Instagram Notes

 Over the years I must have saved thousands of posts on Instagram ranging from recipes, Eateries and   cafes in London, Self Motivation, enhancing productivity and sometimes places to visit in Jaipur/Delhi.

I want to keep them in one place where I can read/revisit them frequently and thought of recording them in my blog.

Must Try Recipes 

1. Instant Pot Masala Macaroni from Cook With Manali
2. Tomato Rice from Sneha Singhi
3. Paneer and Vegetables in a creamy sauce from Life With Spices
4. Chickpea Salad from  Life With Spices
5. Broccoli and Paneer Stir fry from Adhya
6. Restaurant Style Gobhi Tikka Masala from Nidhi and Rahul
7. Lentil Salad from Fun Food and Frolic
8. Bhapa Doi from Food Fashion and Party
9. Stir Fry with veggies from Life with Spices
10. Tomato Rasam from Sneha Singhi
11. Kada Prasad from Veg Recipes of India
12. Pindi Channa from Sneha Singhi
13. Vegetable Thukpa from Sneha Singhi 
14. No Onion Garlic Paneer Masala from Sneha Singhi
15. Kadhai Paneer from Sneha Singhi
16. Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Tadka from Sneha Singhi
17. Rasam from Kunal Kapoor
18. Dhaba Style Chana Dal Fry from Kunal Kapoor
19. Soya Chunks dry curry from Life With Spices
20. Pesto Paneer Salad from Akshika Jain

Party Recipes 

1. Chickpeas Chaat Board from A Garnish Bowl
2. Chana Chaat Cups from Fun Food and Frolic

Diwali Recipes 

1. Cornflakes Dry Fruit Mix from Rekha Kakkar

How seriously organised I am??

 I came across this while browsing Pinterest and thought to myself that I must note this down and see   what I do already and perhaps can add more. 

Things I do already:

1. Declutter your purse regularly
2. Organise your closet
3. Set a Laundry day every week ( i do almost everyday)
4. Always wash your dishes after eating ( i put it away in Dishwasher ) 
5. Take out trash every morning ( this is weekly depending on the rubbish collection day)
6. Make your bed as soon as you get up 
7. Spend an hour cleaning every week 
8. Set a place for everything in your home
9. Spend 10-20 minutes tidying everyday
10. Use containers to sort things in your drawer ( i have boxes) 
11. Always put on matching bedsheets 
12. Always put things back in their place
13. Use neat paper for your notes 

Things I would want to incorporate in my daily life:

1. Take time every week to clean your make up brushes
2. Have a morning routine 
3. Get rid of the clothes that are faded 
4. Spray your bath with Limescale remover after shower
5. Plan your meals in advance 
6. Sort your photos in folders 
7. Plan your self care routine and stick to it 
8. Trash spam emails immediately 

Loved doing this exercise and hoping I will start doing them soon!! Need some motivation ! 

Within this week..

•  Inaugurated my week by accidently stumbling upon Adrian Whittle Photography @ Barbican Library during my lunch time walk. The photographs were from Asia / Africa and Latin America depicting everyday life of people 

•  Listened to podcast Stories of our times -" The best letters to the editor of 2022" 

• Watched very boring and fluff " Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton" series 3. This is about World Boxer  champion Amir Khan and fashionista wife Faryal. Unlike last seasons I could not maintain my attention and just could not be bothered to finish the episodes 

• To compensate, watched " Mumbai Mafia" on Netflix. The documentary centres around Mumbai and its   underworld.. rise and fall of Dawood Ibrahim. Explores time in Mumbai in 90s when it was a violent city where gangsters often wielded power more than police 

• Weekend started with quick trip to Bond Street to enter the world of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama pop ups along the street. Both of them have reunited after 10 years to bring the artist's emblematic motifs to life 

• Dashed off to Harrods and bought x 2 chocolate bars - Milk and Dark for my sister. Then had our usual meal of Coffee / Chai / Cheese and Jalapeno pasty / Vanilla Sponge cake / Chicken tikka roll 

•  Last destination of the evening was attending the Winter Lights festival @ Canary Wharf. The place was heaving and looked as if whole of London descended upon this place

 

 

 

 

