the footprints in the sand...

"i wish i had more time. time to gaze at the wind blowing your hair across your face."

the footprints left faint impressions on the sand; the waters washing them away, one wave at a time. the memories dance their wild dance of euphoria; numbing the mind of the throbbing reality of the coarse shards of broken shells underneath your feet...

it just seemed like tomorrow when the clamoring of the seagulls swooping down on the bread crumbs thrown by tourists signaled the existence of the bay with the sun shining brightly on the burnished deck, shined by the countless steps that had walked on it's hard wood over the years.

life has passed by swiftly. much like the past 24 hours. each hour racing behind the other to catch it, overtake it. foolish hours. little do they know that the ones passed before can never be caught. never be overtaken. all that remains is the memory of the smile. of the tiny fingers clasping your hand, as you led her out on to the pirate trail, taught her how to fish, told her you won't tell when she wanted to have 3 different kinds of ice cream.

the memory of the smile that flashed across the beautiful face, the wind messing up her hair while drawing figures in the wet sand. the memory of your child laughing out with the innocent wild-eyed wonder upon seeing the seagulls.

aah the seagulls...they are wondrous birds. magnificent indeed.

the storyteller's tale...

a new year. a new beginning. and many stories to tell...

for what is a ripple on the surface of still waters,
will one day be a wave crashing against the rocks;
when days and nights matter no more,
on that cusp of timelessness shall end our tale.

...

the eyes' treasure...

tepid and timid, thieving forlorn glimpses,
how can they be anything but venomous;
to the bold wind caressing your hair.

blinded that they are, these distant oculars,
blinded with the sight of your beauty;
my eyes are now sinners.

to spite others who behold your beauty,
is the sin they'd gladly surrender to;
finding salvation in each glimpse won,
now forever theirs to treasure.

the cookbook - page one...

"follow the nose...that's all there is to cooking."

...considering that my love for eating is overshadowed only by my love for cooking; it was an obvious eventuality that the blog feature recipes of my making. a little prodding on G's behalf made the transition easier. anyways, so here's what i suppose shall be the first of many...the chop-shop cookbook of experimental cooking...

***

Pasta-cause-I'm-bored-alone-at-home!

cooking makes me happy, and so i cook when i have nothing to do. just walk up to the fridge, take a peek inside, rummage through the pantry/drawers, lay out the spread on the kitchen platform and start washing, peeling, chopping, dicing, marinating, blanching, frying, roasting my way to a joyous couple of hours.

yesterday evening was a similar tale...

What I found in the fridge/drawer/kitchen...

• 1 Nos. - Bambino Penne Pasta Packet (250 gm)
• 1 Nos. - Milk packet (500 ml)
  
• 2 Cans of Olives (Pitted)
• 1 Jar of Jalapenos
• Olive Oil
  
• Dried Mint & Oregano flakes
• Onions/Tomatoes/Garlic/Ginger/Green Chili/Lemon/Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
  
• Salt & Pepper

What I did with the ingredients...

Step 1

• Heat the milk. squeeze half a lemon in the milk and bring to boil while stirring.
  
• Observe that the milk will split to form paneer (cottage cheese).
  
• Reduce the water and remove the residual paneer.
  
• Squeeze out excess water and break the fresh paneer into tiny pieces and keep aside.
  

Step 2

• Finely dice 3 medium sized onions and put aside.

• Roughly chop 6-7 medium sized tomatoes and put into blender. add a roughly chopped jalapeno, 3 green chili and 8-10 pods of freshly peeled garlic to the tomatoes. add a pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of lemon juice.

• Blend the tomatoes/garlic/green chili together to form a thick paste.

• Dice the fresh ginger (about 2 inches) into thin slices and put aside.

• Take half capsicum, chop it into small bits and keep aside.

• Dice 1-2 jalapenos into circular pieces and keep aside (you can have as many jalapenos as you like; it depends on your heat resistance).

• Chop 6-7 olives into circular pieces (i prefer Green Olives) and keep aside.

Step 3

• Take 2 teaspoons of olive oil, heat on low flame in a non-stick pot/pan.
  
• Once the oil is heated, add the paneer and a bit of the diced ginger.
  
• Add a pinch of salt and saute for about a minute.
  
• Add the diced capsicum, jalapeno; sprinkle dried mint & oregano flakes and saute until paneer is golden brown.

• Remove the mixture from the pan/pot and keep aside.

Step 4

• Take 2 tablespoons to olive oil. heat in a non-stick pot.
  
• Once the oil is heated, add the diced onions.
  
