Friday, March 22, 2013

Getting basics right.

This might be a short post, I don't know. Hmm..I've been going to malls to pick a shoe which I can wear in this season, when I say this season-its spring but its snowing flaking and still chilly, no I am not going to complain about the climate, I am just an expat so I don't even think I have the right. Before it started snowing I got suede boots not realizing the ice and snow would make sh*t of the boots and my legs too. I wore them couple of times when it didn't snow, they still look worn out the snow aftermath did its job. I managed wearing the leather boots my father got me when I was in ninth standard, I never got a chance to wear them in India. When I came here I wore them for job fairs and interviews and gave them a top shelf corner space - prayed them, now they're dead the snow ate them. :(  The things which my parents get me are very special, I feel so bad to even throw the plastic bags/boxes they send me sweets, namkeen, achar in from India. I remember when my sister got her first job she got my sister the Harry Potter series and brown sandals for me, I still remember them, they had bow in front. We kept our shoes in a shelf under the stair case, I guarded them in the same box they came in, once in a while I would wear them in house and walk around, one day when I opened the box I found the white mouldy fungus thing on the shoes and the leather was ruined, the rain water some how entered into the box and my shoes were gone, the first thing my sis gave with her first salary went in vain, I didn't even wear them once :( Now my younger sister tells she'll get boots for me, when I asked what did you get for me, you are earning now.

Today my friends at work were talking about the skirts and different clothes they wear in summer/fall and I was thinking about my boring clothes and my sisters dialogues in background, more or less I would  just buy a capri and not wear socks with shoes haha!


Coming back to the shoes, last week I got shoes from dsw, the same store whose website I browse at nights when I don't fall sleep. After spending an hour, I got gray suede heals, on a sunday morning I was their first customer, I trashed the requirements again, I wanted something to protect me from snow/cold.

In the evening I wore them and I see they're coming out of my feet when I walk fast. I cleaned them right away and put them back in the box and returned them the next day. It doesn't happen often that I return something which was on sale or clearance but this time I had to..

The plus point of being in India or any tropical place- you don't have to buy different shoes, clothes  for every season. You are not bound to that pain of packing unpacking from the suitcase when the season changes or blame my cupboard size -I don't have a big cupboard/storage. I don't have that many things to do cos I just put on a sweater on the top which I'd wear in spring, summer or fall, but the people who live hear they have a complete different set of clothes, they enjoy buying different clothes for different seasons I guess..at least summer clothes. Haha!I am remembering how mom use to take excuses to buy different sarees every season, before rainy season she'd go for rainy season saree shopping and in summer for cotton sarees and that pain of taking those sarees to dry clean and put on startch.  I think pain is everywhere from buying summer/woolen clothes to buying rainy/summer sarees..I didn't know I would pacify myself on this argument when I was starting my blog. That's what writing is for..at least for me, I can yell, talk, cry or calm myself.

By the way, I went to the mall today and got a leopard print sandals for summer, they were on sale in Payless. Hopefully I won't return them, they were cheap for that price, I am sure mom will like them if I don't ;)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Phir bhi dil hai hindustani/Food obsession.

3/16/2013 -10:55 AM

Giving more details, its a Saturday morning and I am sipping my morning tea along with toast and murkul my friends mom sent, how healthy!! You need calories, its morning, don't curse me for overeating.

People from different nations if reading any - I don't have anything against the way you eat or what you eat and I am not discriminating, its just extra love towards my own motherland which made me write this blog. So, no offense. (I am bad at writing those techincal/statutory warning/ disclaimer or no its just my opinion lines.

We've been taught not to make fun of food or insult it, I'll try not to do so.


I have been fasting on and off to make my rozas which I left in Ramadaan, I left 14 out of 30 this time because I was sick, I got into a new role/new job, too much of travel and laziness etc etc. I know Roza means Prayers, surrendering yourself to God but its been so different for me, I am thinking, browsing about food all day at my desk otherwise too I do that regularly but its just more these days. Yesterday I made pakode which me and my Potter sis(lets name her Google sis now  :D) loved to eat, it used to be on thela (something like kiosk here in malls) in front of the very famous St.Anns Girls College. The place had Paani poori, jalebi, Mirchi Bhajji and more bhajji stands..Yumm..that place had almost everything, so we used to go there often.. the clothes store,  beauty parlor, printing stations..in India printing/scanning is still such a big deal..  When I opened my fast and ate those, first thing I did was texted my sis with the picture of bhajiyas. The previous day I made Thai chicken coconut  curry and after eating the bhajiyas I went-' Why do I even try making something which's not our own' not that the curry wasn't good but why try something which takes more time more money more fuel-yes it took me two days to get all the ingredients for the curry.


When I was new here I remember me and a friend went to a Chinese restaurant close to school we just ordered one dish and couldn't finish it, the veggies chicken pieces swimming in the soy sauce were new to us and we were not able to digest it. I am ok with the chinese food and I love thai food, I started eating more of it when I was an intern in Auburn Hills where one more friend from school worked and we used to carpool and eat lunch outside in the Thai, chineese restaurants where we got aquainted to Pad Thai, Gan garee, Kung Pao and what not.

I never had a thing for Italian, Pasta wasta and everything has that same tomato taste, I do like lasagna but for me I cant digest things without spice, they don't ask you the spice level in Italian so...haha! On the other hand I love the french cuisine it doesnt have that spice element still it can be tangy, fondueeey so..you'd have clearly understood by now that I like all the things which add on weight.

In 2010, we were invited to a church for thanksgiving dinner-there was this church going guy he used to invite us to church on Thanksgiving and Christmas and also give us ride, he's gone to India..I miss him..people use to call him Ravi Anna...nice guy. Because of him I know Turkey, Coleslaw and mashed potatoes- American food, which I'm not very fond of- Plain, Baked thrown into your plate with a dollop of butter. Kahan apna sambaar aur kahan Chilli(soup with beef in it with few chillies-cooked in a crockpot, hot according to...ahem ahem!)

The first restaurant I ate in was Qdoba, our super senior Bhaggu  took me and the other two friends there. A mexican restaurant where my friend broke his fork trying to cut a Burrito, haha. We were still in the Indian mode of eating where people eat Pizza huts pizza with so much care with a knife and fork. I have not seen a gora doing that..ever!

Initially we used to get all excited about eating outside in a restaurant, get ready and go slamming people who eat in Indian Buffet, but after a year all went phus! We are back to the desi khana and we love it and miss the Indian sweets and the bandi food.

I am planning to go low on rice and I'm worried about my achars lying in my cupboard- I have Mango which mom gave, Gongura(leafy vegetable) which a friend couriered, nimbu, small mangoes and amla which a friend got from India and mixed vegetable punjabi pickle which my lead got. I am over stocked and can't think of what to do with those :( They're lying in my cupboard I don't wanna give them away.

Anyone need some achar?