A Pachakanam Trip - When Cell Phones And Internet Became Old World!

It was out of a random conversation one late night that the Pachakanam trip ideated. A friend has a plantation estate there, the boys had been there a couple of times and when the idea of going for a trip came up, the most popular choice was, of course, Pachakanam. In between, a lot of other places came up, but finally we stuck to Pachakanam itself.

Since we were short of time and the place was booked over the weekend too, we decided to do a 1 night 2 days trip during the Gandhi Jayanthi long weekend. We were 12 of us and we started off from Trivandrum early in the morning on the 1st of October in three cars. 

Throughout the journey, a couple of us, 'the perpetually hungry teams', ensured that we had sufficient pit stops for food breaks.The first of the stop was at the Indian Coffee House due to the sudden craving for the Bombay Toast. As we munched on these triangle beauties and tried to analyse the difference between the Bombay Toast and the French Toast (we didn't find any!), we reached a favourite among the boys - Janardhana Hotel, an old shack kind of place with two tables and benches, serving the good old 'Pazhankanji' with curd, chutney, pickle and fish curry. The initial apprehension of having pazhankanji amongst a few of us were wiped off completely as soon as we had the first mouthful of this goodness. After a few more pit stops for changing cars, loo breaks, buying snacks and picking up a friend enroute, funny conversations and some crazy driving moments later, we reached Pachakanam by afternoon. 

The beauty of the place is mind-blowing and I fell in love with it more when I saw the pictures. Lunch awaited us - Rice, Moru, Beans Mezhukkuvaratti, Cabbage Thoran, Fish Fry and Pothirachi, which was lipsmackingly good. Fresh produce, simple food and hunger - all added to the taste and none of us could stop eating.

After a small break we set off to enjoy the plantation and the scenic beauty. A few off-roading sessions (at one point, I did pray hard and thought of my little boy) later, we reached a beautiful stream right in the middle of the road. We played in the water until dusk and it was time to head back to the bungalow - along with the leeches that were persistent (and successful) in getting onto our bodies and sucking the blood out.

As the night set in, the barbeque was set up and we sat outside the bungalow chatting and enjoying the weather and the mist. We spent the night playing dumb charades - after a long long time and how fun it was!, and having random discussions on the current affairs. After dinner (the best flaky parottas after a long time!), as one by one bid good night, the remaining few of us sat and talked about random stuff through the night and almost until the break of dawn.

The next day we woke up to a droolworthy breakfast of Appam, Egg Roast and Cardamom Infused Coconut Milk. The highlight definitely has to be that coconut milk - so full of flavour from the fresh cardamom plucked from the plantation. We then headed towards a private waterfalls within the estate and spent a good few hours there splashing water on each other, taking a good dip in the water and standing under the waterfalls. Soon, it was time to head back home after yet another amazing lunch.

The best part of the whole trip was, since there was no network coverage, mobile phones were  completely forgotten. We spent time together enjoying and living the moment, making memories, and totally cut out from the rest of the world - no facebook to check, no instagram to post, no whatsapp messages to send and no phone calls to be made. Just the twelve of us and the present to enjoy!

By the end of the trip, the one night stay felt too little a time to spend there. None of us wanted to head back home too soon. But sadly, we had to pack up and head back, already dreaming about the next time.

When Words Played Hide And Seek

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It's been a while since I wrote. At first, it was about taking a break, in my effort to find the right thoughts to pen down. Then, laziness took over. As much as I wanted to do something about it, the will that it had over me seemed quite strong and I found comfort in procrastination.

In the last couple of months that I went missing, I went through a roller coaster of emotions - excitement, happiness, worry, disappointment, relief, anger, and more. We went for a weekend getaway - a staycation of sorts which was a perfect family break.  A very dear boy got married to the love of his life and for the first time in my life I danced all night and stayed awake to watch the sunrise. Someone shunned me for not minting money and hence not being successful, and as much as I know that I don't measure success by money and despite being happy and content with the life I lead, this conversation brought me down, and it took a lot of positive thoughts and energy to get me back on track. Then there were certain things that shook me, brought close people closer and changed my whole outlook of life. I am not lying when I say I wanted to pen down each of those. But each of these emotions exhausted me to the core leaving me with no will to gather my thoughts.