Notes from the week gone by

•  Commenced my New Year by going for a guided walk following City Walks Guide to in and   around  Sloane Square. The pack of 50 interesting walks has been with me for donkey's years  but   never formally followed a walk. So what better way to start New Year's Day !! 
• A & N reluctantly accompanied me but at the end they enjoyed having to be just able to get out of the house. I couldn't follow the walk to the T but nevertheless covered quite a bit. Points of interest for me was Buddhist Temple from Chelsea Embankment / Carlyle House / Cheyne Walk / Chelsea Physic Gardens ( closed )
• Concluded our day with visit to our friend's house for Dinner of Gujrati delicacies / Chilli Paneer / Mix Pulao / Ice Cream
• Watched " My Old School" on BBC I Player. The movie is about Brandon Lee who falsely enrolled himself in a secondary school claiming to be a 16 year old when in reality he was 30
• Kids back to school mid week and ultimately back to reality about getting back to routine
• Picking up listening to Podcasts which got side tracked for months now.. This week I listened to " More or Less Behind the Statistics: Numbers of the Year 2022 and Can China's data on Covid deaths be trusted? 
• Walked to Gidea Park Library.. and both A&N got a book each. N is into learning French so she got one covering that and A got a Step By Step Chemistry book
• Kicked off my Reading Challenge for 2023 by a book from Avni Doshi "Burnt Sugar" which is part of a book club from work
• Made Chole / Rajma Rice / Methi Aloo / Tindora Sabzi / Palak Paneer over the weekend

Great Lives by Karen Farrington

 Excerpts from the book: 

 Captain James Cook ( 1728-1779)

Cook had the skills of a cartographer at his fingertips and did more than anyone previously to chart the coast of New Foundland, New Zealand, eastern Australia, numerous Pacific Islands and both the Artic and Antarctic frontier. He also possessed abundant courage, which enabled him to set off onto the unknown. 

He was a symbol of the Enlightment, treating indigenous tribes that he encountered with respect and understanding in the context of the era. 

Ultimately it was an uncharacteristically heavy handed approach with the Hawaiians that cost him his life.

Unsuited to farm and shop work, young James decided his true calling was at sea. After joining the merchant navy, he ferried coal from Newcastle to London and sometimes to the Baltic in a stout Whitby collier. 

The aspirational Cook spent his spare time studying hydrology, cartography and astronomy. 

Not content with a secure future as a Captain in the mercantile fleet, he enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1755 as an able seaman and spent a dozen years working his way through the ranks. 

In 1767, he was chosen to lead an expedition to the Pacific that would chart the course of the planet Venus across the sun. Its subtext was to find the southern continent that many thought lay undiscovered in the southern oceans. 

From England he sailed around Cape Horn to Tahiti, where he forged an enduring relationships with islanders. Then it was on to New Zealand, which he charted, the unknown Botany Bay in Australia and home via Indonesia. 

Cook’s journals and the work of accompanying scientist Joseph Banks created a major stir on their return. 

Cook today has several personalities. There is the Cook who is one of the great, supreme navigators and that part of his reputation remains. But there is uneasiness among many, particularly among Pacific peoples, about the legacy of Cook. Mist white Australians and New Zealanders would still see Cook as a kind of founding father, almost an iconic figure. But the Maori aborigines and Hawaiians see a very different Cook; a despoiler, a destructive force. By Glyn Williams ( Professor of History).

Christmas Eve Brunch 2022

• First time hosted a Christmas Eve Brunch for Richa and Nikhil
• Was stressful and I was up with my nerves with all the planning and multiple trips to supermarkets
• Watched countless videos on you tube and Instagram for recipes. Finally the menu turned out like this

🎄Christmas Eve Brunch🎄

        🥂Mimosa 

        🍧Granola Cups

        🍜Mac & Cheese 

        🥮French Toast Bake 

        🍞Toast 

        🥯 Everything Bagel Casserole 

        ☕️Blended Hot Coffee

        🥞Pancakes Board

        🥔🥔Hash brown 

        🧀🍓🥝Cheese and Fruit Board 

         Hot Chocolate

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February Half Term Week 2018

