~time to light diyas and do rangoli~

Happy Diwali & Salmubarak to all!

Best wishes for the new year ahead of us!

from the movie "Gangster"

tu hi meri shab hai subha hai... tu hi din hai mera...
tu hi mera rab hai jahaan hai... tu hi meri duniya...
tu waqt mere liye... main hoon tera lamha...
kaise rahega bhala... hoke tu mujhse judaa....

awesome song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BklekKJPjlI <---do listen!

pomegranate obsession

its flavor is extreme. its stain is permanent. and its nutritional value is unbelievable. its name is the pomegranate. ever since the day i first tasted one at the shak market in ambavadi, gujarat, i have loved pomegranates.
i still remember that one august night...it was horrible. i was separated from my masi and didn't spot one familiar face around me. i was scared shitless and sad...until this cute and tiny bergundy-colored fruit appeared in my hand! :) a small boy, probably no more than six years old, came up to me, gave me the pomegranate and then ran away. completely shocked at the event that happend in the past ten seconds, i cluelessly cut the pomegranate and smiled wider than ever when i saw its seeds. let me tell you i've never seen such a sight...the seeds were so damn cute and red...and for some reason i became weirdly happy. like really really happy. i stuffed seed after seed in my mouth until my dupatta...along with my whole face, became the color of the pomegranate. that fruit was freakin' awesome. it's flavor was simply irresistable...it had a sweet and sour tang, and its juice was like a high-intensity energy drink.....mmmm....
anyway, at this moment...im really craving a pomegranate...but its out of season :(...

bon voyage Ba!

my Ba is cooler than yours. no kidding. she is mother to five, grandmother to twelve, and great grandmother to six. she's eighty one and counting, stands four feet ten inches tall, and has the most sweet and welcoming smile you'll ever see.
the kitchen is her territory. she is the most amazing cook. her specialty creation is the Gujarati thali but really any thing she mixes and stirs up together has a delicious end result. i literally have an Indian style first class cuisine dinner every night at home. if she were twenty years younger she would probably be running a kick-ass catering business.
but anyway, my Ba is leaving for India today and i'm going to miss her like crazy. she's not only my grandmother, but also my teacher and good friend. although she only went up to the fifth grade, she has taught me many things. i've learned from her that giving a little something to someone who really needs it is better than buying something for yourself when you really don't need it. making others smile gives the best feeling in the world.

appetizing edibles...not!

preservatives, artificial ingredients, partially hydrogenated anything-oil....yuck! i miss my home food. i'm sick of greasy french fries and oily pizzas. i want my mommy's rotli dhal bhaat shak. :P the canteen just sucks. the menu is overly repetitive and the food is bland. i know i'm being whiny and immature right now but i really can't help it. i wish i was sitting at the kitchen table in my cozy home filled with love eating methi na tepla and sipping chai. i want that warm feeling of a home, you know? Aaah...its such a wonderful feeling to have. :) but whatever its ok i'll make do...ketchup is there to make everything better....hahaaa

mommy's song

ragupathi raghava rajah ram...pathi tha paavana sita ram...
ishwar allah tere naam... sabko sanmathi de bhagvan...
this is the song my mommy would sing to me, jasi, and anu every night to get us to sleep...it is in praise of Rama, Jesus, and Allah and advocates universal brotherhood...
i miss hearing my mom's sweet voice sing thig song in the pm hourssssss..

happy to be back in the water

water is essential to life. all living things need it. it is a molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to an oxygen atom. it is a beautiful liquid that is tasteless and colorless. water and i have a special bond. not an ionic or covalent one...but more of a lovey-dovey one. i love the feeling of being in water. the pool is my panacea. all tension leaves me when i enter the pool....sounds cheesy but its true :). just now i found out that i am going to be able to swim today. its been more than a month since i've last stepped into a pool...so boy am i happy. thank you God. thank you God. thank you God. it may not be 'my' pool...but it should still be good. lets just see. oh and i'm still looking forward to the day i get to swim besides a fish i know..a very steady one. that should be hella fun. good day and jai shree krishna, i've got some swimming to do.