Sept & Oct are busy months in the academic calendar. The mid-term exam dates are announced; there are both practical exams and theory papers. Practical exams without school !? Old habits die hard 😁!! Yes, even during online classes, practical records are to be maintained for experiments that are to be watched on Youtube and…
The making of our Onam Pookkalam 🌸
Happy Onam dear readers 🌹 !! Yesterday, 31 Aug was the Thiru Onam Day. This time, I decided to make a Pookkalam at home and just to make things merrier why not hold an online Pookkalam competition in the family WhatsApp group !? Yup, we did just that and like all good competitions this one…
Stalk and the Bean 🍃 (guest post)
Our appetite for coffee took us further north (a gruelling road trip 300-km long) to the heartland of coffee plantations in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state where a homestay, Nature Nirvana was arranged. Genuinely located in the lap of nature, this was a place for which Google could not find travel routes. Instead, we had to rely…
Postcards from Wayanad 🛤 (guest post)
Bidding adieu to the teak forests in Nilambur, we travelled further north of Kerala to reach the district of Wayanad. This sleepy district was suddenly thrust into the limelight when Rahul Gandhi decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections from here. Barring the sudden political spotlight, Wayanad has always been a popular weekend getaway for…
Green escapades in north Kerala🌴 (guest post)
Nilambur is a green, picturesque town in the northern district of Malappuram, Kerala renowned for it’s magnificent teak plantations and forests. A perfect green escape from the concrete jungles and asphalt plains of the city. The place is chequered in spectacular hues of green and there is no escaping the majestic trees !! Teak wood…
Good times ahead 🎉
Shashi Tharoor wrote “If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each tastes different and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they belong together on the same plate and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast.”…
Craving an Eat Out ⁉️🍹
This time the Independence Day, 15 August fell on a Saturday robbing us of a long weekend🙃. You may ask whether in the present work from home and online classes situation, do holidays really matter? Isn’t it just another day at home ? Yes, they do matter. We need a break from the online classes…
Good reads for the monsoon 2020 #3 🕌
Time travel does not require a time machine, a good book will suffice. One such read is Istanbul by Thomas F Madden. This engrossing saga spans the conquest of this port city by the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, all the way to the making of the modern Turkey, weaving a tapestry of history, myth and legend….
Oh My Gold❗️
I remember this as the name of a TV series hosted by Lisa Ray on TLC, where she explores the love of this precious metal across the different states of the country. This yellow metal is very dear for us and it helps that it is ingrained in our culture that gold ornaments are considered…
POTD: Fish Biryani
I make fish biryani atleast once a week. Easy to make one pot meal keeps everyone happy. The fish I used this time is boneless cubes of sea bass or kalanji in Malayalam. Crispy pappadam and raita completes the meal😋. The bright yellow hue also adds colour to an otherwise grey and cloudy day here in…
On a learning trail 🌱 (guest post)
The morning air was crisp and cool, and the world was waking up to the sounds of chirping birds and squeaking squirrels foraging for food. My plan was to walk through the campus of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore along a serviced trail that stretched nearly 6 km. This stretch has twin benefits;…
Independence day photo trail 🦚
15 Aug 2020: Our 74th Independence day 🇮🇳 We had flag hoisting in our apartment complex in the morning. On the digital front, Google announced this special day with a colourful doodle😘. The public holiday also had a special treat for the residents of our apartment. Oven Story, a homegrown pizza brand was here to…
The magic masoor dal ✨
The humble masoor dal today has become one of my kitchen staples. Dal tadka made from masoor dal is addictive and the taste is so distinct that once you have tasted it nothing else will do😋. My discovery of this very common dal happened very recently; during the lockdown. Till then I used to make…
POTD: Vallam 🛶
There is a road, a highway actually in front my parents home in Kottayam, Kerala; along the banks of the Meenachil river. The river water has spilled onto the roads again this monsoon. While the buses and cars have stopped plying, it’s time to bring out the vallam, the small black beaked boat popularly sighted…
Another August Monsoon in Kerala 🌴
Sitting in Bangalore, I can romanticise the monsoons in Kerala. But the people in Kerala esp. in this month of August will fail to see my excitement. It’s a hat trick for the state in terms of the floods in August; this year is third time in the running🌧. From the past two years’ experience,…
Free reads from Medium
Taking up the 3 free reads from Medium happens on the 1st of every month and August was no exception. It’s just that getting down to writing about it took some time. Here they are: [1] 5 Things You Should Do Before Lunch by Shaunta Grimes We definitely do more than 5 things before lunch;…
Catching a rainbow 🌈
Everyone agrees that rainbows are magical. Their rare appearance make them a miracle and hence when you chance upon one it definitely feels special. Whoever sees one, will start calling everyone else around to come and see… It began to rain abruptly on Saturday evening🌧, but stopped within an hour. Soon the clouds gave way…
Adding a new rhythm to my mornings🚶🏻♀️
There are no school buses to catch, breakfast to be hurried or lunch boxes to be packed. In fact, mornings have become so leisurely and calm that it is an absolute pleasure to wake up to a new day. I spent most of the early morn sitting by the balcony window with my tea and…
Breakfast bites 💕
Good morning 🌤 Friday evening we had a visit once again from the Carnival Cakes & Breads people; they had a couple of new items on their menu this time – Focaccia bread, veg puffs, egg puffs and vada pav😘. The egg puffs were in demand and were over in the first thirty minutes of…
Breakfast Bites 🥣
The kid is starting the chapter in Maths titled Permutations and Combinations; I recall my P&C days, never understood the logic clearly and just managed to scrape through. Wait, the teacher is talking about Harry Potter, I am all ears – TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE – he says any guesses on the significance of the name?…