# Just before the half term week we had our Parent Teachers Meeting and for me will be the most memorable one so far.. Ni's teacher Miss Lotts began by saying that " Lovely Ni - why I can't have 30 of her in the class. Whatever work is given to her it is understood that she will finish it to the highest standard. She is the ideal child to have in class. Mathematics is her strong point. She is sociable and very much popular in class. She has the elements of showing depth in her studies which generally only 10% of the class can achieve.
# Aa's teacher Mrs Giddy said there is a considerable improvement in his handwriting and now he takes a lot of pride in his presentation of his work. He needs to raise his hand and say he does not understand any concept in Maths. He goes very well with Mrs Bains and they both have share a good bond.
# As and Aa left for India on Friday via Amsterdam. Unfortunately their luggage is misplaced and waiting for it to arrive. Luggage arrived finally on Sunday night.
# Saturday began with my Gym session of cardio and little bit of strength training ( chest and leg press). After that I went for a luxury facial for an hour and picked up Ni from her art class at Fairkytes centre. We were joined by Ja and her daughter at Wimpys Hornchurch for lunch. I had cheese and tomato toasties and black Americano and Ni had chicken nuggets with fries. We all four chatted and left after 2 hours from the restaurant.
# Other good news which happened this half term was that Ni was given an all clear for her vision. She no longer requires to wear glasses and her vision is perfect. She will be seen again in 9 months.
# Watched " Padmavat" at  Vue Cinema Romford with Uma. Glad I watched it finally!!
# Sunday morning I took appointment with Out of Hours GP for my rash and was prescribed a cream. This rash was causing me a lot of grief and glad that I found some relief after applying cream couple of times.
# We all went for " Paddington 2 " and enjoyed the movie. This was more funnier than the first one.
After the movie we went for lunch at Pizza Express with Ni's friend and her family.
# We all browsed few stores in The Brewery and bought a laundry basket / a rainbow slinky gifted by Ni's friend and then was dropped home by them.
# Did my Gym session of 1 hour 30 minutes.
# Monday - play date at my place / work from home / Ni's workshop / bought a brand new shiny rug / few potted indoor plants / made cabbage with peas.
# Tuesday - work from home / made Panchmel daal / bought two bright red cushions / Ni attended x 2 workshops in Explore Learning /
# Wednesday - Back to work / Ni and her friend attended the Explore Learning and then Ni spent the entire day with her / attended a soft launch party of my friend starting tea business.
# Thursday - work again / Ni's friend came over for couple of hours / Ni attended Phoenic Screener and Kip McGrath / came late from work / trip to Tesco /
# Friday - woke up at 5 am and logged in at work / Ni's 4 friends came over for play date/ 

Notes - Psychologies March 2016

This issue focused on learning to be confident - stop feeling small, start being brave.

* If we use these words " justs,sorry,thinks and feels " then it gives a hint to recipient that we are unsure of ourselves lessening their confidence in our ideas.

* Fill your basket with joy, not things. - our lives are becoming ever more complex due to the amount of information we deal with daily,and the number of decisions we are faced with.By removing some of these decisions, we can free up more of our minds to focus on the good stuff.It is estimated that an adult makes approximately 35,000 decisions a day. That does not leave much headspace for the rest of our day to day existence. By consuming less, we will hopefully realise how much time we spend distracted by buying that aren't important to our quality of life. For four consecutive days, do not buy anything beyond food and water. Doing something beneficial for ourselves by spending less means we are also doing something positive for everyone. Buy things in a medical emergency, and travel costs are a given, but cut out all the decisions that create white noise in your head and you might be struck by how free you feel.

* Ask someone younger...sometimes we are so busy looking at those who have gone before us that we forget about those leading from behind. The idea of reverse mentoring gives you fresh thinking about the insights or experiences that you can offer your mentor.

* The art of losing things - it may feel like a disaster at the time, but all is not actually lost when something precious vanishes.Losing things - the props of your life - can force you to embrace change in a way that can be hugely positive.We define ourselves by what we buy. Losing things can be an opportunity to re-evaluate who we think we are.

