F is for Flashback

Tags

fun, just me, tag

So I suddenly started jumping with joy this morning when I saw a long standing tag from hitchy called “Flashback” wohoo it takes of F, happy day it is

Its simple answers these questions and tag ahead

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

I have made a recipe video this year, something that I never imagined I will do till a while ago, I am a very video camera shy person primarily because I hate my own voice… But I did it, I did make a video for LiveMint. Here is the video for those who want to see 

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next?

Sigh some yes some no… most years I end of not following them fully but I still keep making them, I think it gives me a structure that my life is otherwise missing

3. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Gaah really? I didn’t think my memory is so bad… Don’t remember the date but it was  a day I spent with some of my favorite GF’s … went to spa, had good lunch and did some shopping. One reason I was meeting one of them after a very long time and another reason is a more personal one. Overcome something I had been struggling with

4. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Sin-A-Mon

5. What was your biggest failure?

Temper Temper Temper ..

6. Did you suffer illness?

Yes but frankly its been a better year than last so I am not complaining

7. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The moral policing folks specially that lady scientist who said the Delhi gang rape girl should have given in 😦

8. Where did most of your money go?

Wish I knew 😉

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

A consulting project I am doing currently, details to be up sometime soon

10. What song will always remind you of 2012?

This girl is on Fire 😉 N tells me that is how I am behaved last year

11. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Happier…

12. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Workouts… every year fitness is on top of my list and every year I fail 😦 and also travel but that I guess how much ever I do it will be less for me

13. What do you wish you’d done less of?

If you ask my husband he will tell you FB for sure *giggle*

14. Did you fall in love in 2012?

yes fall in love with myself all over again 😉

15. What/Who was your greatest musical discovery?

Sigh its been an year where I have not made any discovery, unfortunately there hasn’t been much time for music… Pity I say

16. What did you want and get?

Its been a good touchwood, got many things I desired for that year

17. What did you want and not get?

I missed the South Africa trip with friends, such a bummer and I was so looking forward to it

18. What was your favorite film of this year?

Why am I blanking out here? what were the movies that came last year…

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

On my birthday, I baked a tart for myself and Julia Child, went with O to Lal bagh and had a yummy lunch date with him and then went out for a dinner with friends… Yes N doesn’t figure here because well he was traveling and how old well did no one tell you not to ask a woman her age 😉 but I will still tell 36 is the number

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I had finished that book… the book that I want to write

21. What kept you sane?

Baking and O

22. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

That everything is hard work and that being your own boss is tougher much tougher than one thinks

23. Which new places did you visit in 2012?

Ahemdabad, Bharuch and these two only in transit… apart from that Karwar, Waynad and Sikkim , I wish this list was longer though

24. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!

Preacher man, don’t tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don’t know
What life is really worth.
It’s not all that glitters is gold;
‘Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!

25. Tag some bloggers you would love to read these answers from.

anyone who is reading this is tagged 🙂

A is for April’s Fool Day

Tags

april fool, AtoZChallenge, fun, just like that

This morning I woke up totally forgetting about the date 1st April inspite of remembering its 1st of April.. Sounds funny eh? What I meant is that I remembered that today is 1st April but totally forgot about the April’s Fool Day , got up and went about the Monday morning bussiness as usual. Saw a friends post on her FB page saying

Get me maximum likes for Saffrontrail Facebook page from your friends and I will be your personal homechef for a week. Go ahead, share this-what are you waiting for?

