Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Bridal Shopping In Kerala


Shopping for the bride especially for  the wedding dress a.k.a. Muhurtha saree/lehenga is a big deal in every Indian family.It was the same with my family also.In our custom,the weddding saree is gifted by the groom's side.So our shopping was mainly for the reception outfit and other trousseau clothes.Also to purchase the sarees which should be given as wedding favours to close family members.Since ours is a small town we planned to go to Ernakulam,the metro city of Kerala.
 So armed with wedding magazines,photos downloaded from various sites,our army of six headed to Ernakulam,the fashion capital of Kerala.We were joined by my cousin there who knows every good shop in the city.
Our prime choice was Seematti. My sister,cousins, everyone got their wedding trousseau from Seematti and their customer service is pretty awesome..
But first we decided to pay Jayalakshmi silks a visit as it was on our way.It was a bright morning,few days before Deepavali.So the store was crowded like anything.Just while walking in, my attention was caught by a beautiful net lehenga which was set on a mannequin. The only thing I wanted for my reception lehenga was a huge flare  and this one had a pretty decent one.But my choice was rejected by the rest of our army as they didn't find it apt for a bride.I admit,it was low on the bling quotient.But it was simple and elegant and I didn't want any blingy one.Anyway to cut the long story short,I let it go :-( We caught hold of a sales person and she took us to the bridal section.Most of the outfits were pretty,but not much flare and I rejected all those.There was one Arabic lehenga which I liked,but I was not comfortable moving around in it.And lastly I liked another one which was being tried by another girl.So we waited patiently for her to finish deciding her choice.But no luck, as she finalised that same outfit which I liked.Then we decided to see some lehenga sarees as it was the happening thing then.We tried a few,all were so heavily embellished which was not my type.And lehenga sarees were not known for their flare,so my adamant mind didn't like any.So my sister started searching one for herself and since our tastes are similar she also didn't like any.And to tell the truth it was so crowded in that section and 10 minutes there,I just wanted to get out and run.It was festival and wedding season combined.So we expected it to be crowded,but not this much..The sales girl in that section was very co-operative and she tried her level best to cater our demands in spite of the huge crowd there.But since none of us liked anything so much to buy it,we politely excused ourselves and walked away.
When we crossed the wedding section,my eyes wandered towards the first lehenga and it was not there.Somebody bought it :-( I told ya,it was beautiful.
Then we went to the kids section to buy some dresses for my niece.But it was crowded there and she was getting irritated.So we decided to go to Seematti.
 Jayalakshmi silks is a good store with a wide selection of outfits and brides who like heavily embellished dresses will surely like it.The sales persons were good,but since it was an exceptionally crowded day they couldn't help much.This is my personal opinion from just one visit.Others might have a different say.
My adventure of outfit hunting  continued in next post.:)

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Honey cake,the heavenly delight

I have a big sweet tooth.Big in the sense biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig..And cakes are a big time favourite.
I love cakes,not the fluffy,sponge ones,but the dense,moist ones..
My absolute favourite is Honey cake.
I tasted it for the first time when I went to Karnataka for my UG course.There was some function arranged by the seniors for the freshers.And there I tasted this little piece of pure bliss for the first time.It was dense,soft and juicy.That was the first time I tasted a cake that is juicy.I never tasted anything like that in Kerala.I asked my friends its name and I came to know it is called Honey cake.I tried to found out from where they got this little delight.But was scared to go and approach a senior with this question.:)
And later on as I became acquainted with the city,I found a bakery which sell this awesome Honey cakes.And just 5 rupees!!
I was happier than Columbus when he discovered America:)
From then Honey cake became easily accessible for me..And we used to have this for many functions in college and hostel.
I hadn't started my habit of googling for each and everything then. So I  never bothered about the recipe.

I was always fascinated by the art of baking.We had a microwave oven back home.And I tried few cakes in that.Some were flops and some tasted distinctly like cakes.And after coming to US,I got an oven all for myself.And the baking enthusiast in me woke up.But I was scared to even operate this.So I started searching high and low in the internet for baking tips for beginners.And during that search I came across a Honey cake recipe by Vahchef..I was so excited.I felt like I met a dearest friend unexpectedly after many years.
I wanted to try it.But I convinced myself that I will try it only after mastering baking.I don't  want to destroy my liking for Honey Cake by my culinary experiments..One day,one day I will surely make this honey cake..
But when will that day come?