* 7 habits to build your confidence
    Assess yourself
    Keep learning
    Develop your Willpower
    Talk about your positive experiences
     Tone down your worst thoughts
     Ditch thinking for doing
    Adopt good posture
   
* Dancing with the bogey man - there is nothing as pointless in this life as hatred, although there are, of course, times when that sour emotion hits us so Hard in the solar plexus that we are left with indigestion, which repeats and repeats until we are acid with poison. It is difficult to deal with such toxic emotions and we all wrestle with them. Use a mental process called " parking" . If a thought about someone or something makes me feel terribly distressed I park it behind my left shoulder. I am not saintly enough to sprinkle those dark thoughts with shiny peace dust and send them off with a blessing , but I am human enough to know I need to remove them from the immediate vicinity of my head. 

Domestic Diva

• Friday evening i went straight to Aa cricket session at Becket Keys Sports Hall.Once finished we picked up Ni and headed straight to our usual place for dinner “ Delhi Live”.We had among ourselves Dal tadka / Mix Veg / Tandoori Chicken / Rice and Naan.Kids had a scoop each of their favourite bubble gum ice cream.
• Saturday morning I dropped Ni to her art class and went to my gym.Did 1 hr and 20 minutes of cardio and burnt 1200 calories.
• Came home for lunch and then sent Ni to Explore learning while I pottered around the house. Once she finished her session we went to our coffee place Harris + Hoole.I ordered hot chocolate for her and green tea for myself.
• Since As and Aa were not due back home early I headed for Brewery to browse HomeSense, a home decor store.Somehow the store disappointed me this time.I felt there was nothing substantial but all junk stuff in the store.Anyways I bought a flower vase made in Poland for £4 and a felt Easter theme basket and a medium sized fabric tub to keep small toy figurines and books respectively.
• For dinner Ni had quorn chicken nuggets and I had store bought falafel wraps.We all slept by 9 pm as I was super tired and with all day's running around.. 
• Since I slept early I woke up early too.. I found myself awake at 4am but got out of bed at 6.It's very rare I get a chance for a lie in and so i grabbed it with both hands😄. 
• I cooked Panchmel daal / runner beans with potatoes / paneer with carrots / bell peppers / carrots / beans - perfect rainbow vegetable.
• Vacuumed the full house and ironed the clothes and managed to put another load of washing and prepared pack lunches for 2 days for me and kids. 
• Took Ni to Explore learning and I ventured into my high street for some retail therapy.. Bought a vintage looking gramophone from British Heart Foundation and stocked up on provisions like Green& Blacks dark chocolate bars/Valentine heart chocolates / tulip chocolate flowers / bottled green chillies / frozen green beans / candles.
• After picking Ni up from tuition centre we went to Starbucks and had hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallow twizzle for her and green tea for me.I also started reading psychologies magazine from my old stash...
• Came back home and did usual evening bits - took out uniforms and my outfits for Monday / packed the school bags and As did his packing for India trip. 
• On my bed at 8:30 pm and hoping to catch some good 💤💤💤

Midweek Rambles

This week so far

• Read about Ann Lee Hussey  - on her personal mission to eradicate Polio ( Real Simple June 2012) 
• Set a reminder for myself - relax and enjoy simple rituals. 
• Browsed LinkedIn Daily Rundowns - love bite size news specially “ Idea of the Day”. 
• Cooked and eaten Matar Paneer, Dahi wale Aloo, Mushrooms with Cashews curry, yellow lentils ( my fav) 
• Indulged in back massage and a facial at my local beauty academy.
• Dreaming about my holiday to India and making mental notes about what to shop and eat. Following Instagrammers for inspiration... 
• Researching on restaurants which i can book for As birthday in August this year. 

