Weekend Wonders

It was a very busy ordinary week in Atlanta , Ga when 4 friends decided it was enough ! A Weekend Trip was in order .

We decided to be ambitious and cover two cities in one weekend itself .
So early saturday morning - we left for Hilton Head at about 7 am .
The drive was awesome ..heard some amazing music that I burnt on my india trip ..seriously ..we heard everything ..from U2 , Bon Jovi , Engima , Chill Lounge , Shamur , Dil Chahta Hai , Fuzon and even Himesh Reshiiwhatever .

Car games were in order . We played a bunch ..from picnic ..where you pick a theme and everyone has to guess the theme . I think my favorite theme was the animal one . So I said I would throw a party and carry a Kpod and a Dolphin to the party .
Everyone was soo screwed ! ..then I said ..I'd bring a Basket Ball and a Lion .
..after that it was the turn of the laptop and the penguin .
Email me if you guess this one :)

Hilton Head was awesome .
It was surprisingly cold so goodbye swimsuits - hello sweatshirts . We reached the beach all in our swin gear and the lifeguard was sitting there bundled up looking like he was freezing . It was quite cute and so was he :)
We hung out on the beach for a bit - clicking pictures and being silly and doing everything that only old friends do in new places .
A short drive later we went to the Marina and ate some really nice lunch . It was awseome because the owner had pictures for crickt players who she'd met and she had photos with tendulkar and ganguly and also some nics pics from an india australia match . Its such a small world . Of all the places in that little town - we had to walk into the one with the cricket fan ...if thast not a sign then what is?! ..everything I feel like I am so far away from home ..I'm firmly put in my place by things like this that remind me that theres like minded people evrywhere and we are lucky that home and yes ..loved ones are only a flight or a phonecall away .

Then we headed to a southern beach . This was my favorite part of the trip . Miles and Miles of white sand and not a wave in the ocean . It was almost like the seal had a soul and it was thinking .It was utterly beautiful .
Now I know what made Keats write the way he did ..especially about the ocean . There is somthing very humbling about standing in front of the ocean . It makes you want to be part of something big ..
Just wehn we were about to walk away - we noticed something in the sea . At first we thought they were birds - but they were dolphins! At least half a dozen of them ..swimming and doing little flips and just having a good time .They say that good luck follows if you see dolphins in the ocean . I think it was luck that made us see them in the first place .
Then we went and got icecream and just walked on the pier .
I was deeply engrossed in thinking about my stay in India and coming back here and confused about what was going to come next and it was very very very crazy because I saw a sign that said "Not all those who wander are lost"
Its like I drove 5 hours to a different state just to see that .
Days like this - everything seems possible and I feel like the force is with me in my bones .

Savannah was a different story altogether . Oak Trees , Rustic Bungalows , horse carriages ,Bougaenvillas ,moss covered trees ,graceful Winding roads , Chimmneys , cats and the smell of jasmine on a silvery night . I strongly recommend a day trip . Just walking down lanes and lanes of houses with fountains and quaint windows ,little cake shops and cafes ..it was another world with a pace far different from the one we've seen .

Sunday - the drive back seemed much shorter .
Monday - It was business as usual and the weekend was tucked away into the memoirs to be fondly revisited someday in a conversation over coffee .


Some fun things I learnt on this trip :

The english word "Ok" comes from the french word "Aux Quais" ..which literally means "On the pier" ...

Thee was a yellow fever epidemic in savannah and they had to bury a lot of people because of widespread deaths . They used to tie bells to the hands of the bodies ..so incase someone was alive the bell would ring on movement and they could bring them back out of the ground ..and so from that came the phrase
"Saved by the Bell "

Food for Thought

I'm one of thos people who love eating ! ..Pls dont judge me for saying this ...but food for thought is something I take very very seriously ...as seriously as reading everything from newspapers to cereal boxes . I also suffer form another food junkie syndrome ...that once I go to one place and love it ..I keep going back over and over again ..and invariable order the same thing .
I know that some of you'll are laughing out there ..having seen me order in several restaurants without even looking at the menu .
At other times when I am enjoying a simple meal at home ..I think about all the great places I've been to eat at here in Atlanta and honestly ..I've concluded that in every case the company was what made most of these so special and memorable .

