A Sweet Start

Homemade Pumpkin Walnut muffins! Perfect to begin 2012 with :) My first attempt, so its not perfect but it tastes yummy! Wishing you all a super sweet & Delicious New Year once again...

R.I.P. 2011.

Its fresh, its brand-new, waiting to pop out of the box! How would it be? Bitter, sweet, sour, or a mix of all? Yes, 2012 is just round the corner. So what do you think is going to be New in the New Year?

The speed with which the world is moving its easy to see some certain changes if not this year atleast in the coming few years. Below are some on top of my mind.

- " i is all that matters and not We."  iphone, ipad, ipod itouch and many more soon to be launched

- Kids wonder What does natural color of hair mean? Once a hairstylist surprisingly asked me " You have never colored your hair!?? " his question made me feel 50 years old!

- The new mantra " If you have it, flaunt it." And how do you do that? "Upload it. share it. tag it. like it" and this applies to every damn thing, from your doormat to your Sports Car!

- 3D is outdated, 5D technology it is. You never know! anything can happen

- If you like a girl whats so special about it? Go that extra mile. Liking is what you do everyday on Facebook!

- Indians have become NRI's and Europeans/Westerners have shifted to India

- World is surely not going to end in 2012. Which means one more reason to welcome 2013 " We are still alive & kicking "

So lets bring in the New! Its New Job for me which leads to many more new stuff. New beginning. New office. New role. New challenges. New friends and an excuse to shop for New clothes, right? ;) But this would also mean New stories & New experiences to share! Lets see how busy I get.

Wishing everybody a joyous 2012 filled with love and laughter. See you all in the brand-New year! :)

The Winged Beauties

Winter is the perfect time to pass by the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and have a look at the long legged pink & white beauties in the middle of the hustle & bustle of Dubai. Its not just the flamingos but the sanctuary acts as a stopover for around 67 species of migrating birds of the East African–West Asian Flyway. More than 500 species of flora and fauna and is one of the best-managed arid zone wetlands in the region.

I have come here thrice in last 2 years, and finally managed some shots of few birds pretty close. There are two Ramsar sites (wetland reserves) properly fenced and monitored by cameras with birding hides open for the public viewing. Hides are equipped with binoculars & telescopes for better viewing as the hides are quite far from the birds. If you are lucky enough and the water is closer to your hide, the birds would be closer too, making it easier to capture them. Secondly, clicking the perfect shot would mean having huge cameras like the ones the National Geographic or Discovery guys carry! Twice I have returned unhappy, wondering whats the point if you can see the beautiful birds through the binoculars but can not capture them in your camera just because they are too far. Luckily this time on this particular hide water was closer and it was their feeding time. Fishes were left in the water for them. So we spent some time trying to capture the best I could. I would not mind going there again, for more and better shots now :)

The Great Egret flapping hard

Eyeing the fishes

Catwalking!

Get,

Set,

& off I go!

Catwalking again!

1, 2 & 3.

Got it, finally!

Punished are you?

A call to the rest

A Reef Haron

All take a bow..

What makes a perfect weekend?

- Waking up to a pleasant unexpected call followed by a talk with both the parents

- Shopped for myself in 1/2 an hour flat (that's rare, if you know me)

- Ate till hearts contenct, so much so that we skipped the dinner

- A husband who is having laughing fits out of nowhere for silly things, which was beyond my understanding (wonder if there was something mixed in his food)

- An entertaining light movie, with an extremely chilly theatre. Felt like I was carrying a personal Air conditioner!

- Evening Masala chai (works wonders specially after a cold movie experience)

- A visit to a friend's new house. Sitting in the balcony chatting & gossiping on a cool cosy evening with a view of the glittering Burj Khalifa

- I love small little things, specially animation movie character toys. Got a Clumpsy toy (If you have seen Smurfs, you would know what that is). But how funny, this character in the movie keeps falling, dropping and breaking things....do you guys see some similarity here! ;)

- And yes, the above list also included Grocery shopping (its not boring for me) 

- It makes the weekend all the more special when its only 1 day, got to make the most of it. 
For me, my perfect weekend! :)

An unplanned evening

 

 

 

Saturday Story

While I was reading Paulo Coelho's blog, I came across this story which in today's times of Nuclear War and Terrorism should be definitely shared and understood. Kids knowingly or unknowingly give such profound messages in the most simplistic yet unexpected ways which leave you reflecting upon yourself.

Below is the story as read in Rebuilding the world.

A father was trying to read the newspaper, but his little son kept pestering him.

Finally, the father grew tired of this and, tearing a page from the newspaper – one that bore a map of the world – he cut it into several pieces and handed them to his son.
‘Right, now you’ve got something to do. I’ve given you a map of the world and I want to see if you can put it back together correctly.’
He resumed his reading, knowing that the task would keep the child occupied for the rest of the day.
However, a quarter of an hour later, the boy returned with the map.
‘Has your mother been teaching you geography?’ asked his father in astonishment.
‘I don’t even know what that is,’ replied the boy. ‘But there was a photo of a man on the other side of the page, so I put the man back together and found I’d put the world back together too.’

Chocolate Cake :)

Baked a basic chocolate cake!! This is my 2nd attempt, last time it turned out like a rubber. But this time I am pretty happy with the result.... used small square glass pans, did not have the right baking pan. And I actually like the shape & size of them, who said cakes can't be square... ;) Does this look yummy enough?

Delightfully Delicious December!

This picture was taken from Hatta Fort Hotel.

December is here, I am a day early but it already feels like December, so why not!! The month which everybody especially in Dubai looks forward too. A token of appreciation we get at the end, for bearing the heat throughout the year.

The time when the air conditioners can take a break & breathe a sigh of relief.

For a change we don't mind walking instead of taking a cab for the shortest distance.

The time when everybody drags themselves to the office just to finish off the week and enjoy the weekend.

Long drives are fun and not tiring. Above picture was clicked on our way to Hatta (UAE).

The perfect time for a stroll along the beach. A week back we had this strong urge to have vada pav, that too at midnight! So we drove to Karama (I call it the food capital of Dubai, especially Indian) picked up vada pav (12 o clock in the night) and headed towards Jumeirah Beach for a walk. And this is when I actually don't miss being in India.

The best month to be here & at the same time to go on a holiday too. Luckily the UAE National day also comes in December along with Christmas & New Year.

How can I forget DIFF (Dubai International Film Festival), which showcases and  honours some of the best international films for a week every December. Looking forward to it.

There are many more good things about Decembers in Dubai. These are only a few which i could think of at this moment.

"A soul never thinks without a picture"

Aristotle rightly said it. Found the quote in the flight magazine on my way to India. Pictures & images always on my mind and what a perfect thought to begin the trip with! Some captures I managed in the midst of eating, shopping, celebrating and lazing around in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Back home (Dubai), back to my blog and back to squeaking! :)

 

 

Rangoli being made for Diwali. Infact in Bangalore what i noticed was that making Rangoli was not just part of a festival or occasion, a small simple one is made everyday and you will find it outside every house in Bangalore. It is thought to bring good luck.

Tulsi,(holy basil) is a sacred plant common to every Hindu house in India which is worshiped everyday.

 

 

The making of Gajra by my mother in law :)

 

 

 

 

 

Loved the Bangalore weather, a welcome break from the Dubai heat!!

clicked on the airport while leaving the city :)

 

 

Milk kept for the cat and look whose relishing it!

Having chai in glass at the roadside ketli :)