Weekend do’s

• This friday i was working from home and so like usual i do school drop off and pick up of kids. Once i dropped them to school i prepared our lunch which was chole tikki ( tikki was store bought of Haldirams).
• After cleaning up kitchen and intermittently checking my work emails i headed off to Gym. I did 1 hour and 20 minutes of cardio and burnt 1200 calories. 
• Straight after gym i finished my lunch and got ready to pick up kids from school.
• Came home and after an hour everyone except me and Ni left for Brentwood for evening cricket and i headed to Starbucks coffee shop. We finished reading and spellings in between sipping hot chocolate / americano and eating a very light and tasty salad of couscous / courgette / brocolli smeared with tomato sauce. Ni had a sticky marshmellow twizzle. 
• Prepared for next day’s outfits for Nishka and myself - all neatly laid on the bed. 
• Saturday morning i quickly made Bread Upma in flat 20 mts. A & A left for Shenfield and i dropped Ni to her Art Class for two hours.
• I headed straight to do my gym session for 1 hour and 30 mts and burnt 1000 calories. 
• Picked up Ni from her art class and went home to finish lunch / get ready for birthday party / lay out the outfits for evening pooja and also putting a load in the washing machine and dishwasher.
• It was Ni’s very close friend Si’s 6th Birthday party. Sipped black coffee and chatted away time with other mums. 
• Dashed off to home to change for the pooja for all of us and reached Mandir on time at 6 pm.
• After dinner at temple we all came home and kids went to sleep straightafter.
• Me and A watched Dirty Money documentary on Netflix. 
• Sunday i woke up to finish ironing for the week and then we all went out for brunch at Healthy Roots in Upminster where kids had pancakes topped with Syrup along with hot chocolate. Me and A had the same Avocado smash with poached egg and brown toast.
• A & A then headed to their cricket coaching and me and Ni came home to finish homework and then went out for another birthday party of one of her classmates. 
• Finished my evening with 60 mts of gym and laying outfits for school / work.

Resolutions 2018

• Loose weight and keep fitness a priority throughout the year. My short term goal is to loose 5 kgs by end of march and further 5 by end of the year. 
• Eat sensibly most of the time. Think what i am putting in my body and watch calories like a hawk.
• Update this blog diligently.
• Work front - carve a niche for myself in the team. I want to become a go to person and want to get a strong performer rating this year.
• Read and maintain a thought catalog so that i can go back and remember them.
• Talk wisely and softly with my kids and atleast give a thought to their perspective.
• Not to loose patience...
• Not to get disappointed with situations and should learn how not to blame others for your happiness.

Weekend Musings

• Watched “ The Coronation” on BBC 1 while doing my gym session.I was expecting a lot more input from the Queen but actually there was very less of it.
• Our customary Friday evening dinner was at Delhi Live where we stuffed ourselves with Simple yellow daal / Gobhi Aloo / Rice for me and Tandoori Chicken for Aayush and Ashish.
• Made Paneer Makhani and Stuffed Bellpeppers - followed Veg Recipes of India recipes which are always comes out perfect.
• Gym session was fabulous - Saturday 80 mts of cardio and Sunday 1 hour 30 mts which was a new record for me. 
• Some me time at Harris + Hoole coffee shop with Nishka. Had Americano with Strawberry Oat  cookies for myself and Nishka had hot chocolate.
• Wrapped presents for birthdays next week - Nishka’s classmates.
• Finishing my old Real Simple magazines so that i can stock up on some new health / interior Decor / lifestyle magazines from India. 
• Bought electric toothbrushes for all of us - Oral B Junior Frozen and Starwars for kids and for us Oral B Pro 2 2000N. 
• Saw below recipe in Tesco Magazine and it looks attractive- will give it a try someday.

Nishka turns 6

New Things

It is good to shake things time to time and i just did that !!! Here is my list :

• Started listening to PODCASTS - i have always heard about them but never got around listening. But having a Smart Phone does make your life easier.So far i have listened few TED Talks / Desert Island Discs and one Motivational Podcast.
• After deciding at the beginning of this year that i will drive more and to newer places - that is exactly i have been trying to fit in. Drove to as far as Feltham / Brentwood and drive to work in the morning and evenings.
• In May this year i was given FITBIT and i am addicted to it. Love to step up and my best so far has been 27k.
• Watched a Pakistani Drama " Zindagi Gulzar Hai" on You Tube.
• Visited the local Hindu Temple at Noak Hill - Big change from the usual Ilford temple.
• Restarted browsing BBC I player and watched " Eat Well For Less ".
• For my daily office lunches - i have now switched to eating salads / Bowl full of veggies and supergrains from my plain sandwiches for 3 years. Also stopped eating packet of crisps too.
• Travelled to Birmingham for an official trip - my first ever trip!!!