So in no specific order ..Here are my favourite restaurants in Hotlanta .
Please call for diretions :)

1.Bhojanic : www.bhojanic.com
This trendy Indo-Fusion restaurant is tucked away in a quiet neighbourhod in Decatur on Clairmont road . From an amazing selection of tapas and main courses , it houses some really nice wines . On Fridays has live jazz music and Unlimited all you can eat tapas on Thursdays .
Best on grey /rainy days - this warm vibrant yellow and orange hued restaurant will add so much color to your day .
Try the Paneer Kathi roll , Baingan Bharta or Thalis
For desert - the mini mango mousse cake or the saffron cheesecake does the trick !

2.Surins (North Highland Avenue )
I think the nest part about eating at Surins is the search for parking on the ever so hustling North Hgland Av . Its funny - how I'm complaining about having to park so far away ..but everything about the walk down to Surins ..streets with quaint houses and tall trees ..boutiques and the ever enticing Atlanta Book Exchange ( which FYI is the oldest bookstore in ATL )is so enjoyable ..that it always seems to end so quickly .
I think the lighting in the restaurant is fabulous ! and ofcourse its true that a restaurant is only half as good as the lighting .
The bar is actually not super rushed and if you are lucky you can get one of the few booths .
Try the Masaman Curry , Basil Spring Rolls and I will buy you dinner if you disagree ...but you cannot get better Creme Brule in the city that at Surins .
ps : weekends are crowded . call for reservations !

3. Vatica
One if the things I love about America is that in a 5 sq mile radius ..you can find a choice of 10 different cuisines in all different price ranges to suit the amiable ...So it should be of no surprise that the 3rd choice on this list ..which took a long time in making is a Gujrati Thali Joint . Yes !
Jis Desh mein Ganga Behti hai ..Kem Cho and Phir bhi dil hai hindustani !
I love this restaurant . There is no menu . All you can eat thali with rotis , dal , vegetables , rice . Service is quick . Often on weeknights I frequent Vatica ..armed with a book ..usually Harry Potter ( JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter for weeknight reading ! ). The owner is very nice and friendly . Shares details on all the single men who frequent the place :) ..now thats jackpot isnt it ?!..and it feels like home away from home .

4.Doc Che's
The USP of this fabulous fabulous fusion chinese joint is "Peace Love and Noodles" ..and who doesnt need that !
Pls go to the one in Decatur .
Its got a really big softboard ..and while you wait on the food ..you can look to see what all events are happening in town ..from local theatre troups ..poetry reading ..pottery making ..garage sales and personals !
I recommend the Doc Che's lettuce wrap with Tofu and Marco Polo with shrimp or eggplant .The Thai Iced Tes is nice and The Banana Filled Dumplings in Chocolate Sauce will make you beg for mercy :)
They have the best fortune cookies ..I believe in the fortune cookies from this place ..so only the brave hearted need apply .

To add to this already awesome experience - its on a one lane street bang opposite a starbucks ..and on a really really luck summer night ..as you step out of Doc's while crossing over to grap a macchiato ...You can see the moon looking down on you between the buildings . .
I always thought that I am in my own version of a moving Van Gogh painting and when I am at Doc Che's ..voila ..its Night Cafe .