Meanwhile, this sabbatical of mine made me realise the power of words even more. I had friends and acquaintances messaging and checking on me, wondering what happened, gently nudging and pushing me to write. I realised how this little space of mine became a good conversation starter, brought back long lost friends, turned old school mates to friends, and I felt grateful - to words, and to the ones who became my friends through these words.

Indeed, the world around me inspired me daily to write, but when laziness holds you in its clutches, it takes a tonne of effort to get back. With this post, I am trying to get back and I really hope I do. Because, amidst all that I do, it is this that gives me much joy, soothes my soul and helps me stay sane.

Like when you wake up from sleep and your voice is all groggy, or you try to walk for the first time after a surgery and your steps are shaky, it might take a little time for me to find my feet again. But that's ok. Because, end of the day all that should matter is a lightened heart and a calmer soul. And a couple of people who holds you close to their heart!

Dear Friend...

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Thank You,

        For the "you go, girl" even when the world thought I wasn't doing enough
        For asking "what's wrong?" even before I tell you anything
        For bringing my favourite dish each time you make it
        For taking care of me every single time I fall sick
        For all the times when you make me feel like a superwoman even when I was not
        For taking care of my baby when I had to be away
        For the "let's go together" when I tell you about wanting to run away
        For asking me out even when I've let you down a million times
        For the "where are you?" when you haven't heard from me for a while
        For letting me know I matter to you
        For listening to my vents and rants without being judgmental
        For holding my hands and being my shoulder when I break down
        For lifting my self-esteem when the entire world tries to bring it down
        For brightening up my day when I've had a terrible one
        For just being there no matter what

Because, if it weren't for you,

        I would have thought myself to be weird
        I would have plunged deep into darkness
        I would have worried a lot more
        I wouldn't have known the goodness this world hold
        I wouldn't have know what extended family means
        I have no idea how my life would have turned out
        Above all, I wouldn't have been me...

Am I Happy?

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Of late, I have been hearing a lot about how happy I seemed to be going by my posts and blogs. I heard 'you seem to be really happy' quite a few times during my trip to Trivandrum this time. This, on quite a few occasions, left my face with a questioning look much to the worry of the person who asked me. And then, I find myself saying, "yes yes, I am happy", and that there is nothing wrong. But there’s so much more to it than that.

Life is not just about the happy pics that you see on social media. Despite being as happy as I am in the pictures, there are days when I hit rock bottom. There are days that I just want to run away from my home, my boys. There are days that I cry my heart out and wonder whatever happened to the happy go lucky girl that I was at school. There are days I am super irritated and cranky, and all I want to do is shut the bedroom door and hide away from everyone.

That said, yes, in the bigger picture, I am indeed happy. All thanks to some amazing friends to whom I can turn to at any time of the day and night and vent out what’s bothering me. All thanks to the friends who listen patiently to me cribbing about life without being judgemental. All thanks to some amazing people who takes note of even the slightest change in my mood and ensure that they are around, no matter what, until I am back to my cheery self. All thanks to the husband who, at times much to my irritation, is certain that I will not run away from him despite being mad at him after a fight and I am left with no option but to love him back, and kiss and make up. 

Above all this, I've realised my outlook makes a huge difference in being happy. I've realised my happiness needs to come from me and many a times, I've had to take effort to make sure that I am not moody and down. There have been times when I've said enough is enough and sprang out of the bed to put the happiest face just for the sake of being happy. It takes a lot of effort and conviction. But it has worked. Every single time. 

Happiness is relative. So if you are to ask me if I am happy, I don’t know. I really don’t know. I am not always happy. There are times I wonder why life is like this. There are times I feel like running away from everything. Yet, I’ve chosen to create a happy, healthy space for myself, mentally and physically, and this has helped me a lot in staying sane. If this is what happiness is, yes I'm indeed happy!

