everthing was a part of it! The food was a big hit with the menu of pav bhaji, paani puri and chaat, dosa varieties, gulab jamun and rice.

In spite its been one year for all this, my dad still tells me incidences of our relatives and friends telling him 'It was the best mehendi we ever attended in pune'! 

Wedding Flashback Day1

I cant believe that today was the day when officially the marriage celebrations kicked off last year! The relentless hardwork of family and friends for almost three months was seen with all arrangments perfectly in place.

It was on this day that I had a beautiful mehendi design drawn on my hands and feet. Even though it was a tedious job for the artist, the intricacy in the figures he drew mesmerised everyone. 

Our house was decked up with bright lighting and silky curtains which looked royal and festive. The front-yard had a setup of the traditional wedding canopy which gave a stunning look to the house. 

We decorated our living room with marigold strands that made for a wonderful backdrop for all in-house pujas. There was lots of chit-chat, jokes, yummy food and fun while we did all these arrangements. 

Loads of excitement was within the family members of how things would be in the next three days and everyone was eagerly waiting for their plans to come into action! 

 

 

Cup'cake

My dear friend Tejaswini shared an easy and instant recipe for baking a cupcake last week. I haven't been good at baking cakes by myself so was keen on trying her set of ingredients and it worked out unquestionably well!

In the real sense I baked it as a 'Cup'cake (or maybe we call it as GIANTCUPcake!!) 

Thanks Teju for sharing this quick and easy recipe and I wait for many more to come!

 

Weekend Recreation

We set out early morning yesterday to buy groceries (as we get really fresh veggies as compared to noon) and then went to the Eastland shopping centre. Praveen was longing to purchase the 'Beats' headphones and finally managed to get one as per his choice yesterday. 

The mall where we went had recently been functional and left us with a variety of good stores to shop in. Needless to say, we roamed and roamed until we were all exhausted! On our way back we decided to take away our favorite Nandos peri-peri chips and subway sandwich for lunch and have it at a lake side park. 

It was a much needed refreshment and a fun day getting to spend some quality time together.

Grand Sale

Friday was a grand sale of all home essentials at Praveen's office. Samples of all products were put up on sale for staff to buy at a very minimal price. The best part was that you grab anything and it wont cost you more than $2!

Taking advantage of this Praveen bought a basket full of stuff.

It was an absolute fun for him to have a in-office shopping experience and for me to see each of the items he bought!

Living it up!

A clothing treat for Praveen! We purchased these casual wear from Gazman (the shop whose collection we adore!). Their clothing has attractive colour  combination, great finish and fits really well. 

Praveen was dazzled by their look and comfort and ended up buying two at one go! 

Mosquito Bites

Since past few days we have been feeling mosquitoes buzzing over our heads at midnight. But being in deep sleep we had been ignoring it. Yesterday night this ignorance costed me a lot when I got two puffy bites on my hand.

Today morning I checked the windows when I found out that one of the window nets in the living room had slightly dislocated creating space for these creatures to enter. We never realised when the winds had moved the net out of its position as the blinds always cover the windows. 

Its been fixed now and I hope they dont annoy me with their buzz and bites tonight!

New Look

I got a haircut done yesterday and my head feels lighter and nicer!

A slight change of style also feels good to see myself. Afterall change is a must!

Puffed-up

Today morning I was startled to see this happen!

I prepared dosa batter yesterday evening and left it to ferment overnight. Early morning today, it was overflowing from the vessel. This was one of the much awaited thing that I was looking forward to achieve in Melbourne!

I still vividly recall those visits to the settled families here who specifically told me that never try to make dosa batter and curd at home because it doesn't ferment. I did follow their advice in the initial days, but later gave it a try when the weather was favourable. Its never worked out so well but we could enjoy a healthy homemade meal. 

I am glad I could prepare the batter as expected which ticks one more item in my 'Budding Cook' list!

Missing Pune

Somedays I really miss being in my native city when I see on zomato.com that there are more than 5K restaurants which serve and specialise in a wide variety of cuisines. 

I never remember places being classified into soo many types when I was in Pune. But lately there has been a tremendous rise in the eateries offering their customers varieties to taste! The photos put up on their site look soo tempting and irresistibly yummy (my mom pacifies me by saying they only look attractive but dont taste soo good!) 

Maybe I thought why not start shortlisiting the places which I want to visit during our next trip! Haha, thats called 'Being very well prepared'!