And in my love for Tam bram food, I instantly shared it on my wall

And that is how I royally got fooled today, an april fool I say 😛 so how was ur april fool’s day… made a fool out of some or some made a fool out of you? Do share

PS: I am starting on a brave attempt of doing A to Z blogging challenge all of april… Wish me luck and hope u enjoy the ride with me 🙂

The Ten M’s of my life

Tags

fun, just me, tag

What happens when a fellow blogger and a friend want to torture you, they tag you in a post LIKE THIS 😉 Pallavi darling did a post on ten P’s of her life and tagged me and Tanu on it and guess what. I have been so busy that I didn’t get around reading the post yet, so when I met these two girls for dinner yesterday (stares at P because I havent seen the pictures yet :P) imagine my surprise that I was tagged and imagine my shock when I knew what I had to actually do.. sigh ten M’s that define my life? huhn? all I could think was monkey and margarita’s 😉 and while I was whining Tanu was so seriously cribbing about what to do with T apart from terrible, terrifying 😛 or terrific. So we both decided to make it funny… so here are the ten M’s of my life

Mojito

Margarita

Maritini

Malibu

Moscow Mule

Manga

Manhattan Loving

Monkey Bar going

Mast

and man-mauji bandi 🙂

When 11 becomes 33

Tags

fun, just me, tag

yeah i.e when you get tagged by THREE people on the elevens tag and they all leave different questions for you to answer. I am actually sitting here wondering what could I do, should I just pick up any one and ignore the rest (naa I love all of them so can’t do that for sure) or do 3 posts?? (who am I kidding, I will take months to finish three posts going on my current speed)

So I have decided to do justice to all of them by picking 4 questions from each one of them 😉 yes that does mean I answer 12 questions but that is certainly better than 33 *rolls eyes*

The people I want to stare hard i.e. the people who tagged me 😉

1. Dhiren

2. Ritu

3. Pal

And here are the rules

1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

And so here are my answers

1. Name 1 thing you miss about being a child – The fact that I could eat as much as I wanted without thinking of how much I would need to run on the treadmill the next day, sigh I tell you I am not kidding
2. Have / had any celebrity crushes ? One only one, that really isn’t fair… But ok I had this huge crush on Rajiv Gandhi. I used to love him and dream of getting married to him 😉
3. For Girls – If you woke up tomorrow to find out you are Brad Pitt, what would be the first thing you’d say upon looking in the mirror ! – FUCK What have I done to myself????
4. What is the one thing that you are dying to try but haven’t had a chance to do so yet ?  Sky Diving, I really really really want to do it wonder if I will ever get a chance to
5. What would be your response to a troll comment like ‘Your blog is utter crap!‘? Thanks for agreeing to me, however there are about 3000 people who believe a little differently, will you please help me convince them 🙂
6. What is your proudest moment? Currently seeing Sin-A-Mon flourish, the day when I held that paper in which there was an ad of Sin-A-Mon as a google featured bussiness, that moment when I got a mail from them saying they want to feature me 🙂
7. If someone pays you a million dollars to watch a scary horror film, sitting ALONE in a graveyard at midnight, would you do it? Why not? Pal would you get really scared???
8. If you could banish the Bacchhan parivaar, where would you send them? Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Far Away (u get the idea, don’t u?)
9. If there was a movie made on your life, what would it be called? SinAMon Tales?
10. Gabbar Singh or Mogambo – Gabbar Singh anyday… kitne aadmi the 😉
11. Famous person you resemble – Myself 😉 on a serious note many people have told me I look like Kiron Kher when I wear a saree
12. Your favourite superstition – saying touchwood… I do it all the time

Phew ho gaya yay… I am not gonna tag anyone, I think most of have already been tagged 🙂

10 Day You Challenge | Ten Secrets

Tags

10 day you challenge, fun, just me, tag

As if you all didn’t know enough about me already I have decided to take up this 10 day You challenge that I saw on Preeti’s blog loved the idea behind it and hopefully would get me into a serious rythm here again 😀

So here are the 10 secrets..