When Soul Olie Came Visiting

"The fish flies

high into the sky

The sun smiles

the clouds rejoice,

For there is the lotus

glowing quietly

at the root of the

tree called life"

A month back, I was sent a toddler full buckle my way for a few days to use and review. As always, I was eagerly waiting for it to reach us and when it arrived, I opened the parcel only to be left wide-eyed in awe and amazement. It was one of Soul's limited edition carrier, Roots and Wings, in collaboration with Olie, a family-run studio based in Bangalore that makes handcrafted decor accessories.

I fell in love with the print instantly as I took it out of the box. The panel is white with yellow and greyish-black print, depicting the tree, flying fish and roots. I love the description about the print in both the Soul and Olie page - the flying fish that set out on its journey to find Nirvana or true happiness, only to find it at the root of the tree called Life. This description gave a slightly more 'awe' factor to the print and I can't really tell you how much head over heels I fell in love with the carrier, especially after reading what the print depicts. The print just stands out in the crowd and is definitely a head-turner. The waist and shoulder straps are a dark greyish black, and this enhanced the beauty of the carrier. The entire colour theme just blended well together and it was a joy to see how beautiful it looked.

As I carried my little boy in this for the first time, I realised how soft and cushy the material is. Although it is cotton, I felt, compared to the other cotton range that Soul has (I've tried the Ikat print and the woven cotton carrier), this felt a tad bit softer. The fabric was light and although not as breathable as linen, this definitely felt cool on the skin. I loved how cuddle-worthy it was and it definitely made the carrier feel light and comfortable while carrying the little boy. 

The fitting is the same as all the other Soul's full buckles. I had earlier reviewed a standard carrier here. Although there I reviewed a standard full buckle, the technicalities of the toddler full buckle remains the same except for a wider and taller panel. The little boy is 3.5 years, weighs around 12 kg and is 93 cm tall. Although he still fits into a standard full buckle, we don't get the knee to knee support there, as we do in a toddler full buckle. The height of the toddler panel is still a tad big for him, but still snug and comfortable. 

This time, I guess, I fell in love with the carrier more than the little boy and there were times when he was on a carrier strike. I didn't lose heart though, I carried his friends in the carrier and got some extra cuddles as well. It came with us for our outings and we even turned to it for all the clingy, cranky moments at home. We did spend a good time with it, although we weren't able to capture a lot of images.

This was one carrier that left me in tears when we parted. I really didn't want to let it go but, well, it had to make a difference and show it's worth to other parents too. I miss having it with us and you won't believe the number of times I've thought about it after it left us. This one definitely left a huge impression on me and I am sure, if and when I think of adding one more full buckle to my stash, this would be the one that will come to my mind first. 

Saree - Book Review

Title: Saree

Author: Su Dharmatala

Pages: 560

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 4/5

Six Lives, six loves and a precious cloth that binds them together

I had been eyeing this book for about a year now. It just needed it's name to grab my attention and since then, I had been asking every book store that I walk into for this book. Sadly, none had and finally, a month back, I placed my order for this book through Amazon.

I was so excited to get the book that I didn't wait to start reading it. The book is divided into five parts - The Knot, The First Drape, The Pleats, The Second Drape, The Fall, and The Finishing - and spread across Sri Lanka, India and Melbourne. The hero of the book is definitely a saree, described so beautifully that I wished I could see that beautiful piece in real life. The book is exactly what the blurb suggests - from the lush beauty of Sri Lanka, ravaged by bloody civil war, to mystical India and finally its eventual resting place in Australia, this is the story of one precious piece of cloth and the lives it changes.

The first part is well written, held my attention and I delved deep into the book. I loved how the whole story line was described and the weaving process - especially that! Everything about the first part was perfect. However, I felt, this set a high expectation for me for the rest of the book which, sadly, the book didn't meet at times. Especially certain parts which was written in the the slang the character speaks, which felt quite awkward to read. 