Budapest - Highlights Aug 2015

So finally after 2 years the waiting game got over and we flew to " BUDAPEST". The city is breathtaking as i have seen in pictures and read and heard about it. There are altogether 700 pictures which i think still cannot do full justice to what we had seen and experienced there. But few things i would like to note and write.. 

• Icecreams : I am not a Icecream person but due to the intense heat and walking i was quite keen on eating one as soon as got a chance. The one which i will always remember is this one in particular due to its sheer size and this was a kids portion😂.

• Hungarian Parliament : Now this building and its surrounding areas was such that we visited three days in a row and saw it in the night and day. The place is awesome both in terms of size and architecture. Kids loved to run around in the vast space too. 

• Water fountains and features : Budapest was full of these which was truly amazing !! There were old fountains where water coming out of Lions mouth or pools where you can dip your feet to cool yourself or timely mist spray which kids and adults loved equally. 

• New York Cafe : When we booked our trip through BA we got Boscolo Residences as our hotel which is a part of Boscolo Group which had this Cafe ! Now this was quite unexpected. The definition of cafe has now a different meaning! The most ornate and beautiful cafe i have ever seen and probably will ever see in my life.

• Ervin Szabo Library : The most gorgeous library one can see ever.. 

This is a must visit in Budapest. Beautiful reading rooms that i could have spent the whole day there. 

Vegetarian Burgers with Walnuts

Continuing with Burgers this is the second one i made the next day for dinner which was liked by everyone in the family as well .

Ingredients

6 plain buns with sesame
2 oz walnuts
3 oz Colby or Cheshire cheese
2 carrots
1 large zucchini
1 bunch chives
6 tbsp heavy sour cream or soft cream cheese
1 cup fresh soyabean sprouts
1/3 cup olive oil
6 tofu burgers
salt, milled pepper

Method

• Crush the Walnuts coarsely. Grate the cheese
• Peel the carrot and cut it into thin strips. Wash the zucchini and cut it into thin strips.
• Chop the chive. Mix them with the sour cream or cream cheese in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Plunge the soybean sprouts into a saucepan of boiling salted water to blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
• Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a wok and stir fry the carrot, zucchini and soybean sprouts over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining oil in another skillet and fry the tofu burgers for 2-3 minutes on each side. Keep hot.
• Cut the buns in half. Spread the chive and sour cream/ cream cheese mixture over the base of each. Place a layer of the vegetables on top, followed by a tofu burger. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Close the buns and serve immediately.

Burgers Galore Part One

Past week i made Burgers for dinner back to back. I found a book on Burgers in my local library and found two vegeterian recipes and so i made them. They looked pretty easy to follow and i think they were quite different to what i have eaten so far. The name of the book is "Burgers" by Valery Drouet and Pierre -Louis Viel.
The first recipe i tried was " Burgers with Mozzarella and Bell Peppers".

Ingredients
6 ciabatta rolls
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
3 tbsp olive oil
12 pitted green olives
6 tbsp (50 gms)pine nuts
generous 1lb smoked mozzarella
6 tbsp prepared pesto
generous 1 cup arugula
salt
milled pepper

Method

• Seed the bell peppers and cut them into thin strips. Peel and slice the onion.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.
• Chop the olives and toast the pine nuts in a non stick skillet with no oil for 2-3 minutes
• When the bell peppers are tender, add the olives and pine nuts. Mix well.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Cut the mozzarella into 6 thick slices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the rolls in half and toast them lightly in the broiler.
• Spread the pesto over the cut surfaces of the rolls.Distribute the arugula over the base of each roll, cover with a layer of the bell pepper mixture and top with a mozzarella slice.Close the rolls and serve immediately.

The List - December 2013

This is the first time i am doing this list inspired by Nupur's Lists of One Hot Stove.I usually write everything in my diary and try to incorporate everyday events in it.

Reading - This month has been the best month in terms of reading books as i read 5 books which is truly amazing by my standards.
I read "Cocoa at Midnight" by Kathleen Clifford;" Apron and Sliver Spoons" by Mollie Brown. These two books were a easy read. They are real life accounts of domestic servants and their hardships in pre war era.
The next book was very romantic novel by Jojo Moyes "The last letter from your lover". The book was hopelessly romantic and spanned two time lines - one from 1960 and other from present day.
Other books were "No time to say Goodbye" by Linwood Barclay - a thriller with a twist.I was so engrossed in reading the book that wanted to finish it soon.
And ended the year with Penny Vincenzi's " Love in the Afternoon and other short stories". I have never read her books before and did not find the book very interesting. The short stories were very predictable and short of any twists.