5.Cafe Intermezzo by Perimeter
If you are reading this ..its for a reason ...everything happens for a reason .
One day ..life with bring you to this side of the world and destiny will hand you a card .Play it well ..and make sure you go to Cafe Intermezzo .
Friday nights , Close Friends , Coffee ,candlelight and Conversation .
Playing an amazing house mix ranging from Nusrat ..to Didi ..to Egyptian music ..Buddha Bar ,Beethoven and what not .
Ornate mirrors , flowing tapestry , torches and candles . This is where Sex and the City meets Friends in Atlanta ..where east meets west ..where the conventional and contemporary fuse to produce an amazing ambience and experience of a lifetime !
From over a hundred selections of coffees , teas , wines and desserts ...everyone will find something here. The cake bar is awesome and you are given a personal guide to tell you what each different desert is . They have a special house desert - thats has blueberries , rasberries in a pie with pudding on it . Try it .Its flown in from Italy supposedly and I believe it ..anything that magical would have to have a bit of
Venice in it wouldnt it ?
I recommend the Peach Tea , Banana and Choc Chip Cheese cake , Cafe l'amour and the Rosemount Riesling .
A Dekkho is a must !


..TO be Continued

Leap of Faith

Enthusiasm is nothing more or less than faith in
action.
- Henry Chester

Faith is somewhat a rare commodity nowadays . It seems like everyone is always trying to be in control . Judging by my more recent actions ..I feel like I may have invented that concept .
I guess others might be like that too ..if not ..we would definately not have seen instant replay , cruise control or tivo .

Then again - sometimes like this past spring ..I've surprised myself .
When you take a leap of faith - you are hoping that you dont fall miserably on your face ..and sometimes when you arent looking ..you fly .

I landed in a pool of water ..but thats besides the point isnt it ?

Gaana Bajaana

Here is a list of my favorite songs from my 5 month stint in India in no specific order .

1.Yeh Hai Meri Kahani
-Driving to elevate at 12 am ..foggy night in the capital ..Ashu driving solidly at some god forsaken speed ..Tinu doing tp and Kau translating lyrics ..full on full blast ..Strings ..close friends and a tank full of Gas !

2.Aadat
- Hassan saying ..man ..what must he have been thinking when he wrote this song ?!

3.Let the music play
-I just have to close my eyes and I can see Tinu dancing ..doing the side to side Tinu special dance step

4.Tere Bin
- I had one of my BTA'S translate this one for me and now I can sing it in Punjabi !
But this will always be Kunal's song for me ..Sanu Soniya !

5.Kangna
- I always feel sad when I listen to this song . I feel like the dude is singing about the bangles because he cant be with the girl . HOWEVER ..who can get over Tinu saying
"Kau ..ye happy song hai ..because it gets played in clubs ..and as we all know ..they only play happy songs in clubc !" ..really ?!..lol!

6.Woh Lamhe
- *This one is censored* lol !*

7.Kajrare
- Totally Kau's song ..cant forget Jason singing it !

8.Man ki Lagan
- Kartik ...I have died when you called this Udita's paapwala fantasy song !!!
You were the surprise package of this whole freaking trip and I miss you so much for all your insightful comments !

9.Jhalak Dikhla ja
-Leanne ..hearing you sing this ..and seeing everyones faces after I translated it word by word ..will be an "always" incident for me . I drive on 285 listening to it at 7 am in the morning and I say ..I have a need ..a need for speed !

10.Just Chill
-Gaurav , Tinu and I and the night of the Vodka shots !

11.Dont Ya
- This is exclusively for all the girls in our group !

12.Dekh Le
-This one is all mind . Theme song for 2006 !..Marne Ke Pehle Jeena ..

13.Salaam Namaste
- All the sm'es dancing to it on my farewell

14.Dhol Wajda
-Night of tinu;s farewell

15.Right Here Right Now
- Goa Trip

16.Say Na
- This song inspired me to get the kpod ! thanks to kartik letting me listen to thi song everyday !

17.Kaala Chasma
- I love mine ! my futures so bright ..I gotta wear shades !

18.Rubaroo
-Heard this on the first day of the new year ..what a jumpstart ..all the happy feelings I've felt ..rolled into a song . Roobaroo Roshni ...HAI!

19.Rang De Basanti
- Jungless we were ..Puneet Farzeen Kartik Tarun Palak and me ..standing on the back of the pickup truck ..in the ghats at Rishikesh ..singing "Thodi si dhuul meri " ..wind in our hair ..adrenalin pumping and good old mazaa !