Except for the few parts in the middle, I loved the beginning and end. It's not that I didn't like the chapters in the middle, I just felt that it could have been better to capture the attention of the reader better. After a fast paced first part, the book felt dry at places before picking pace towards the end. The end was totally unrealistic, or rather the book felt unrealistic at quite a few places. But that said, I loved the book. I might be partial here, although, because of my love for sarees. Yet, this was a wonderful read and definitely one for your library.

P.s: Click on the image below to buy the book.

Let's Be The Change - From The Diary Of An Unconventional Mallu Bride

A couple of days back, during a random conversation on Kerala and weddings, I was asked, "you must have also been covered in gold for your wedding, no?"Although then, to her, I replied in a one word negative, I thought a lot about it later. I was an unconventional Kerala bride in terms of the accessories that I wore.

I don't know when or how it was decided that I would be wearing just one necklace for my wedding. It wasn't even a decision. For a person who had never worn any gaudy gold except for a very thin chain on her neck,  two pair of studs on her ears, and a tiny speck of a diamond on the nose, it never made any sense to be overloaded with something I was not comfortable with on my wedding day. My parents too were never obsessed with gold and in fact, it was Achan (my father) who was more particular than me about how much less gold I should be wearing for the wedding.

Because of this, the jewellery shopping was a breeze. After we bought my wedding saree, we walked into one of the popular jewellery shops in Madras and there it was, calling to us right from the display shelf. It blended well with my saree - the perfect match I could ever get. I fell in love with the necklace and earring instantly that it was a 'pack it' moment. We didn't search for better options or a few more pieces before we decided on this. It took us a little more time to find the perfect pair of bangles and once we found that, our jewellery shopping for the wedding was over! A few days before the wedding, we had a fight though - my grandmother and my mother on one side and me on the other. Amma and Ammumma wanted me to wear a hip chain for the wedding and I outrightly rejected the idea since it wasn't something I would ever use in my life again and it seemed like a waste of money. Amma stood by Ammumma when she said it was her wish and finally I gave in to the two most important women in my life. On one condition though - that I would choose it and it has to be plain.

I had quite a lot of friends and family who tried to 'advice' me about how I should be overloaded with gold on my wedding day - advices ranging from how this is the day that my parents would be able to see me in my full glory (I still haven't understood what they meant) to how can Raghu's daughter undermine his status by wearing just one necklace to what will Balu's family think of it to this is the only way you guys can show how wealthy you are. The only family that wasn't bothered or didn't even ask us a single question about what I was wearing or anything remotely related was my in-laws. By the time the wedding was over and we were leaving for home, my hip-belt was in Balu's aunt's hand since it was coming out and on our way home - a long 5 hour journey - I handed over my earrings to another aunt since it was hurting me. No one in that family told me to wear it back since I was the bride and since they had to show the public what the bride was bringing home (weird logic, I know.. but I've heard it a lot). I love this family more for this, for never dictating anyone in the family with unwanted rules and principles, for giving all the girls who walked into their homes the freedom to make choices and much more - but that's another story.

As much as I say that it helped me live the moment, kept me sane instead of weighing me down, and gave me one thing less to worry about when it came to wedding preparations, sadly, amongst Keralites, this is a one-off case. As much as our generation has wanted to change the trend of being 'gold mines' on our wedding day, it is really difficult considering the expectation of family and even worse, the society. So much so that you loose the energy to fight to have your way. Little do we realise that we are setting a very high standard among the lower income group to match up, and they do indeed - taking loans that they find difficult to repay and selling property, to have a dream wedding. What for? For a few pieces of jewellery that is going to be in the locker and rarely touched! Of course, it's an asset. But do we really need to showcase all our assets from our parents' hard-earned money on us on the most important day in our lives?

