Blue vs Red

Blue vs Red

Life

As Buddha said 

"The trouble is, you think you have time." 

Full Moon

Approaching Destination

The Storm is Coming

Monsoons are here!

Sitting on my balcony & enjoying the rains! #mumbairains 

Night Heron

I was told that many of these birds are pushed out of their nests when they are little and are seen fallen below trees. This is done either by the rascal crows or by their stronger siblings.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Was in the mood for some chocolate chip cookies but unfortunately did not have any chocolate chips so cut up some Lindt dark chocolate and actually the end result was much better and everyone enjoyed it.
This recipe is not too difficult. Just follow the instructions. 
 

All purpose flour - 200gms
Chocolate chips - 180 gms (I cut up a slab of Lindt Dark chocolate into tiny pieces)
Sugar - 100gms
Butter - 90gms (Room Temperature)
Egg - 1
Baking Powder - 1tsp
Vanilla Essence - 2 drops
Salt

Directions

• Sift the flour and baking powder. Keep aside

• Cream together the butter, sugar, a pinch of salt, egg and vanilla essence.

• Add the sifted flour mix to the the butter mixture and knead with your hands till you get a smooth dough. 

• Add the chocolate chips. 

• Make small balls and flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand so that they take the traditional cookie shape.

• Grease the baking tray, arrange the small balls and bake for about 15-20mins at 200degrees.

My last day. Thank You Kolkata.

A year ago I got the news that my husband had got a 1 year transfer to Kolkata. I was not too happy about it, with leaving my home and setting up a new one. Initially kept comparing it to Mumbai, but in no time I settled in, started exploring the city and today I cannot believe how time has flown by and its time to go back home.
It was a great experience for me and I will truly cherish the moments spent here.
An experience which included meeting new people, enjoying the different weather conditions of the East like pre-monsoon, observed new cultures and festivals, saw the lovely landmarks of this city, tried the delicious Bengali cuisine specially the different types of river fish. I tried so many types of fish from bhetki, rohu, katla, pabda, hilsa and many more! Each so yummy! My experience even included feeling the horrible tremors of the earthquake which happened in Nepal which was the scariest and a learning moment for me.
Conversing with the locals was the funniest because I would say one thing and they would give me a bizarre response mainly because of the different pronunciations. Most of the locals were friendly but the cabbies are not the most friendly people so will miss them the least.
Kolkata reminded me of Bombay in the 80s. The city does not have skyscrapers, mostly 4/5 stored buildings & the confusion of a bunch of electric wires hanging everywhere, a little congested. However the green areas this city has maintained is lovely. To see big open spaces is refreshing for a change from Victoria Memorial to Eco Park to the Botanical Garden. I was very impressed.  I was lucky to stay in New Town which was a much better area and more organized and of course near my favorite location that is the airport so I could enjoy watching the planes land and take off!
   So many different memories, so many different lesson learnt. Will truly miss all the lovely times and remember this place fondly.

Some lovely places I saw and pictures I took when I was here.

The Beautiful Victoria Memorial

St. Pauls Cathedral

Belur Math

 

Howrah Bridge

Dakshineshwar Temple

Botanical Garden

Eco Park

Mothers Wax Museum

Durga Puja

Hello Yellow

Dusk

Norwesters

Sun playing peek a boo

Shades

Looked up and just had to get a picture. Wish my eyes were a camera from where I could upload my pictures!!

Sunset in Kolkata

Missing the pretty view.

Jet Take off

Take off at Dusk

One of my last pictures here in Kolkata. Will miss this view. I was lucky to see some beautiful sunsets.

Make a wish

 

Kolkata City in the distance

I am having withdrawal symptoms. Cannot believe my time here is coming to an end.  

Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not bringgood.

They say the difference between a flower and a weed is judgement.

 When I saw this picture I thought it was so appropriate because it shows us how easily we waste our time in being judgmental about ourselves or others. We do not live our life to the fullest or do things we enjoy because we think about every consequence that follows our actions or what a person will think about us. "If I speak my mind and say something honestly will I be judged for speaking the truth or will I be appreciated for the same? If I dance in public will I be judged for not being a good dancer or I will be my  worst critic and never want to dance again?"

Not that I am saying that thinking things through is a bad thing don't get me wrong there, but at times we do take it to another level. It is sad we waste our time either judging others or ourselves when we could be living our life to the fullest and letting others live theirs.

"It's okay to not be perfect. 

It's okay to make mistakes. 

It's okay to do something that you wish you hadn't done, 

because if we don't do those things we never grow."

  

When it rains look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars.

I said: What about my eyes?
God said: Keep them on the road.
I said: What about my passion?
God said: Keep it burning.
I said: What about my heart?
God said: Tell me what you hold inside it?
I said: Pain and Sorrow.
God said... Stay with it. The wound is the place where the light enters you. - Rumi 

I do not know about you but I could relate a lot to the above words.
However perfect life is, there are certain regrets and disappointments we all live with.
But every failure or disappointment makes me stronger, makes me wiser, makes me want to live life!
Thus this is Life as I KNOW IT. 

A warm farewell & welcome

Everytime you fly via Indigo Airlines how many of you have noticed this small sign? It is so thoughtful and gives me a smile everytime I see it! 

Day trip to Abu Dhabi

 I have seen many mosques all over the world but have never been inside one. Out of all those I have seen The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is without a doubt the most grand and unique of all the mosques I have seen. A must-see when you visit Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Whatever your faith may be, it doesn’t change the fact that this mosque is a work of art.

The Grand Mosque is known for its predominantly white color. It symbolizes purity and piety.

The attention given to all the details leaves me speechless!

Majestic

This mosque was initiated by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure which unites the cultural diversity of Islamic world, the historical and modern values of architecture and art. This mosque is considered to be the key place for worship in the country. It is the largest mosque in the UAE. It is said that during EID prayers the mosque is visited by more than 40,000 people.

The mosque is built over a 30-acre expanse of land and looks beautiful even from far away. It looks incredible no matter what angle you look at it. I won't forget the first glimpse from the car as we drove towards the mosque.

The pretty courtyard inside has 1,048 columns.

There are 82 domes made of pure white marble & the largest dome is located in the center of the main prayer hall

Could not stop looking at the beautiful craftsmanship specially inside of the domes which features traditional Moroccan artwork with verses from the Holy Quran painted in gold color.

Entering the main hall

 They say that the design and construction literally "unites the world", using artisans and materials from many countries including Italy, Germany, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Iran, China, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and United Arab Emirates.

Every aspect is detailed so beautifully.

The carpet in the main hall is considered to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi. 

  

The white marbles used here were shipped all the way from Italy and the colored ones are from Spain, Morocco, China and India.

Mother of pearl work on the pillars

The Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from the company Faustig in Munich, Germany that incorporates millions of Swarovski crystals.

 

Walking towards the courtyard

Just a head's up, that while visiting the mosque the dress code is very important. Women must be covered from head to toe. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, then wear a scarf on the head. Men must also wear long pants and proper shirts. For those who are not fully covered they can borrow a burka which are available outside the mosque. Also bear in mind that this is a place of worship and so please respect and follow the signs and guidelines while taking pictures as well. Certain poses aren't acceptable. You do not want to unnecessarily offend anyone.

"One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

Last glimpse

 

This place displays beautiful art & architecture and is truly

GRAND as the name suggests.