Friday, May 22, 2015

                                 
                പാവം  പൈങ്കിളി

ഈ  വൻ മരത്തിൻ അറ്റത്തെ  ചില്ലയിൽ
ഒറ്റയ്ക്കിരിക്കുന്ന പാവമാം പൈങ്കിളി .
താഴെ  കിലുങ്ങുന്ന  പാദസരത്തിൻ
നാദവും ,.പിന്നെ  കലപില ശബ്ദവും.
കുഞ്ഞികിടാങ്ങൾ ,കൊച്ചരിപല്ലുകൾ ,
കുഞ്ഞുകുറുമ്പുകൾ ,നിറസ്മിതങ്ങൾ .
ഒന്നു  കാണുവാൻ  എത്തി വലിഞ്ഞെത്തും
കണ്ണുകൾക്ക്‌ മുന്നിൽ  നിറവസന്തം പോൽ,
പൈങ്കിളി പാറിപറന്നു ,ചിരിച്ചു .
പൈങ്കിളി തന്നുടെ നാദത്തെ  സ്നേഹിക്കും
കുരുന്നുകൾക്കായ്‌ മാത്രം  പൈങ്കിളി പാടി .
ആ കർണാനന്ദ മധുരഗാനത്തിൽ ,
കുരുന്നുകളാടി  പൈങ്കിളിക്കൊപ്പം .
ഇന്നീ വൻമരത്തിൻ അറ്റത്തെ ചില്ലയിൽ
ഒറ്റയ്ക്കിരുന്നു തേങ്ങുന്നു പൈങ്കിളി .
പുതിയ മേച്ചിൽ പുറങ്ങൾ  തേടുവാൻ ,
ഉയരങ്ങിളിലേക്ക്  പാറിപറക്കുവാൻ,
മറ്റു കിളികൾ പോകുവാൻ വെമ്പുന്നു .
കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങൾക്കായി മാത്രം പാടുന്ന കിളിയെ
പരിഹസിക്കുന്നവർ ,കൊത്തിനോവിക്കുന്നു .
ഉയരങ്ങളിലേക്കു പറക്കുവാൻ പാവമാം
പൈങ്കിളി  തൻ ചിറകിനോ കഴിയില്ല .
കുഞ്ഞു സ്വരങ്ങൾ ,മൃദുമന്ദഹാസങ്ങൾ ,
പൈങ്കിളിക്കുണർവേകും  കുഞ്ഞു ഭാഷണങ്ങൾ .
എങ്ങനെ പിരിയും ഈ സ്നേഹകൂട്ടത്തെ .
ദേഹം വിറക്കുന്നു  പൈങ്കിളിക്കപ്പോൾ .
ഇല്ല  കുരുന്നേ ,പോവുകയില്ല  നിൻ -
പൈങ്കിളി  നിൻ  ചിരി എത്താത്ത  ഉയരത്തിൽ
ആകാശത്തോളം  ഉയരുവാൻ  കൊതിയില്ല .
പൈങ്കിളിക്കീ  കുഞ്ഞികൊഞ്ചൽ മതി പാരിൽ
ഉയരങ്ങൾ തേടി പറന്നാലും നിൻ  ചിരി
മുഴങ്ങും കുഞ്ഞികിളി  തൻ ഹൃത്തിൽ .

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Happy Birthday little princess

Today is my niece's birthday.
Kids are always amazing,right?Their cute smile,little mischief,smart questions which we have to to think twice,thrice,.....million times to answer.
If there is a kid in your house,everything changes.They will be the sun and all the other family members rotate around them.
My niece is no less.She is the heart and soul of our lives.A true star.
Whenever I see her in action,I remember this line."Great things come in cute little packages":)
I adore her.There is so much I learned from this small kid.There are certain things which we conveniently forget on growing up.She reminds me all that by her innocence and I miss my childhood.
I am lucky to have a wonderful sister and even more wonderful niece...
Love you dear..Many Many Happy Returns Of The Day...



Wednesday, May 20, 2015

India and USA,two different worlds

When I came to US few months back,there were certain things which caught my attention.I was in India all my life and this is my first trip outside India.No,I am not going to blabber about the cultural difference between the two countries.
I am mentioning certain things which I found good and certain things which I found not so good here.

The first and foremost thing which caught my attention was the pedestrian crossing.You press a button,wait for the signal and cross.Such a breeze.But in India the scenario is so different.In peak hours it is almost impossible to cross when we are alone.In a group it is different.I so wish this system gets implemented in India also :-).
And I was amused by the fact that there is absolutely  no honking.People wait so patiently for the pedestrians to cross even if the signal changes.Too good to be true.
Also,the way people make space for fire engine and ambulance.The concept of not moving till it passes is brilliant.We should seriously implement this in India.Imagine the number of lives we could save.
But I don't like the street parking here.But parking is a problem everywhere.So better not to comment.

Another thing which I found very useful is the food disposer attached to kitchen  sink.I don't know whether it is available in India.Anyway I haven't seen this precious little thing anywhere in my town.It is such a handy thing.No more rotten food smell from trash.I love it.Seriously I get excited by such small things.Am I so naive?

The thing which I absolutely dislike is the non availability of hand showers in toilet.I am pretty sure every US based Indians can relate to what I am saying.It was/is and always will be a nightmare for me to use just toilet paper.Thank God there are wet wipes:).I know now you will be seriously thinking that I am so naive..Yeah I am in certain field.

I am a complete foodie.And America offers a wide variety of cuisines.I will save that for another post.