I had a dowry free wedding. Neither my husband nor my in-laws were interested in what my parents were 'gifting' me. We never had a discussion on that. And my parents never bothered to specifically allot a portion of their wealth to me for my wedding. Rather, they chose to stand by us whenever they felt we needed support, big or small, even without we asking them. And so did my in-laws. And I couldn't be more grateful for that. It meant a lot to me and it still does rather than an obligatory 100 sovereign of gold and a few acres of land.

We need to bring a change to this trend that leaves us displaying our parents wealth on us, a trend that plays spoilsport on the most special day in the lives of two people. It's high time we bring about a change. Our generation can indeed make a change. Weddings should be about celebrating love, welcoming new relationships and making memories. Let's not make it a power-play to showcase wealth and making a goldmine of the bride.

The Golden Vishu Days

It's Vishu today - April 14th. The day we, as kids, used to eagerly look forward to every year. Of all the festivals that we celebrate in a year, this has to be my favourite.

It all starts with getting up early in the morning to see the 'Vishu Kani' that Ammumma and Amma had set beautifully the night before. In the wee hours of the day, Amma wakes us up, blindfolds our eyes with her hands and walks us to the Pooja Room where the Kani is set beautiful with all the fruits and vegetables, gold, money, mirror and Unni Kannan in the midst of all. Even now, watching the kani with all the Vishu songs and other shlokas in the background is surreal. Amma then gives us our first Kaineetam of the day - a tower of ten Re. 1 coins, which back then was a major let down since to us, the kaineetam was more of giving us a 'pocket money' rather than a blessing for prosperity. We would then rush to get ready to visit all our favourite temples. After almost two hours of temple visits we would come back home to rest while watching a super-hit Malayalam movie while the sadya gets ready. However, all said and done, a major part of the day goes by with getting 'Kaineetam' from all the elders. We would ask Kaineetam from all those who came home that day, from all elders we visited, from neighbours who are more like family and from all at home. Growing up, us three kids would compete against each other to get the highest amount. I still remember we slyly asking each other how much we got so that we can go one rupee up. The best part of the day was getting Kaineetam from Achan because undoubtedly his amount would be the highest. But thinking back, more than it being the highest, it was a pure joy getting Kaineetam from Achan because he gave it with all his heart and ensuring we had enough to buy all that we wanted.

Things changed as the years passed by. When I went to UK for my masters, I was at my uncle's house and celebrated my first Vishu away from home there. Despite her husband being (supposedly) an atheist, my aunt and her mom set up the Vishu Kani beautifully and after all the years of taunting and troubling him for my kaineetam, that year I finally got my kaineetam from him. I kept the amount in my wallet for a long time without spending since it meant so much to me - as the years passed, I think I forgot about it and the money got spent in some way or the other. I still send him an email or message for my share of kaineetam every year before Vishu and like all years that has passed by, we fight about the topic every year. Once I got married, I realised that the husband was worse than my uncle. In this seven years, I've never got a kaineetam from the man, inspite of the mandatory call his mom does every year on this day to tell him 'strictly' that I had to be given kaineetam!

Marriage changed my way of celebrating Vishu a lot. In contrast to getting up with Amma's hands on my eyes leading me to the Puja room, it was now upon me to get the Kani ready and to lead the husband and now, the little boy too. While earlier I sat lazying around and running around collecting my share of the kaineetam, only to come back and sit for the sadya lunch, now it is upon me to get the sadya ready. Even with kaineetam, over the years receiving has taken a backseat and giving has taken over.

Yesterday night, after I made the little boy sleep and got up to set the Vishu kani, my eyes welled up. I missed home terribly. It was one of those moments when I realised that the little girl has grown up to be a mother now. All that I wanted was to be back home, oblivious of all the cleaning and setting up of Vishu Kani and waking up to Amma's call to see the Kani. The feeling continued when I woke up today morning too. Now, after a mini sadya that I whipped up for the boys, my mood is slowly changing for the better. I am happy that the little boy atleast got to experience a minute part of my favourite festival - yes, he did have the kani, he got the kaineetam and the sadya. I don't know if he will ever be able to walk through neighbourhoods collecting his kaineetam from everyone and counting the money. But for now, he got the best of what I could offer him.