• Saute the onions until they turn transparent.

• Add the remaining bit of diced ginger; throw in a pinch of salt and continue to saute until the onions turn golden brown (i.e. are cooked).

• Now add the tomato/garlic/green chili/jalapeno paste to the onions and continue cooking.

• Once the tomato gravy is cooked, add a generous amount of oregano flakes (i love the smell of tomato and oregano), add about 500 ml of water and reduce the gravy on medium flame.

Step 5

• In a separate pot, heat about 2 liters of water.
• Add a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt to the water and bring to boil.
  
• Add the pasta to the boiling water (basically follow the instructions on the packet).
  
• Once the pasta is cooked; drain out the water and rinse the pasta under cold water.

Step 6

• Add the pasta to the tomato/onion gravy. mix properly.
  
• Cook for a minute and then add the chopped olives.
• Add salt to taste; a dash of pepper. mix well.

• Cover the pot and allow to cook for 5 minutes.

Step 7

• Garnish the pasta with the fresh paneer/ginger/jalapeno mixture.
• Serve the pasta hot.

***


bon appetite!

men don't cry...

...and so said Zeus, son of Cronus, father of Gods & men...

burnt by thy own fire,
O' Prometheus, forgotten shall be thee.
thy gifts turned to dust;
nothing thee did will ever be enough.

guarded by vengeance, chained by ignominy
a bare rock to pierce thee flesh;
where you'd fantasized the touch of gentle lamb skin.

pain & punishment, thy reward for having done fair.

not a tear shall trickle from thee eyes
to whet thy hollow sigh of lament.
it is your bane, O' Prometheus,
that men don't cry.

...

death to hunger...

....

one more serving of soup. bon appetite!

:)

the 'long time' post...

its been a long time since i have been able to blog. i don't know what is it that inspires me tonight. maybe it is the bottle of vodka that i have so happily sipped since evening. maybe its the nostalgia of writing. whatever it is, here i am. writing.

i was always persistent. with elongated periods of laziness in between...

"work. studies. love. family. cat. feeding the cat. cleaning up after the cat. friends"

...life takes no specific order. it chugs along.

***

i cut my hair.

i write ads.

i am going running in order to loose a few pounds before my cousin's wedding.

***

i miss my old 'Nachi' self.

i feel like i am changing.

i am resisting change.

i am failing to do so.

***

i am thirsty!

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. AND I FOUND IT...

for all those people who have indeed wondered where i had disappeared to over the past couple of months, the only answer i have for you is that i was off on the quest for truth. truth that i felt could no longer wait. after all these years of hearing fragments of the tales, of the mystery and the adventure, i simply had to know. find out. and so i did.

my search for the truth took me across the length of the nation; from the peaks of the majestic Himalayas to the ravines along the bank of the Vishwamitri. and the truth i finally found. and now i feel obligated to share it with the rest of the world, and with you my loyal readers and dearest of friends. and so for the first time ever i am presenting to you, and the world, the never-before-seen images of the mysterious creature straight from your favorite monster tale book. the abominable snowman, the bigfoot, the yeti...call it what you may. it exists!! and i have the complete cataloged scientific data.

***

Genus: Amrutacuss Bigfootinhermouth Creatureus

Gender: Female (males might exist. but so far have remained elusive).

Habitat: diverse. but found mostly in hilly/mountainous terrain with plenty of rocky surfaces that aid in obtaining foothold and facilitate swift movement.

Food Habits: Omnivorous Hunter and Forager. Has preference for goat meat.

Social Structure: being the solitary member of her specie to be discovered, the social hierarchy of the species is somewhat difficult to ordain. but a presence of such possibilities is clearly visible in its efforts to communicate through grunts and the occasional facial expression; indicating a somewhat developed brain. the creature can get aggressive when jested with, and can be extremely dangerous bearing in mind its size and strength.

...so much for this adventure. the research shall continue. but until next time, always remember you true-hearted believers...ADVENTURE BECKONS!!!

coming home...

photo credit: Gayatri Thangjam

...like a carpet of woven pearls underneath your feet,
the dew glistens through the torn shroud of the morning mist.
awaiting to be scattered by your gentle touch...

***

it has been a while since i found the fortitude to come back. many times i crept in through the cracks, but i always found myself caught in the void in-between. space and time are constant companions. it is the mind that is fickle.

it takes something more than just desire to come back. to walk down the path we have already tread before and knock on the door we walked out of long ago. it takes acceptance. it takes forgiveness. it takes humility.

so how have you been?