1. I go on and off a diet atleast 10 times a year…sigh I love food too much for my own good
2. At this point of time I have several options in my mind on what to do next and I am throughly confused. I dont think I have been so confused ever in my life
3. I have started enjoying online shopping a lot in fact so much that there are times when I think going to a store is a waste of time *checks her own pulse*
4. I hate detest malls, I think they are what they call the biggest evil in cities right now
5. I miss miss miss mexican food in Bangalore. There is what u call a desperate need of one here
6. I love drinking milk yes there I said it 🙂
7. For 30 years of my life I hated mangoes and now I have turned into a biggest mango lover you can find
8. Healthy and oil free cooking in my obsession. Can’t forget it even if I try very very hard
9. Child and women rights is one topic I can’t keep my mouth shut on, I have got myself in trouble many a times for speaking out on them when may be I should have ignored it like many others. But how much ever hard I try. I just can’t
10. Contrary to what everyone would think I can’t make my mind on Slut Walk. Have too many thoughts and views. May be I should do a post

My life in books | Post 29

Tags

books, fun, NaBloPoMo, tag

Once in a while you see a meme which is begging to be picked up (and mostly its something to do with books I tell u 🙂 ) and one such is this at Chandu’s, the girl next door’s and Iya’s

The idea is to answer questions with names of books you’ve read.

So here is my life in book titles 😀

In School I was: Five point someone

People Might be surprised I’m:  Queen of Dreams

I will never be: Little Women

My Fantasy job is: No 1 Ladies Detective Agency

At the end of a long day I need: Love on the rocks

I Hate It When: (people have) Great Expectations

Wish I Had: The Palace of Illusions

My Family Reunions Are: Catch -22

At A Party You’d Find Me: The Pleasure Seekers

I’ve Never Been To: The magic faraway tree

A Happy Day Includes:  Highway on my plate

Motto I Live By:  A Fine Balance

On My Bucket List: Around the world in 80 days

In My Next Life, I Want To: Mistress of Spices

Pinch Me

Tags

australia, cricket, fun, india, pakistan, twitter

Please someone pinch me, was it India that won against Australia yesterday,

somebody pinch me again was it me who was totally enjoying the match,

somebody pinch me again is it me who is doing a post remotely related to cricket

Man but what a match…it was 6 hours of total excitement and fun. Though the match itself was a lot of fun to watch but as I just mentioned I am a new convert to cricket and I really don’t understand the technical things too much, what made the match killer for me was TWITTER… One should have been there to understand the sheer enthusiasm of people. I was home alone yesterday but not for a single minute I felt that I was watching the match alone.  The joy on every wicket we took for aussies.The madness on every 4 we hit… There were times when my timeline was full of choicest of words and man it was so much fun 😉 Thank you so much to all my twitter match partners

and it was so fun that I was locked out of twitter not once but three times yesterday because I exceeded my hourly tweet limit 😛

Boys in Blue the drinks are on Chandu as she says and the brownie is on me… U did a great job yesterday and now please please please don’t fly in air and win the even more important match on 30th… the match of the World Cup… India-Pakistan….

Me I am making multiple twitter accounts ready so if i get locked out of one I have another 😉

 

These are a few of my favorite things

Tags

books, fun, movies, music, tag

I have been having a bit of a writers block… inspite of having so much to write can get to write anything so when I saw this on Preeti’s blog I thought may be it will break it 🙂

So here are the rules

1.The tag has three parts..Movies,Music, Books/ Authors.

2.Write a movie, book and author with each alphabet of your first name. The book, movie or song should be one that you really liked. If you say why it  matters to you, it would be great! We will all discover new songs, movies and books this way.

3.Tag as many people as there are letters in your name. (if your name has 4  letters, you have to tag 4 people and so on)

4.Mention that the tag originated here and link back to this post 🙂

5.Copy paste these rules 🙂

My Name – everyone knows Monika….

Movies

Meet the Parents – I just love the movie and its one of those movies I can see over and over again

Omkara – I think one of the best adaption of a book ever. Vishal Bhardwaj is a star and I think every one in that movie acted just brilliantly

Notting Hill – Its a totally awwww inducing movie isn’t it?

