Saturday, April 18, 2015

First Blog Anniversary!

Yayy! It's my first blog anniversary :-) I am feeling so accomplished :-) Well, I have written 45 miscellaneous posts in the first year. Hmmmm, I guess the number is not too bad. And woohoo!!! it's my lucky number 9. Ok, story behind number 9 - later. Well, today's date is 18th April, it's a number 9!! Ok ok story behind number 9 - later. 

Let me briefly summarize how I started blogging. Last year, one lazy winter evening, we planned to visit one of Manoj's close friend and his wife who had come to LA for a business trip. I had never met them before. We decided to meet them at Pismo beach and spend some time with them. On that trip, I made a very special friend named Aditi who has been my inspiration starting day one. The moment we met, we started talking as if we knew each other since ages. As a first impression, I got impressed by her sense of style and then her nail art caught my attention:) It was so beautiful!!! She mentioned about her love for sarees, her love for cooking, her love for traveling and her love for writing. I noticed her taking a lot of pictures of everything that caught her eye. Then she mentioned this will go on the blog, that will go on the blog and I started wondering - she being an entrepreneur, how does she get time to write/blog. I was like "Follow karna padega." After the Pismo beach trip, I followed her blog and got addicted to it. Her blog has a gold mine of interesting content. From her blog, it is so apparent that she is a great cook who loves to try new recipes and sometimes create her own. She is an artist when it comes to nail art. Her blog shows her interest in photography and traveling. And her love for sarees is unbelievable!!! The name of her blog is so-saree, which itself shows her immense love for sarees. On that day itself, I decided to start writing and putting my thoughts on paper no matter what they are. It became my routine for few weeks to go over her previous blog posts once every day. And so was born beingdhriti :)

Memories of Aditi and Jaya's first meet at Pismo beach!


Now, guess what! My first ever reader post following next! And guess what? It is from my one and only one motivation/friend, Aditi. Over to you Aditi ---

Heartiest congratulation to Jaya on her first blog anniversary.

Cant believe Jaya's blog is a year old already.

Jaya is a wonderful person and I am thankful that I met her.
Beautiful, loving, adventurous and creative…it's really hard to find all these qualities in one person, so I feel Jaya is a gem and a rare find.
For her blog anniversary Jaya wanted me to pen down a guest post. I was too happy about it, but the next second I blanked out.
Jaya has a better fashion sense than me, so outfit post was out of question. She does better nail art than me, so nail art post was again no good. She is a better cook than me, so no recipes too.

So what do I write that would be a best fit for her blog on its anniversary?

Fortunately, I came across a comment on my blog by Jaya, where she had appreciated my story telling skills. So I thought, why not write a story post on her blog's anniversary.
But which one???..was the question.

After weeks of contemplation, I decided I would share my favorite story on Jaya's blog.
A beautiful story that will unlock an age old mystery for the men, and bring a huge smile on the faces of all the women reading it.

I am sure some readers already know about it. But for the benefit of those who don't, here you go…

What Women Want?

As a young girl, my sister had narrated a beautiful story to me. (yeah story telling runs in my family..!)
I feel this story kind of altered my way of looking at things. It made me change my perception of the man I want to be with for the rest of my life.
The story...

King Arthur was imprisoned by the king of a neighboring kingdom. 
The monarch could have easily killed him, but since King Arthur was such a noble and valiant ruler, he offered King Arthur his freedom in exchange for an answer to a question. 
King Arthur would have exactly a year to find the answer to that question
and if he could not answer it, he would be put to death.

The Question: What Women Want?

King Arthur was flummoxed..he knew this was the most difficult question, but he decided to accept the Monarch's challenge, since it was any time better than immediate death.
King Arthur consulted all the wise men and women in his kingdom for an appropriate answer, but none had a good one.
Many people in his kingdom had advised King Arthur to consult an old witch who lived on the outskirts of his kingdom, but King Arthur kept procrastinating it, since the witch was notorious for charging exorbitant prices.
The last day of the year had arrived and King Arthur still had no answer. So as a last resort he went to the witch and consulted her.
The witch was old, hunchbacked and very very ugly.
On hearing the question, the witch said that she would answer the question on one condition. If King Arthur agreed to get her married to one of his most noble knight and his dear friend Sir Lancelot.
Horrified with the request, King Arthur returned to his castle. He couldn't burden his dear friend for the sake of his life. When Sir Lancelot heard about the witch's weird request, he was shocked but he insisted and forced King Arthur to accept the witches proposal as nothing was more important than the King's Life.
The witch's answer... "Women want... to be in charge of their own life"
Everyone who heard the answer was convinced and knew that King Arthur's Life would now be saved.
Even the monarch who had challenged King Arthur was elated when he heard the answer and granted back King Arthur's life.
A grand wedding took place to marry the witch and Sir Lancelot.
It was the newly wed couple's first night and Sir Lancelot went to his bedroom feeling nervous.
But he was in for a surprise.
He saw the most enchanting beauty he had ever seen in his entire lifetime, lying on his bed.