When Mommies Have Fun And Relive School Days

I have this amazing bunch of girls as friends. The little boy's school friends' mommies. We've just been together for a year and yet we've formed a wonderful bond that takes us back to school days, where you were just you and not trying to be someone else, where you were not seen as a potential threat or a potential person who can be used, where there were lot of misunderstandings but we worked around it to still be friends. I will never forget the June of 2016, when we hugged, kissed and waved goodbyes to our little ones and stood teary eyed and anxious, equally flustered as our babies were, waiting outside the school gates for them to come out and while at that, we started talking, wondering out loud our worries, giving the moral support that we needed to each other and just being there for each other. I tell you, this bond, that we form through our worries and tears are one of the strongest!

After the kiddos got settled at school, we were no longer needed to wait outside the school gate but we just couldn't let go of our worries and concerns. We formed a whatsapp group to discuss these and the school notes. But over time, breakfast dates, dress codes and party planning took over school notes and this has become one of the most active groups in my whatsapp. We have a comfort zone with each other, so much so that we are this loud and boisterous group and the ruckus we create when we are together is one of its kind. There is not one person who is silent and if you find us silent (ver rare!) it would be either be when we are stuffing our mouth with food (still we talk) or when we take a group pic of us (the only moment of silence!).

So, when the schools closed and summer holidays started, we decided that we needed a break too. There started all the planning for a bollywood night out. Although that plan had to be postponed, we decided to go for a dinner without the kids. Last few days had been all about eagerly, excitedly waiting for wednesday night, discussing what to wear and what to eat. And finally when the day came, I, for one, got ready way early much to the confusion of the little boy who wanted to tag along since he quite evidently found the twinkle in Amma's eyes more exciting than being at home.

Coming to the dinner, we had the time of our life. Each sentence ended with laughter, each plan ended with more plans, and we went back to the time where we were kids ourselves, giggling and laughing, chatting non-stop and just being us. I came back home lightheaded with all the laughter and talks, and the excitement and joy was too much that I was restless the whole night yesterday. I had fun in the most amazing way I could have ever imagined before. The last time I would've had fun this way with a bunch of girls, maybe, has to be while I was at school. Yet, I really don't remember such a fun night out with just a huge bunch of girls. 

For the last couple of years, or rather, so many years, I've always lived my life reminiscing about old friendships and the golden days that had passed by, always thinking how the new friends I make can never match my bunch of girls from school. Now, after many years, I have another bunch of amazing girls in my life with whom I could just be me, have the most amazing time and come back home only to miss them and wish only if time stood still. Yesterday night made me wonder out loud why I didn't meet them earlier in life. That said, I am really thankful I didn't because then I wouldn't have realised their true worth!

Book Review: Chillies And Porridge and Some Thoughts On What Goes Into My Mouth

Title: Chillies and Porridge

Author: Mita Kapur

Pages: 296

Rating: 2.5/5

It has been a long long time since I did a book review. Also, my reading took a very slow turn too. Really slow than I wanted to. And this book, Chillies and Porridge,  although it revolved around something I loved,  it did slow down my reading. 

This book is an anthology, a collection of stories and memories relating to food by various authors and eminent personalities including Rocky and Mayur and Anita Nair. There are more, but these were the names I knew from the list. The book talks about the authors' favourite memories relating to food, their food related travels and random musings about food. 