20.Khalbalee
- Hone Hone de nashaa ..Khone Khone ko hai kya ?! ..I dedicate this one to Hasaan and Jason !

On a Day like today

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
COLDPLAY



Have you ever had days when you wake up ..and you just feel it in your bones ..that its just best stick your head under the covers and stay in bed ...On a day like today - I'm grateful to just pull through .

In my yoga class today everything seemed that much harder ...when we were doing group stretches ...I was thinking how stretched thin I already felt on a day like today yoga notwithstanding .
Breathing in ..Breating out ..but mostly ..just Breathing .
At the end of the class , my instructor susan came upto me and said - " I'm so glad you've made so much progress in the last year Kaumudi ".
..and while she had unsuspectingly meant the class ..it made me think about some other things too .
I guess I am lucky to have made some progress ..yoga and otherwise and On a day like today ..when everything seems harder somehow ..I guess I am luckier that I am surrounded by friends who recognize my baby steps even when I dont .

So here I am ..at the fag end of a 13 hour day ..and I am mostly thinking about how happy I feel about how things have turned out ..some by my choices and some by virtue of those made by others ..I cant help but think about how my own definition of "happiness" has evolved over time.
I am someone who wants to have it all ..live it all .love it all .I am someone who is drenchfully happy . Years ago ..I'd think to myself when something significant would happen that this was it ..from now on everything would be perfect and it was the start of happiness ..failing to recognize that it wasnt the start ..or the end or even the in between . That was it . That moment was happiness .
Now years older *hush*..I've somehow learnt to let the moments sink in and to celebrate them as they happen..

In the end ..On a day like today I can only summon up and say what someone once said -that today wasnt about the moments in my life but more about the life in my moments ..
Good Night .

Dreams

my best friend read this out to me over the phone last night after reading my previous blog posting about the architect and the brick .Its beautiful

Every thing in life dreams - a bicycle dreams of becoming a
boy, an umbrella dreams of becoming the rain, a pearl dreams of
becoming a woman, and a chair dreams of becoming a gazelle and running
back to the forest

This one is for you

One of my really really good friends messaged me today and said " Kau ..I'm kinda getting so sick of Sheryl Crow " ..:) ..I agree ..me too . The Tide has indeed Turned . So this one is for you Farzeen. Hopefully this is more of a potential mindshare than sheryl's ..random though it is .

1. I always thought that soy was a "health" food ..but I read so much stuff this weekend on how bad it is ..I'm surprised I'm even writing this .
Its like losing a friend ..exactly how I felt in the January of 2005 when I doscovered that the French Vanilla Latte ,I had previously befriended was actually 240 calories devious in nature .

2.I saw a movie this weekend where an architect said " Even an ordinary brick wants to be something special " .


3.The first time I moved to Atlanta ..I was a mess ..emotionally ..financially ..things could only have gotten better .
It was a very icy february morning when I drove here ..lock stock and two smoking barrels . It was a good 4 months before I even smiled .
Last week I flew here ..and the immigration officer asked me what the purpose of my visit was ..and I actually surprised myself by telling him that I live here ..and probably I've said it a million times before ..but it felt so right just then .
..and he smiled at me and said "Welcome Home Then" ...it made me smile .

4.I think everyone should try Yoga . It is life changing .
Now I know this doesnt sound too convinicng coming from me ..considering the fact that almost everything in my life is a "life changing" experience and sometimes my blog postings make it seem like my life changes more than most people change clothes
(I know that Tinu and Hassan will be so amused that I am finally accepting this ) ..but all aside . Yoga is life changing .

5. I paid taxes yesterday and concluded that IRS was punishing me for being single .

6. I miss reading the Hindustan Times and the Indian Express .

7. I know that the dead bolt in our townhome really works . This morning I couldnt open it from the inside .ha !

8.My roomates knew it would be a good match when the first time I met them in the new house ..I said a very polite goodbye ..and opened the door to leave and walked straight into the glass door and bruised my nose :)

9.This is getting more and more random by the minute so I'm going to sign off .

10 . Just to make it an even number . Some people are supersitious like that :)