My Life, A Cocktail

Baking, it's my kinda stress buster. I had always been intrigued about baking, even as a kid. To have the power of making baked goodies when you want it, where you want it, seemed just too good to pass. I have burnt many a baking pans in my quest to unearth the right recipes. Those days were sans the luxury of internet, and recipes were often exchanged by word of mouth (read imprecise) or reproduced from the back of cake mix boxes (read boring). Fast forward over 15 years, complete with the Internet,  Kitched Aid Stand Mixers ,  Silpat  and all. Breads, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, ask what you will and it shall be done. There is definitely something calming about baking. Carefully measuring out cups of flour, creaming butter and sugar, beating eggs until stiff peaks form, almost like a meditation exercise in itself, with the added bonus of the aroma of the baked goods that fill your home, spreading warmth and an inexplicable feeling of joy. And yes, for the health consciou

We forget, too much, too often. Life is always so patient with us, teaching us lessons, slowly and assuredly, we bask in the glory of the lesson learnt. Until, time washes it all away. What goes around comes back around. It does. Each and every one of life’s lessons. Till the time it’s rooted in our souls and becomes a part of who we are.

Inspiration comes easily to me. I am the kind that watches and learns. I have always believed that life is too short to experience even a slice of its fathoms. Observation has been my friend and I have tried to live more experiences than I am entitled to, through them. It’s a wonderful journey. You live and breathe like it’s your life, but it isn’t. It’s like reading a book, or watching a movie.

We are back from our week long trip to Las Vegas. Yes, Vegas, since we know it will be a while before we head back this way again. We didn’t really have an agenda or a plan of action this time around. That’s quite unlike us, me being the trip planner usually have a neat list of places to visit, things to do, where to eat etc. all planned out upfront. For this trip though, besides not having the energy to really plan anything, Vegas wasn’t a new place we were visiting, we pretty much knew our way around and what to expect. We stayed at the Venetian for all of 5 days, in their Luxury Suite. The room had the additional perk of a nice view that opened up to the city and parts of the Strip, it’s quite a marvel to sit by their large window in the night and just watch the lights. For all of 5 days, we went around from one casino to another and gambled. Yes, that’s pretty much what we did, we played on the slots and Blackjack at the tables. One highlight from our trip - S

You have got to start somewhere. Every woman finds herself in a situation that is new, unknown and sort of hopeless. And yet, she rises to the challenge, gets a grip on herself as she sees familiar faces drift into the background and takes control. She learns, she bridges gaps and is navigating from one point to another in no time. Years later, people still look at her and think, how little I know of her, her strength. It’s subtle and yet, so obvious.

If only there was a way To capture that embrace To freeze that moment To live again and again. If only there was a way Where I was given a day To break the norm To live undefined relationships. If only there was a way To perceive distance as a silly illusion To touch and feel and converse, whenever, wherever To be together, forever.

People who complain about lack of opportunities are stupid. There is never a dearth of opportunities, as long as you have the will to find them, recognize them and pour your sweat into it. The easiest way to reach your goal is to build building blocks. Break down your goal into small, focused, manageable steps that will get you there. Celebrate every milestone and if you make a mistake, start over with that step. It’s about the journey, after all, ain’t it?

You know how we try to find things that are right in front of our eyes? Like when our sunglasses are perched up on our head and we are looking for it all around the house? Our mind doesn’t see the obvious, not easily enough. And we search the world for answers that are right in front of our eyes. Uncloud your mind. The answers will appear.

We expect our mind to decipher the soul and it’s purpose, a mistake we often make. We ask of our minds, who am I, what am I here for, what is the purpose of this life? We fail to acknowledge that our mind, intellect and our perceptions are purely means to aid us in living this life. These are transient and change over time. We are not the body or the mind, we contain them. How, then, can we expect to explore the depths of our soul through our mind?  It's like making the noisiest kid in the classroom the leader. We let the mind be the master.

Smell is a powerful thing. It can transport you across oceans, across time, decades behind. It was my usual Caltrain morning ride. I picked my single seat on top, set my bags and was just getting my laptop out, when this smell hit me. It was the smell of warm dosais coming from a perspiring lunch box. It took me back to the time when my mom would pack a similar lunch box for me. Warm soggy dosais with sugar to take to school. And the time my mom would pack a MTR Rava Idlis with milagai podi for my bus ride back to Mysore. And the time my mom would pack a whole box of Poruchu Kozhambu saadam to share with my friends at work. Whoever you are, eating those dosais right now, indulge.

As I walked through a little park in San Francisco on my way to work, a thought came floating with the wind. It whispered - your time is limited here… Instantly, my mind was more aware, taking in the surroundings and molding memories that would last. I looked up at the tall trees that swayed with the breeze, the birds that fluttered from one branch to another, the scarlet flowers that drooped with the dew trickling down the tender petals. My feet felt the paved cement trail and I let the mist engulf my face. If only I could live each day this way…

Tell you what, don’t let your life revolve around us, let us revolve around your life… I got this as a response when I asked a question this morning. I immediately appreciated the thought and it’s the kind that stayed with me through the day. Made me reflect on a few different things… It is important to define what comprises your “life”. Family, friends, work or hobbies, no matter what it is, it is important to define and articulate it. There’s this bucket called “life” and then, there is everything else. It is your epicenter. Priorities automatically fall into place. Time management is no longer an ordeal. The illusion of choice is lifted. Distractions are a thing of the past. Eliminate the noise…