The book was a bit too dry, despite revolving around my favourite topic. There are about 23 stories/writings, yet only few were able to impress me. I loved Rocky and Mayur's description about their childhood days and their food memories where they brought back memories of the ice-cream uncle, the foods that we have from our friends' home that always had a slightly extra taste to it. They reminisced about their friendship, their childhood days and food that connected all the dots together. Then there was 'Walks With Lyla' by Niloufer Ichaporia King where the author takes you through the Mumbai markets - Colaba Market for your everyday purchases, Fort Market for masalas, Grant Road market, Bhaji Galli, Bhuleshwar and Null Bazaar, Abdul Rehman Street, and so many others. The way she has described the marketsand her walks through it, it gave me a feel of being by her side through her walks, equally excited and exploring these beautiful places. The 'Chilli High' by Bulbul Sharma was also a pleasant read where she talks about Indians' love for chills and making friends with the unlikeliest of people, while abroad, in the relentless search for a chilli fix. She speaks about her adventures with the chilli and it was surely interesting. 'A Table For Three' by Sumana, Jayaditya and Bikramjit spoke about a tale of friendship and their love for food. I also loved Anita Nair's 'The Theatre Of The Table' where she speaks about the conversations revolving around food, the conversations that her family have in the dining table, her parents enthusiasm for food, meal times, the elaborate planning of each meal and she ends writing about how each meal, at her parents' home, is a thanksgiving to life - loved it!

But my most favourite of all in the book has to be Srinath Perur's 'The Things I Will Put In My Mouth'. He speaks about being a vegetarian and having done a confused sliding to the other side in the vegetarian - non-vegetarian scale. He speaks about the usual questions that come with being a vegetarian. I have been a vegetarian for the past couple of years, and even before, I've always skipped from being a non-vegetarian to a vegetarian every now and then. In that line, what resonated to me the most was "I knew I wanted to travel widely and experience different cultures - and what is food if not culture?" and "that I should be able to partake of anything that a fellow human being considered food". Despite being vegetarian for the most part of the time, these last couple of years, I've never failed to try local cuisines which would mean trying out dishes that I have't had before. To me, that is one of the most significant ways by which I can know about a place and the best way to know the people. I would eat anything that I haven't tried before because I would love to taste it and know how it is.  And I get it when he says, "on that scale that goes from pure veg to hard-core non-veg, I suppose I'd count as some sort of hard-core non-practising non-vegetarian". Right when I was having an existential crisis and wondering which category I really fall into, his words brought a clearer picture of what I am to me and yes, I too am a hard-core non-practising non-vegetarian!

I didn't like this book much except for the few stories that I mentioned above and a couple of others too. I felt a few stories could have been done away with and made the book small and concise to hold the reader's interest. There were many a times that I wanted to close the book and start another one, yet I carried on for reasons still unknown to me. Food and books are two topics that I can spend hours on yet this book, revolving around food, failed to capture my interest. 

A Kerala Trip And It Was All About Meeting New Friends!

We were in Kerala for a ten day break. I wanted to go to Trivandrum to be a part of Attukal Pongala, but we stayed on for a few more days since B was anyway travelling. So we spent a couple of days at Cochin with B's parents and the remaining days in Trivandrum. As always, the home trip was very hectic and busy. Again, as always, I started off with a list of to-do things while at home, even before I packed my bag, but nothing got done and yet again I've come back with a list of pending items to do that has been pushed to the next trip.

Yet, I enjoyed every moment of this trip. This little space of mine is growing and I have a page of my own. I've opened up on social media a lot more than I thought I ever would, considering that I have my set of people whom I reach out to for anything, even if that is in the middle of the night, and I've never felt the need to put across (a part of) my life out there for everyone to read. Yet, when I restarted my writing, this time not restricting to my diary, I poured whatever I felt like to this space. And over the last year, I can't tell you enough about the goodness it has brought to my life. I've reconnected with a lot of old friends, I've made new friends and I've had someone or the other, knowingly or unknowingly, by my side always.