 Watched " 12 Dates of Christmas " -  a romantic movie where the girl keeps reliving Christmas Eve 12 times and must break the cycle for her blind date.
Another one was " Cast Away" - A Tom Hanks movie - quite a depressing movie where he is stranded on an island for 4 years and comes back to find that her girlfriend is now married and has her own family.
This is the first time i bought Whats on TV - Holiday TV watching guide. I am so deprived of watching any Television or movies that this year i am quite keen to watch some good television.Top on my list to watch is " Downton Abbey" and "The Great British Bake Off."

Had a busy month in terms of Socialising.Attended Christmas Drinks with my ex - colleagues or golden oldies as they say. Also a Birthday Party of a 3 year old and ended the day with tea and some mince pies at a friends place.Christmas Day evening was spent with a family of four serving them  M&S Party food.Invited for lunch by a friend ( N and A ) at Langley.Just before the year ended i invited one of our friends for lunch who were visiting from Glasgow over holidays. I made Amritsari Chole , Delicate Korma with Apricots / Paneer Maalvani / Rice / Paneer and Pineapple Salad / served all with parathas and ended with tea and pistachio ice cream. New Year's Eve was spent with another set of friends and had such a pleasant time serving them Nachos with cheese / Mix Pakoras - Potato / Paneer / Cauliflower and Chillies/ Garlic Bread and Pizzas.

My son had a busy time over the month as well. Started with Christmas Fayre in school where he met Father Christmas and got presents. Took part in Christmas Raffle.We attended his first ever Christmas Concert. I don't think he was really into singing and was just interested in waving us.
His most busiest day was when he had Christmas lunch at school / Christmas party in his class/ School Disco and Christmas Party in his drama class.He also came to my office on Christmas Eve and got Face painting done.

The biggest high this month was that my son learnt to write his name - it was an amazing feeling to know that he is growing up and a first step of sorts for future.

Birthday Month and Diwali 2013

• Had a very busy past month and it does not seem to be slowing down in any way. Apparently i feel that though i want my " free time" and some time to reflect and ponder i actually prefer to be busy and on my toes all the time.
• Since October starts with my Birthday - i celebrated it with going out for lunch with Ashish to Jamie Oliver Restaurant at 
•  Canary Wharf. Since i go out so less to eat out i think whenever i go out i like them all.
• This month also saw Nishka making multiple trips to GP for an infection which took a month to go away.
• We became proud owners of an apartment in a Taylor Wimpey development and rented it out to one of Ashish's colleague.
• Aayush has discovered that he loves playing with tools and has now multiple sets of tool sets. He spent his entire sunday with his dad helping him out and the flooring guy in the new apartment.
• Couple of friends ( Richa/Nikhil and Manu/ Kapil invited us for dinner/ lunch at their homes with my parents. Had couple of lunch rendezvous with friends in Canary Wharf- With Smriti at HSBC Mezz Restaurant and also with Baljit / Ashish and Fabino at GBK. Ruchi/ Mayank bhaiya also invited us for Pre Diwali Dinner at their place.
• My mother also made Diwali Snacks - Besan Laddoo, Chivda and Namak Paare.
• First time ever we ordered food from a Bangladeshi eatery " Spices" for Karwachauth. The food consisted of Paneer Tikka,Chatpate Aloo,Chana Paneer,Kulcha,Daal Tadka, Vegetable Biryani and Naan.The food was not bad and Paneer Tikka and Chana Paneer were good.
• My mom made an excellent Diwali Dinner - A typical Rajasthani fare - Daal Baati / Gatte ki sabzi / Rice and Baigan Bhartha ( a punjabi addition ) and Jeera Aloo. My contribution was Shrikhand for dessert.
• We had quite a few get togethers this month - which takes a lot of planning and energy and time but i guess at the end it is all worth it.