Wander Bay

  DCFC has always been a favourite band of mine.  But this song - "I'll possess your heart" is the most cutting of all. It's sharp but extremely subtle. Ignoring the stalker-ish-ness of the singer, I relate to this traveler in the video- a lot.  When I went to Seoul, one day I woke up really early morning around at 4:00 am. I made coffee in the coffee-machine in the hotel room at Gangnam, sat on the window pane, opened my playlist on my comp, overlooking the posh cityscape, listening to music, sipping coffee and only to realize that my window faced the east side where the sun rose.  As the orange fringes started appearing, cutting through billboards and tall steel structures, this song began in the background, catching pace. I cannot express the sheer joy I experienced in that moment- the calm, the morbid pleasure in it all.  If this particular moment from 4 years ago is so vivid for me, you must understand how significantly this has impacted me!  Do yourself a favour

Writing had taken a back seat until now. It's been long years since my last post here.  Life happened around & life moved ahead. Caught in the ennui of daily life, travel and job-switch I forgot that I blogged, I forgot that I used to write. I forgot the true essence of brimming words and blooming imaginations.  Not so long ago, when Covid was just a name, I went backpacking to Morocco! Yes- the flamboyant, fiery Morocco. Where I ate like a local, traveled like a local, spoke like a local (not a pro but), flinged and merried my time thoroughly.  Some trippy pictures to start off a new phase in blogging. I hope I continue to. I am aware I barely have readers, but for the pleasure of the incoming words that are stuck at my fingertips, to wriggle them out, to place them like on a scrabble board, to enjoy the process of writing my heart out; I need to write again. We meet again, Morocco. The Jmaa El Fna square has heaps and heaps of dryfruits for sale! If you say you love Bollywo

"വീട് എവിടെയാ" എന്ന് പണ്ടൊക്കെ ആൾകാർ ചോദിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഞാൻ എന്ത് പറയണം എന്ന് അന്തം വിട്ടിരുന്നു. ഞാൻ പഠിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന airforce balbharati എന്ന് ഒരിക്കൽ ഉത്തരം പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ഒരു ആന്റി കുറെ ചിരിച്ചു. കാരണം ഒരു 13  വയസ്സ് വരെ ഇന്ത്യയൊട്ടാകെ സഞ്ചരിക്കയല്ലാതെ വീടെവിടെയാ എന്ന് ഒരാളും പറഞ്ഞു തന്നില്ല.. ഒരിക്കൽ ഞാനത് സ്വയം കണ്ടുപിടിക്കയ തന്നെ ചെയ്തു... ആരും പറഞ്ഞതല്ല. പക്ഷെ വീട്ടിൽ ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്ന ഭക്ഷണത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് ഞാൻ അത് മനസിലാക്കിയത്!  അത് വരെ മലയാളി എന്ന് വിശ്വസിച്ചിരുന്ന ഞാൻ, യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഒരു "സങ്കര" ആണെന്ന്  അപ്പോഴാണ് പുടികിട്ടീത് ...  കൊണ്ടാട്ടം, ഇലുമ്പിച്ചം പഴം സാദം, തൈർ സാദം, പൊങ്കൽ, പനിയാരം,  മെദു വട എന്നിവ മലയാളികളുടേത് എന്ന് അഹങ്കരിച്ചിരുന്ന ഞാൻ അത് തമിഴ് വിഭവങ്ങളാണെന്നു അറിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ അത്ഭുതം കൊണ്ട് കൂറി. "അതെങ്ങനെയാ നമ്മൾ മലയാളികൾ ആണെങ്കിൽ തമിഴ് വിഭവങ്ങൾ ഇടയ്ക്കിടെ വീട്ടിൽ ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നത്?" എന്ന എന്റെ "നിഷ്കളങ്കമായ"  ചോദ്യത്തിനുത്തരമായി എന്റെ അച്ഛമ്മ നാല് തമിഴ് ഡയലോഗുകൾ അങ്ങട് കാച്ചികളഞ്ഞു !  അപ്പഴല്ലേ ഗുട്ടൻസ് മനസിലായത്! എന്റെ അച്ഛമ്മ പക

Check out the yumminess I belted in while I went tripping to Seoul, South Korea. Taken across Gangnam, Jamsil, Samseong and Myongdong regions of Seoul city. All images are clicked by Gayatri and are copyrighted.  The tasty Bento box a.k.a Lunch Box- This contains a fine assortment of fish cakes, filleted Salmon and rice/ noodles to go. Fine dining at Samseong Mandu - Dumplings with fillings of beef, pork or both, mostly. A Prawn dish made of batter-fried prawns, topped by a poached egg on a bed of white rice.  Dakgangjeong - Korean honey fried chicken; less spicy, hint of honey, comes with drinks. Dakgangjeong Anju- Korean spicy fried chicken- taken with drinks Tofu with Kimchi, a Korean “anju”( a type of dish that generally comes along alcohol) Golbaengimuchim - Spicy whelks with noodles. A typical Korean Anju An assortment of chinese sticky sweet made of rice Spicy Seafood noodle soup - clams, mussels, fish cakes and soy noodle

It has been a while that I have actually written something here. Mostly because I have turned into a lazy lump (except when I jump into the swimming pool; then I swim as though all the alligators in the world are chasing after me). Teehee. Ever since I plunged into the dating stint, I have been muddled with this question from everyone around- "When are you marrying?" Suffices to say that I have been rolling my eyes at that question for a long time, evading it, brushing it aside and changing the topic to food. -- Not until R proposed a few weeks ago. R and I have been seeing each other since a while. Errr... Should I mumble the "meeting" story here? Oh well, what's there to lose? R and I met in 2008, at a common friend's birthday party held at Bangalore. I was on vacation from Mumbai then, and took a train from Kochi to Bangalore, because Bangalore weather was enticing enough. Duh! I was sipping some berry punch at a quite spot in the hall of th

When you both left us one day, into your heavenly abode, it felt numb; spaced and cold Like a thousand roses suddenly turned to bricks Shutting my doors tight for days. not letting even a ray of hope to let go, falling back again into bursts of grief palpitations, I held on the memories that you gave; with every heart strand of mine. I couldn't believe the absence of your presence, I shook my mind in disbelief, as though I heard a big lie, Letting go off you and your memories is not easy. Until one day when you surprised me in my dreams. I saw you both, sitting on the verandah of our home you so loved; I saw you both in your usual attires, hands folded on your laps Creased hands, white hair; smiling at happiness of being back there, Waiting for us to come and talk to you, with that familiar starry eyes, but wet with tears- for you'd  moved away from us. I saw you clearly and began gallopping to the love you were. I was tired but that didn't matter.