Ishqiya – So clearly see a Vishal Bhardwaj fan here… 🙂 I think this was the first movie in which I thought its possible that anyone can over shadow Naseer but both Vidya and Arshad did… and what songs love them

Kings Speech – Saw it recently and I think it was lovely

A Beautiful Life – The movie (as well as the book) moved me even motivated me… lovely

Music

Michael Jackson – there was none like him, there will be none like him 🙂

O P Nayyar the music director who used to weave magic

N…. yes yes I am talking about my hubby I love it when he sings… 🙂 go awww now

Iktara – goonja sa hai koi iktara… a song which I have loved for the longest time ever…..

Killing me softly with his song…. Struming my pain with his fingers , Singing my life with his words,  killing me softy with his song,  telling my whole life with his words killing me softly with his song… how romantic and Roberta Flack absolutely rocked this mushy number

Asha Bhosle – I love her love the verstality and some how I have always loved her more than Lata

Books

Mahabharata – I dont think there is a book like that anywhere else… Palace of Illusions is my favorite book, I am reading Jaya next and now I am on a mission to read it every version and adaptation of that possible 🙂

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – A book I can read any number of times

Namesake by Jhumpa Lahri – I think this was the first book I read of hers and quite liked it

Interpreter of Maldies…. I actually didnt like it too much but cant think of anything else right now 🙂

Kite Runner – A story which touched me deep and left a mark forever

Amitav Gosh – My most favorite India Author, what story he weaves by the way when is the second one his trilogy come, the one next to Sea of Poppies?

I loved doing this, the names I have mentioned might or might not be my most favorite I just wrote what came to my mind without thinking much 🙂

And anyone who wants to do this please take it up

So we are back

Tags

fun, tag

From the lovely Rajasthan trip and a hectic and fun filled Delhi trip and while we struggle to find our way with words inspite of having loads to write we present you with a tag flicked from dear Swaram’s blog. Prats hopefully this should make up for the missing words you have been complaining of 😀

1) Tell us about three ways you express your creativity.

• Cooking, baking etc
• Talking non stop 😀 no you can’t say it doesn’t count
• Blogging

2) Who’s your favorite character from a book, play, film, or other work of art?

Hmmmm so many but for some reason the person coming to my mind right now is Byomkesh Bakshi. Anyone remembers him?

3) What’s something you do really well that other people are amazed by?

Multi tasking.. I have had so many people come up to me and say that how do u multitask so much

4) What are you shy about? Or, what situations do you find make you shy?

Ha ha ha shy and me they don’t go well together

5) What was the best day of your life so far?

Everyday is a day blessed

6) What are the next five books you want to read?

I got my Riot by Shashi Tharoor back this time I went to Delhi so that’ll be no one

The other books I have on my bed side table right now are

Women and the weight loss Tamasha by Rujuta Diwekar

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron by Jai Arjun Singh

Delhi Metropolian : Making of an unlikely city

And one book I am waiting to lay my hands on

Highway on the Plate

7) Write about something you feel should not have been invented.

TV such an idiot box

What do you want to be admired for?

To have made some difference to the society

9) What do you prefer listening to, music with lyrics or music without?

With lyrics are a big thing for me when it comes to music

10) Kant said thatwe require three things by which to measure happiness: someone to love, something we like to do,and something to look forward to.

Who do you love – Myself, my family and my friends
What do you like to do – Do a job which keeps me happy
What are you looking forward to this year? – The Leh trip

11) Tell us about the day you were born.

Its the Indian Independence day

12) Tell us about some of the things you experienced for the first time in 2010.

Camping with Ojas

13) Describe what happiness means to you using just six words.

Being content with life

14) What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven, where, and why?

180 kmph and why because I like to 😛

15) Do you have a special, non-traditional cure for cold or some other illness? Share it with us!

Besan Ka Seera guaranteed cure unfortunately does no good to the dieting

16) If you had been born the opposite sex, what do you think would be different about your life right now?