P.S I would really like to have some comments and positive criticism.No hurting comments please.I am so sensitive:)


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

About the blog

About me (Rather about this blog)


Hi,
   I am an Indian girl(I cannot hold myself up to call me a woman :) ), from a small town in Kerala.Recently I moved to the United States since my husband is working here.It is a big transition for someone who has never been outside India.I was nervous,worried and a bit scared about the big move.So this blog is a platform for me to vent out about my transition and coping with it.

 I thought of starting a blog in 2013 when I got married.As any bride-to-be I was googling exhaustively for information regarding bridal wear,make up,decor,photography etc etc.I stumbled upon many fab blogs,but being a Kerala bride I could not find any blog catering those specific category.So I thought why shouldn't I start a blog to express my experience of getting married in God's Own Country.But laziness got the better of me then.
So I guess  there will be some bridal posts in this blog

Then after coming to the US,I thought of starting a blog as my skin was behaving weird and I could not find a product that fits my condition even after extensive searching .So I thought I could compile whatever helped me in combating that.Again laziness came to act there.
So I guess there will be some beauty related posts and product reviews in this blog.

And above all this blog is mainly about my random scribbles,be it some recipes,travel diaries, poems (okay, I cannot find the correct word,so please excuse me) .I dare not to call my scribbles poems or 'Kavitha' since it is just my random thoughts and doesn't even remotely resembles a Kavitha.:)

Basically I am going to ramble about anything which comes to my mind.Hopefully it doesn't affect anybody's sanity:)

And regarding the name of the blog,right now I am in that transition phase.So the confusion.Oh now I am confused,should I change the name?:)


  

സ്നേഹമാണമ്മ

  അമ്മ  തൻ സ്നേഹവും  കരുതലുമിന്നിനി
  വർണ്ണിക്കുവനവില്ലയെന്നാലും .
 കുറിക്കുന്നു  ഞാനീ  വരികളിലൂടെ എന്നമ്മയെ
 സ്നേഹത്തിൻ ശുദ്ധ, പവിത്രരൂപത്തെ .
 കണ്ണിലെ കൃഷ്ണമണി പോലമ്മ
 കാത്തു സൂക്ഷിച്ചു രണ്ടു കിടാങ്ങളെ ,
 അവർ ചിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ  കൂടെ ചിരിച്ചു ,
 അവർ കരയുമ്പോൾ അവരെയൊർത്തു  കരഞ്ഞു
 സ്നേഹത്താൽ  ഉമ്മകൾ  കൊണ്ട് പൊതിഞ്ഞു ,
 നെഞ്ചിലെ വാത്സല്യമെല്ലാം കൊടുത്തു .
 പുലരും മുമ്പെഴുന്നേറ്റു അമ്മ
 തൻ കുടുംബത്തിൻ സർവ്വവും പാലിച്ചു  ,
 എന്നിട്ടു  ധിറുതി പിടിച്ചുദ്യോഗവും നോക്കി
  ക്ഷീണിതയായി വീടണയുമ്പോൾ ,
  കണ്ണ് മിഴിച്ചു  കാത്തിരിക്കുന്ന
  തന്നുണ്ണി  കിടാങ്ങളെ  കണ്ടീടുമ്പോൾ ,
 സർവ്വതും മറന്നമ്മ  സന്തോഷിക്കുന്നു
  തൻ പൈതങ്ങളെ  മാറോടു ചേർത്തു .
  കൌമാരപ്രായത്തിൽ പ്രിയസുഹൃത്തായി ,
  യൗവനത്തിൽ താങ്ങായി ,തണലായി ,
  ഉയിരായി ,ഉണർവായി  അമ്മ .
  അമ്മ തൻ സ്നേഹം  എവിടെയും ഒരിക്കലും
  ഒറ്റക്കാണെന്ന ബോധം  ഉണർത്തീടില്ല .
  പഠനത്തിനായി  ദൂരെ നിൽക്കുമ്പോഴും
  അമ്മ തൻ സ്നേഹം സാന്ത്വനമായി കാതിൽ
  അമ്മേ ,എങ്ങനെയിത്ര  നല്ലതാകുവാൻ ,
  അമ്മയ്ക്ക്  മാത്രം  കഴിയുന്നു പാരിൽ .
  കണ്ണ് നിറഞ്ഞിട്ടുണ്ട്‌  ഞങ്ങളെയോർത്തു ;
  വാക്ക്  തരുന്നു ,ദു:ഖിപ്പിക്കില്ല   ഞങ്ങളിനി .
  ആയിരമായിരം  വർഷം  കഴിഞ്ഞാലും
  അമ്മ തൻ പൈതലായി മടിയിലുറങ്ങണം .
  ദീർഘായുസ്സും ആരോഗ്യവും  തന്ന്
  ഈശ്വരൻ  കാത്തുരക്ഷിക്കും എന്നമ്മയെ .
 അച്ഛനും അമ്മയും ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഭാഗ്യങ്ങൾ
  ദീർഘായുസ്സോടെയിരിക്കണം  എന്നുമെന്നും .