Sir Lancelot asked her who she was, and the pretty lady answered that she was indeed the witch. Sir Lancelot couldn't believe his ears and eyes too. But how? was his question. The witch said... since Sir Lancelot was so good to her, she decided to grant him a boon.

She would be a pretty lady for half of the day and her original ugly self during the other half.
She asked Sir Lancelot to pick, which part of the day he would want her pretty?
At broad daylight, when he could flaunt her in front of his friends, or at night when he could get intimate with her.
After thinking for a moment, Sir Lancelot gave the most unpredictable answer.
He said ... it is her life and she can choose whatever she wants. He is no one to decide in this matter.
Hearing this the witch was more than happy.
She said that she would stay beautiful all the time, because Sir Lancelot let her be in charge of her life and she would readily do anything for him now.

This story made me realize that the freedom to be in charge of one's life is the most gratifying and liberating feeling.
And nothing can replace that feeling.

So what do you guys think?
Do you like this story? Let me know in the comments below.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

To do list for my next trip to Mumbai!

I have been saving this list of eateries in Mumbai almost since one and a half years now. Before I lose it, I decided to put it up on my blog so that I can never lose it and make sure I try out each and every single place on my next visit. Although, its a pretty long list I want to go to each and every place listed on this. Hopefully, we make plans for visiting India very sooooooon. Can't wait to get there !!!

Mumbai Special :
1. Shahi Paneer at Cream Center
2. Vada pao outside Kirti College
3. Dal Makhani at Preetam da dhaba
4. Biryani at bombay blue
5. Bun maska at Sasania bakery
6. Mava cake at Mervans
7. Dal makhani at Moti Mahal
8. Misal Pav at Dutta, old pune highway
9. Bhareli Vangi at Gypsy Snacks
10. Jaggery icecream at Bojohari Manna (Lokhandwala, Andheri w)
11. Veg lunch at Govinda Restaurant ISKON
12. Maharashtrian snacks at Prakash Dadar
13. Vodka Pani Puri at Pratap da dhaba
14. Chilli icecream at Bachelors
15. Misal pav near mamledar office thane
16. Kaapi and upma at Madras Cafe
17. Idlis at idli house
18. Dal-phulka, ganthiya sabji, masala chaas in beer bottle and bheeh at Bhagat Tarachand
19. Dal Pakwan at Jhama Chembur
20. Khicdi at Swati Snacks Tardeo
21. Pav Bhaji at Sardar Pav Bhaji Tardeo
22. Pancham puri wala near CST
23. Sizzlers at Kobe's
24. Rustumjee's biscuit icecream at churchgate
25. Badshahi Falooda.at Badshah Crowford Market
26. Bakery items at Oven fresh, Shivaji Park
27. Churma papad at Bhagat Tara Chand
28. Masala Papad and other chakna at Rajyog Bandra East
29. Chat at Elco Market Hill Rd
30. Dal Pakwaan at Vig, Chembur Camp
31. Chat at bikaji malad link rd
32. Rice plate at Matunga lunch home
33. Batata vada & Samosa at Krishna Dadar
34. Sizzlers at Cafe Royal Colaba
35. Malpoa at Swati snacks Tardeo
36. Sitaphal & tender coconut ice cream at Naturals
37. Bun Maska & Mava Samosa at Mervan Grant Road
38. Paani puri at Santacruz old prime focus lane.
39. Besebelle bhat at Gopal lunch home malad station west.
40. Vadapav near CTO. Fountain
41. Olive and herbs bread and brun maska at Yazdani
42. Chilled icy spicy bhel at M G Road.Mulund (West)
43. Neer dosa with garlic chutney at Ramashray Matunga
44. Samosa at Gurukripa
45. Chana powa in morning at Hanuman Sion
46. Panaki at Swati snacks
47. Jowar pita at Sohum opposite Babulnath
48. Gajanan wadapav at thane
49. Baked cheese wadapav at Sincity worli
50. Dal sandwich at mulji jetha market
51. Farali pattice at pralhad pattice center at princess street
52. Onion bread at Theobrama at colaba
53. Jain kathi roll and dahi ke kofte at Fortune Deli thane
54. Chocolate cake at Goriawala's near Cumbala hill hospital
55. Veg falafal near august kranti maidan
56. Panipuri at tarabaug near Charni Road
57. Masala Papad at kalbadevi
58. Patalbhaji pav and Ola Vatana Pattice at Vinay Health Home Thakurdwar
59. Kalingar Kalakhatta sharbat opposite CST
60. Bheendi Bhajiya at Ramlal near Mulund Station West
61. Fruit cake at Sabina Wadala
62. Multigrain bread sandwich at Moshe's Palladium
63. Tansen and kismet halwa at Mohanlal S.Mithaiwala
64. Piyush at Adarsh Dadar
65. Kanji Wada.at Kalbadevi near cotton exchange
66. Idli chatni at sukhsagar chowpatty
67. Grill sandwich at Bhulabhai Desai Road
68. Whole wheat baked chips at American Express Bakery
69. Pure milk peda of Tribhuvan Dairy Ghatkopar

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Crave.Cook.Click = Bliss!