I would miss the sarees, the skirts, the bangles and my silver 😉

17) What’s the best thing someone could say to you right now,right this minute?

Here have a Lindtt 😀

PS: I am back and slowly reading all ur posts… will be there commenting soon 🙂

The Bracelet–A Tag

Tags

fun, ishan lalit, tag, the bracelet

When Ritu tagged with this it was just before I was leaving for Rajasthan vacation and in spite of trying really really hard I couldn’t get to do it but this has to be done and I know this has to be done before I leave for Delhi so that I don’t miss it again for 10 days.

Ishaan Lalit, Ritu’s famous Kid #1 is now a published author (for us he was famous way before he wrote the book being Kid #1 made him famous enough), his book is called The Bracelet and is available on flipkart and other online sites as well as various stores… go pick up your copy, I have ordered mine yesterday

So here is the something about the book and the tag follows below it

Abhay stood up. He was in a field of grass. Then he heard horses coming. Abhay looked to his right and then to his left, and saw that he was surrounded by horse riders. They stopped just before the dense grass and waited. A man appeared out of nowhere, walked up to him, and held up his hand revealing a bracelet.

What is the secret of the bracelet? Why is everybody after it? And who will get it: the Tantrics or the… Arthrakshaks?
Abhay, an ordinary college-going boy, is thrust into a world of secrets, lies, deceit, and supernatural entities. He finds out that he is an integral part of a war that he must win to save himself and his family from destruction. Will he be able to do it? To find out, read this fascinating novel that you just won’t be able to put down!

1.  What does the name suggest?  Could be anything you know, even “Oops its my wife/girl friend’s birthday, what do I get her” Just put it down.

For me it reminds me of the diamonds, ruby & emerald bracelet which is on my wishlist, my fashion bucket list to be precise

2. If your loved one presented you a bracelet, what would you want it to be made of?  Alternatively if you had to present a bracelet to your sweetheart, what would you pick?

a.) Gold

b) Gold and rubies

c) Diamonds babe, just diamonds

d) Whateva, its gotta be expensive and look it!

e) Simple iron kada, or a silver one.  Not showy

I just said it above, yeah I am greedy that way… though for regular wear I prefer a plain simple silver/gold one

3. Suppose your bracelet (or kada) had magical qualities (Like Aladin’s lamp) what magical qualities would you want it to have?  Let your imagination run riot … anything, money, power, world domination, elixir of youth …. Just pen it down – or punch them keys

Will to travel and get transported wherever I want well no I love the travel part along with seeing the destination too… hmmm so what would I do, may be make some pay for my travels

4. Do snakes scare you or do you get strangely fascinated by them?

I am very very very afraid of snakes but also at the same time always curious to know more about them may be its to get away with the fear

5.  Harry Potter could speak Parseltongue.  Do you wish you could?

Yeah why not? it will help me understand them, they say snakes are as scared of us as we are of them, may be talking to them will make me finally believe that fact

6.  What do you dream about?  No this is not about day dreaming, it’s not about wishful thinking, its about being in dreamland.

Travel I dream a lot about travel like yesterday after seeing 127hours I kept dreaming about Grand Canyon, also I dream about a lot of random stuff which I can never pin point to

7. Do you remember your dreams?

Sometimes in bits and pieces

8. Ever had your dreams interpreted?

never but may be would love to but yeah at one point of time all us friends used to interpret each others dreams thinking we are experts after reading Freud, does that count

9. Do you keep a dream diary?

naaa but yeah its sounds very interesting may be I will start now

10.  Your favorite wrist jewellery?

a). Bangles

b)  Bracelet

c) Expensive Watch

d) Friendship band

e) Taveez or sacred thread (mouli)

Bangles, I just love them

And I tag the following people

Aarti

Shilpa

Rakesh

Masood

Smitha

Chandu