Closer

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time......

Well, this can't be one of those times. I'm getting closer to leaving my life of the past year behind and it's not easy!!

I'm still superficially upset about it and I'm really not looking forward to the time when the rude shock of reality hits me. A few days back somebody asked me what I would miss the most and after a long long pause, the only thing I could get myself to say was "The fact that Wellington is such a picture perfect city". Now, this is definitely one of the many things that I will miss, but doesn't come anywhere near describing the never-ending list of things that I will miss.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I will miss the option of being able to walk into one of Welly's many superb cafes and ordering that perfect mocha or chai latte with a warm, buttery muffin or scone.

I live by the sea back home too, but nothing beats a walk by Welly's gorgeous waterfront. I don't think there is a single person who can actually tire of that view. And if there is, they need to get themselves checked out for a disorder of some sort.

I will miss the wonderful people I've met, especially those who I share a connection of some sort with. The ones who have entertained me for a year and kept my spirits high. The ones who have put up with me when I'm being the worst kind of me I can be. The ones who have kept me grounded and connected to reality. The ones who have been there when there's really nowhere else to go to.

I will miss my little world in Kelburn and its surrounds where everything is within walking distance. Home, work and play: nothing is more than a half hour walk away. I have to admit that I haven't enjoyed having to hike up hills on a daily basis, but given the overindulgences in all things fattening, I would have been pumpkin sized if I hadn't. The admittedly smelly and cold 100 Kelburn Parade is soon going to be a memory and not home.

I will miss the endless hours spent window shopping and browsing through books at Borders, Whitcoulls and Arty Bees. But this I can do at home too =)

I will miss having the option to pick up some affordable but good wine and chocolate at the supermarket and enjoy a chocolate appreciation night. I will miss enjoying a beer, because there is no Tuatara Hefe back home..and that's the only beer I've ever really enjoyed. Exit vodka and L & P. Re-enter vodka and Sprite.

I'm in a country that has very little to offer in terms of indigenous food, but I'm such a foodie that i have found foods that I will miss too!! Kiwifruit (only green, cos we don't have gold) will turn into a delicacy again. Pies will once more be associated with dessert. And I wonder when I'll taste my next nectarine, persimmon or bagel with raisin walnut cream cheese. And the wedges...the amazing variety of wedges!!

I wondered why I didn't miss home when I left it. And now I know. Its because I knew that I would go back someday and probably someday soon. But this time around, I don't have the same luxury.

Née encore (?!?!)

It emerges from the wilderness after months and months of hibernation.

For how long, you ask? Well, truth be told, I haven't a clue!

Khao Galli

Iftari khana ...I can't believe that I've actually ignored it despite having lived in Bombay for almost 12 years now. Earlier this week, I took the best decision I've taken in a long time and heeding my rumbling stomach headed to Bhendi Bazaar. The BEST bus No 5 with a back seat full of hungry @ers wove its way through the jampacked streets of Kalbadevi and Pydhonie till we finally reached our destination.....Khao Galli at Bhendi Bazaar...it couldn't be more aptly named. We started our gastronomic adventure, seated at a slightly shady :) joint with the ever enthu waiter serving up plates upon plates of the best food I've eaten in along time !! Baida roti, chicken roll, mutton sandwich (nothing like a regular sandwich), delhiwala aloo chaat...all livened up with a dash of lime. We were just about half way through. We moved on to another joint less than 10 metres away, and eagerly ordered the next round of seekh kababs. This time we also got slightly more adventurous and got persuaded by the only experienced iftar khana khanewala among us. We ordered Khiri. Now, khiri may sound absolutely innocent and may even be mistaken for kheer, the dessert we're all so well acquainted with, but its nothing like and nowhere close to kheer. Khiri, beleive it or not is cows udder. I like to think of myself as somebody who likes to try new foods and I couldn't possibly let myself down. So, I very gingerly placed a tiny little piece of khiri in my mouth. And guess what, it was really good....slightly chewy, but definitely worth a try. Right after this we headed off to a sweet shop. After a few rounds of malpuas and phirni, we decided that it was time to head home. Now, all along we'd been looking for a drink called Rimzim, a local version of a cola.....but hadn't managed to find a shop that sold it. We did manage to find a close substitute though....masala soda. I've always seen them hanging precariously from the snack stalls at the local railway stations, but never tried it. The masala soda with a hint of jeera and kokum turned out to be the best way to wash down our meal. Happy and well-fed we headed off to Bombay Central station with me vowing to myself that I was never going to miss the iftar khana at Bhendi bazaar ever again

And then, a few days later, I found myself braving a rickshaw ride through the infamous Garage Galli with lakshmi bombs and other life threatening fireworks ( as you can see, I'm not a fireworks enthusiast) being burst dangerously close to my rickshaw. The sole reason for my bravery being a Diwali dinner. And guess what was cooking, aloo dum and luchis, my all-time favourite Bengali food that I hadn't had in sooooo long.

Waiting in anticipation for Ramzan 2007 :)