WordAds is not an income source for me. I was hopeful when I started on WordAds in Sep 18, but till date not a penny received from them. Currently my only passive income source is investment income. I was working full-time for 9 years and when I decided to take a sabbatical, the first thought…
Plan(ner) for 2019
“Spontaneity is one of the joys of existence, especially if you prepare for it in advance.” Alan Dean Foster, Nor Crystal Tears I have not read the book, like the quote though. The beginning of a brand new year and its a good time to consider getting a Planner. It’s been most helpful to me – tracking…
Happy New Year 2019 !! The best is yet to come
The vessel is called Uruli, once used extensively in the households in Kerala for cooking on the wood fire. Later with the advent of gas and electric stoves, the use of uruli in the kitchen diminished. And now they have re-emerged in living rooms as decorative bowls, filled with flowers floating on water. Here’s wishing such…
A December to remember
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela 2018 is about to end and I reached 100 posts. Starting off in Jan 18, to reach 100 by the year end was a plan, publishing 2 posts a week and its done !! Maybe targeting a definite number of followers or views or likes would…
For the love of biryani
We are travelling from Kasargod to Kochi, a 10 hour journey by road with only one stop; at Calicut for lunch. Calicut is known as the food capital of Kerala. We have only one place in mind to have lunch from at Calicut – Paragon. We have eaten their famous biryani at the Paragon restaurant in Lulu mall…
Table for one
Eating out alone is not an activity that most people enjoy. When alone, most opt for the take-away or order-in. I was uncomfortable the first time I had lunch alone in a restaurant. To add to the discomfort, the tables for two are usually placed as space fillers in a restaurant; either in the middle,…
Bekal fort : A more famous afterlife
Bekal may have been a prominent port of call during the medieval period with the profitable the spice trade in the Malabar region with the Arabs and then the Europeans. But Bekal was never a capital of any empire and hence lack any grandiose stories. During the time of Tipu Sultan, it was briefly the administrative…
A tranquil oasis in God’s Own Country: Taj Bekal
Starting with a story from the Hindu mythology…… Vishnu is the Preserver in the Hindu triad. Vishnu is said to descend on earth in various avatars to restore order. Parasurama is the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parasurama was born as the youngest son of Jamadagni, a sage and Renuka. In the Vedic society, the Kshatriyas were the…
Sweet November
The post has nothing in common with the movie of the same name. “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” by Eleanor Roosevelt is currently my favourite birthday quote. Last week of November saw a dual birthday day in the family. One was my brother’s and my sister-in-law made…
Goa to Bekal : A road trip across 3 states
So where is Bekal? It’s a small town by the Arabian Sea in Kasargod district, in the state of Kerala. And why Bekal? Because we are heading home to Kerala and Bekal is a half-way point for a stopover. And I have never been to Bekal. We leave the hotel by 9:00 am after breakfast….
Parent traps: An awareness for Gen X
A weekend workshop was organised at the kid’s school and the topic was Positive Parenting. The pictures in the post are the cartoons that appear in the Times of India newspaper everyday.The workshop started with a reminder about all the mistakes we keep committing as against the Positive Parenting guide. Then to the main areas…
Portuguese Sentinels : Forts of Goa
It’s the only thing I remember, maybe there was more but I can’t seem to recollect; the only mention of Portuguese in India in the school history textbooks I remember was about Vasco da Gama, credited with discovering the sea route to the Indian subcontinent. There is very scant mention about the Portuguese rule in…
Art + History ♒︎ Aristry @MOG
I hated the subject history back in school. I remember only one teacher among several who tried to teach us; her opening line didn’t help either. ” History is boring with the countless names and the dates, but it is an exam that has to be passed, so we have to get it done with.”…
Restaurants in Goa : Antares, Vagator ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The reality cooking contest Masterchef Australia is a big draw in India. With its Season 10 currently airing on Star World during the weekdays from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm, like many other Indian families, we too are glued to the TV. No other cooking competition can boast this show’s popularity esp. with the Indian…
A weekend away
We have routines for the weekdays; many have vouched that it is the best way to get things done. We are on auto pilot, things are pre-planned, compiled from the many lists we keep and we simply have to stick to the final to-do list. The days are devoid of the daunting task of decision-making…
Rome of the Orient : Churches of Velha Goa
The second Portuguese Viceroy in India, Afonso de Albuquerque was called the Caesar of the East and he built the Rome of the Orient or the present Old Goa or Velha Goa (Velha meaning old in Portuguese). In the 15th century, Goa was part of the Adil Shahi dynasty or the Sultanate of Bijapur; the land of Hindu…
Restaurants in Goa : Lazy Goose, Candolim ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As a day of hurried sight-seeing ended; we once again approached our hotel staff for a good place to eat. “What’s the name of the restaurant that is situated below the road level; you have to take the steps down to get there?” asks one staff aloud, unable to recall the name. “Lazy Goose” says…
Restaurants in Goa : Mum’s Kitchen, Panjim ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The restaurant Souza Lobo, Calangute was our pick from the Internet, it’s an old establishment; am not sure on the date of inception. The next day, we ask the hotel staff at Le Meridien for a good restaurant to eat. And the first reply is what is the kind of cuisine we are looking for…
Goa in October : An itinerary to explore Goa in 2 days 🚗💨
We are staying at the Le Meridien at Calangute. This area falls in North Goa and we zeroed in on this hotel as this was my first visit to Goa and I wanted to visit the touristy places, most of which are in North Goa. Le Meridien does not have a beach frontage. It…
Restaurants in Goa : Souza Lobo, Calangute ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We drove to Goa from Bangalore in our Jeep, the road trip is elaborated in the post Bangalore to Goa: A picturesque road trip Starting from Bangalore at 6:00 am, we entered the state of Goa by 5:00 pm and reached our hotel Le Meridien at Calangute by 6:00 pm. The dinner that evening, was at…