One major change that I have seen in myself after being Dhriti is that I have turned into a foodie ;) Well, before marriage I was not too much into food. I never craved for different food items before as much as I do today. Moreover, as much as I crave for food, I also experiment a lot with food. I have been trying out so many recipes recently that I can't believe it's the same 'me' that I was a year ago. I think the change is good. So not to worry. And thanks to Manoj who loves to cook and eat new varieties soooo much. I must admit that everything that he touches literally turns gold. I mean turns super yummy and delicious. This post is dedicated for his recent experiment with making pizza at home, yes right from the scratch! It was simply amazing :) :) This is the reason we don't like to eat out these days :)  

Yeast! Start your action! Or should I say reaction ?

Dough mix

Kneaded dough. Waiting for the dough to rise ;)

Master Chef at work ;)
His t-shirt says - "I created fire!" Yes, unfortunately, our fire alarms went off when the pizza was in the making :(

Filling cheese on the sides

Let me capture some action

Ketchup and Buffalo sauce on the base

My mouth is watering while I am writing these captions

Looks delicious :)

All set to go in oven

Can't wait to spread the cheese

Can't wait to take it out of oven!

Crispy base thin crust Vegetarian Pizza! Eternal Bliss!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Me on SeattlePi.com! (Dated Mar 31, 2013)

Fortunately, I have been lucky to be covered multiple times on various news channel :) Unfortunately, it has been during the times when I had not discovered the power of blogging. Else, I would have had all those moments/newspaper-cuttings/videos captured here. Today, while I was searching for my name on google to see how much data do I have public if someone tries to look me up and I came across this link from seattlepi.com. This picture is from 2013 when I went to seattle for celebrating holi with my family :)  

Here is a screenshot from the link so that if they decide to bring it down, this memory stays with me forever :) 


Friday, February 6, 2015

Memories from Île Maurice :)

If you are wondering what is Île Maurice then - its the french for Mauritius :) It is the place which is considered to be one of the many heavens' on earth (I know there are many places considered to be heaven on earth ;)) 

We went there for our honeymoon direct after our wedding which means we were all tired and drained out of weeks and months of shopping and planning a once in a life-time event :) After the wedding was over, we were looking for a breather and we just wanted to sit, relax and do nothing. Although just like all our other trips, this trip was also full of adventures. I think its in our (read everyone's) genes that we want to do everything possible when we are on a vacation. We try to squeeze in as many activities as possible in our limited time of holidays. Certainly, I do believe in that because when we are planning a trip for the hard earned three weeks of vacation time in a year, chances are we would not be returning to the same place as there are lot of other destinations to explore! Mauritius trip deserves a post on itself (hopefully coming soon!) but this post is not about that trip but about a few memories that we got back (or rather posted) from Mauritius!  


Letter to Mummy :)


Letter to <3


Letter to Nani!


Letter to mummy, papa and chandni from <3!



<3 posting the postcards :)

Thursday, February 5, 2015

First Qwiki ... (Death Valley)

I have a habit of playing with pictures/photos whenever I am idle. 'Playing with photos' activity sometime leads to creating a video/slideshow from them. By now, I have created so many videos that you can guess how much idle time I have :P I have already posted some of my videos on my blog. Today, while browsing my youtube videos, I came across the first video that I created when I started using Qwiki. Man! I loved that iPhone app. Unfortunately, Qwiki has been acquired by Yahoo and they have brought the app down :( I hope they come up with something better in that case..  

Here's the video uploaded on youtube: 


Burrito Bowl at home - sounds tempting, huhh!?

I have been trying out new variations of food at home lately. I had leftover rajma from the previous night. I am normally not a big fan of it but since we were bored of same vegetables over and over again, I had thought of cooking Rajma just for a change. Well, I can't take it again on the next day :( The root cause of my dislike for Rajma/Cholley is that I have spent over about two years surviving on both of these protein filled currys!

But, I am BIG Chipotle fan for sure. Whenever I go to Chipotle, I order a veggie burrito bowl with all sauces, corn, cheese, guac, brown rice, black beans and the veggies :) My mouth is watering while I am writing this! Such a huge fan of burrito bowl I am;)

We decided to make veggie burrito bowl at home with the left over rajma. I quickly made brown rice which normally takes longer than the white rice. (We are now thinking healthy - atleast, if not eating healthy) On the side, I made some guac for the topping and manoj sliced some cheese.

Here are a few pictures of what the end result was --
We added brown rice, rajma, small quantity of onions stir fried at the bottom and garnished it with sev, namkin (chevda), cilantro, cheese, guac, tomato ketchup and some green chutney. Both of us just loved it ;)





Another take, another day!

This time with the drinks and mozzarella cheese sticks :) 

And with a perfect mix of sauces, direct from Mexico !