The Mafia Kalyanam

It was one of the best weekends I've had in the longest time. Aftermonths of living life through phone calls and internet chats, we all met each other. And for what better reason than a wedding. Our friend's wedding which turned out to be a lovely ceremony. The bride, like she should be, was the most beautiful person that day. Every time she smiled, she looked ten times more gorgeous. It made my heart swell up to five times it's original size when I saw her and her sweet groom stand side by side and look utterly wonderful together. A low-key ceremony made rich and happy by her loving family who welcomed all of us with open arms and hearts. We were never made to feel out of place at any time during the events. These are the original good people.
For me, any occasion can be marked as a complete pass or fail by the food it has. And boy! oh boy! did the food deliver. It was simple - the standard fare of idli, dosa and filter coffee for breakfast and lunch being a vegetarian sadhya. Let me tell you, I am a happy non-vegetarian. I love my meat and would preferably like it with every meal. But, I set all of that aside for this amazing meal which, to further send me into heaven, was served the traditional way - on a banana leaf. Joy! Food simply tastesbetter when eaten from a leaf.

To top it all off this weekend had the one thing that made it more memorable than others. My friends. It's the best feeling ever. To be able to hug your dearest friends and talk to them face to face. Games and dressing up and taking a million photos and realizing that even after 'growing up' a little we can still be, for lack of a better word, zany with each other. That's what makes friends more special than other people.

I love you all and it pained me to see us all go our separate ways. Let's meet up again. Weddings are too much fun!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

love,
the Rat

My Diwali

It was the first Diwali I celebrated in Pune and it was probably one of the best. It had all the elements of a good, fun-filled Diwali experience.

First off, we watched a movie in the morning and I shudder every time I think about it. Yes, Blue was a bad movie! The only fun things about it were shouting 'BLUUUEEE' with Huffy everytime we heard the theme, cheering on a very WHITE Kylie Minogue when Chiggy Wiggy played, Maya's aghast expression throughout the film and Richa screaming comments which made us laugh our heads off :D

Then came lunch, which I think we had at around 5 pm, at Richa's house. Boy oh boy! What amazing food she, Sherry and Saurabh had made for us! Kala channa, Suji halwa and bread toast! YUMMMM! And Maya and I did our share of 'helping out' in the kitchen by doing little choreographed numbers for their entertainment. And yes, they were entertained.

And lastly was the awesome dinner we had. All of us, sitting in the balcony with diyas and other lights twinkling quietly around us, with crackers and joyful yells wishing everyone a HAPPY DIWALI!

Yes, it was the 'best-est' Diwali I had ever celebrated. I will never forget it.
<3

diyas that will light up the night so pretty
mithai to make every one go mmmmmm with delight!
sajaavat put up with love and caring
and family...

the ones we have and the ones we have found
that make this celebration a whole lot more wonderful.