This time's trip to Kerala has been a wonderful reiteration of this. Despite none of the plans I made not working out, I met a lot of friends. There wasn't a day that I sat idly at home, wondering what to do. I met a fellow babywearing mom at Cochin, with whom I had contact only over the internet and we chatted for a long time over lots of common topic. In Trivandrum, we had a mini babywearing get-together where a few of us, like-minded moms met and shared carriers and babies, tried out various carriers and chatted over babywearing, cloth diapers, and even menstrual cups - I am sure that this was a first in Trivandrum. It was so easy to connect, considering that some of us have never met each other before, and we had a beautiful evening together. As for me, I loved the cuddles I got with the squishy, little ones that I would have loved to run away and hide with these babies until their moms left ;)

Just when I thought things couldn't have gotten any better, an old friend (in fact, she was a close friend's cousin) called to check if she could drop by. It was this little space that  helped us to reconnect and I was excited to see her and her family. She came over with a box of homemade cupcakes and she stole the little boy's hearts. There was no formality, no uncomfortable silences and no starting trouble. Even if we got just an hour of time to catch up, we did have a lovely time catching up (and running behind the kids)!

This trip was not how I had it planned. Yet, it was much more exciting and wonderful. I never thought a blog or a facebook page is going to give me friends. But, it has gifted me tremendously and this trip was just a reaffirmation of that!

Fun With Flyaway

I was over the moon, jumping with joy, when the Soul team contacted me asking if I would love to review a few of their products. People who know the babywearing mom in me knows how I look up to the wonderful bunch of people at Soul for their amazing service, ethics and product quality, and how much I love their products. So, my excitement was natural considering my love for these guys!

After much discussion, we decided on a size 4 wrap for review. I left it to the team to decide on the fabric and design. Good I did that, since I got one of the most amazing designs from their collection! Once everything was finalised, I waited eagerly for the parcel to arrive and I couldn't contain my excitement when it reached me. The Soul team had sent me their Flyaway wrap and along with it, there was a doll carrier for the little boy (review coming soon).

The Flyaway print - white balloons in a beige shade on one side and vice versa on the other - is dreamy, if I have to sum it up in one single word. The design/pattern is one of the best that Soul has, both sides competing against each other to be the best print. I love how the fabric emits a slight shine while capturing images and I love how the print is as dreamy as it could get. Additional advantage? This colour is so versatile that it blends well with almost all your clothes! 

As with all the Soul jacquard material, the Flyaway too is soft and grippy. Yet, I would place it somewhere in the middle, while ranking the different jacquard fabrics that Soul has, when it comes to the fabric and its softness. To be more specific, it is more soft and cushy than their Switch Sides/Sweet Lime fabric (these are not available as wraps now) but not as buttery soft as their Maze/Sensational. 

I thought a size 4 would be easy to try out quite a few carries for me, considering that my diy wrap too is a size 4 (realised later that it is just a tiny bit above a size 4). However, I am not sure if it is because of the few kgs that I have put on or the little boy growing up, it was difficult for me to do the finishing knot while doing a forward carry (Front Wrap Cross Carry).  But, we had some wonderful back carry moments and it was perfect. It had been a while since I had wrapped and I had forgotten how weightless a wrap carry felt. The back carries with this wrap were literally weightless, spreading the weight of the little boy across my shoulder and back. I loved how I was able to do waistless carries with a Size 4 and still get some beautiful finishes. We did a couple of hip carries too, finishing it off with a slipknot which was grippy yet smooth enough to glide across easily.

I must add that this wrap brought along with it a lot of sleepy dust as well. We had moments where the little boy was talking to me while being snug within the wrap and the next moment he was in dreamland. It was very easy to transfer the little one from the wrap to bed, after which the wrap worked as a perfect convertible blanket, helping the boy have a good, snuggly sleep. Yet, there were times when I didn't have the heart to put him on the bed, inspite of he being asleep, and all those times, I carried on with my chores with my sleeping little boy on my back.

We did have a lovely time with this beauty, which was mostly our preferred carrier while we carried on with all the housework and at times, accompanying us during our outings. This being a size 4 wrap, was perfect for some quick finishes and carries while we visited the nearby shop or went for a quick walk around our building. We might have done a lot more fancy carries had it been a size 6, but no complaints there, as we had a beautiful time with the wonderful flyaway print and the soft fabric. 

For reference - The little boy is just over 3 years, around 13 kg in weight and 86 cm in height.