Secret Santa loves his treats, @ Aishwaryaeats

Its that time of the year again - when the dark engulfs you at three pm and everything around you is snow clad. Along with the gloom, are the stars and lights in every window (almost like Diwali),  colorful scented candles at every corner of the room, cozy warmth of the couch, wine and warm food. 

And then comes Christmas, the birth of our savior, Lord Jesus. 

The joy of christmas is associated with happiness and love - hymns, mass, prayers, the christmas tree, presents, Secret Santa Claus, Rudolf and christmas dinners - turkey, cake, sausages, wine and lots more.  

This is a secret Santa post, the idea of which originated from www.indiblogeshwaris.com, where I am proud member. Interested bloggers were allotted a blog to review. 

And I proudly present the food blog of Aishwarya Lahiri, the Masterchef and our very own Perky Angel Eyes indiblogeshwari- www.aishwaryaeats.com

The blog is all about the love of food, which Aishwarya carries in her heart. the blog has recipes, restaurant reviews, and some posts about "the rest". Each post has a signature, Aishwarya style. 

For someone with a sweet tooth, (I finished half a bounty and a bar of dark chocolate already), the blog is irresistible. Recipe posts focus on a lot of sweet stuff - all for the love of desserts and baking. (75% posts to be precise). The recipes are a delight to read, written in first person narrative and penned in a very easy to understand and easy to cook manner. Ingredients used are easy to procure. The posts are given full justice with elaborate and colorful pictures, watermarked as "Aishwaryaeats". 

There are some tempting posts of food, and my personal favorite is 

http://www.aishwaryaeats.com/2013/04/shell-pasta-in-creamy-white-sauce-with.html

Coming to the restaurant reviews, it is important to mention here, that Aishwarya is a member of Bloggers table on the very popular "Chef at Large". The reviews are professional, supported with pictures of raw materials used in the restaurant kitchen, the actual cooking process, the presentation of food on the table and everything which would or would not pull the reader to the reviewed place. 

My favorite again is http://www.aishwaryaeats.com/2012/11/espresso-grill-bloggers-table-fun.html. 

This maybe because for the love of my home town, dilli meri jaan,  Connaught Place and ofcourse the restaurant under review. 

Aishwarya has some personal reviews (non CAL posts), which focus on Pune and Delhi food junctions. 

A few posts, here and there, seem to speak the foodie's heart - with focus on the love for food and family - parents and grandparents. As they truly say, food cooked with love is much much tastier than any spread at any Michelin star restaurants. 

I, as a reader, would love to read a lot more posts from the talented Media planner who cooks with all her heart. I couldn't do much justice to the blog, but I hope the cheeky post title, will pull the Santa to your blog again and again and again..  

Wishing Aishwarya Lahiri all the best for a wonderful journey called life. 

And in the end I would love to say - 

Joy to the world,

The Lord has come,

Let earth receive her king,

Let every heart, prepare him room

And heaven and nature sing..

Merry Christmas!! 

And miles to go before I sleep..

The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.. 

Robert Frost

Quite recently, there was a discussion amongst a group of bloggers, where I realized that it is high time I should think about my passion for life. What all do I want to do before I die? The list I penned down was endless, and impractical, sometimes way too optimistic. So I shrunk it, edited it, did some Ctrl - X, and wrote it down here. 

1. Work for children in India, for their education, for children with special needs. It could be volunteering or opening up an NGO. A small non government organization, or simply permanently attaching myself with some society for this purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry27ZMn4IJI

2. Travel every bit and part of India - cities, villages, towns, mountains, beaches. 

3. Write and publish a collection of prose and poetry - short stories, or a novel - fiction.

4. Own a small studio apartment in Mumbai - some 20th floor in South Mumbai AND Own a small cottage or an apartment in Landour, Mussorie. 

5. See my little boy, Vihaan, grow up as a well educated, well bred human being, excelling in whatever profession he choses for himself. 

Too much to ask for? 

I was surprised to see a parcel with my name on it - A birthday surprise!!!

It was A cold and snowy day in Stockholm. The flakes covered the city white. It looked beautiful from inside, but the temperature was hovering around -18 degrees. It was the16th of January 2013. That kind of weather was normal during those months. Mid noon, the sun decided to say hello, shine bright on the white. Trust me, I have never seen a more beautiful sight than that. It's like glittering diamonds scattered across all around me. 

In this part of the world, sunshine is taken as an opportunity to go out for workouts, walks, runs (yes, you read it correct, running on snow) etcetera. I was in the need of fresh air, i went out for a walk, 

A person like me, a birthday addict (my friends know this fact), just 2 days before my birthday, this one was walk down the memory lane, memories of my childhood birthdays, fun and frolic of the college days, birthdays with hubby darling, birthdays with bobo, and a lot more. I may talk about all that in a post next month, around my birthday ;). 

After an hour of day dreaming in the freezing col, walking around the frozen lake, my hands were numb inside the gloves, and my nose was pink and frozen. I decided to walk back home. 

Ting tong.. a super excited bobo opened the door for me, and was jumping with joy. Okay, what happened this time? "Moma, there is a parcel for you, with you name “Arpita Sharma” written on it. Open it mama, please…” 

I was surprised to see a parcel with my name on it, and there it was, sitting on the centre table, a big brown cardboard box, totally non-fancy, with lots of labels and seals. i started opening it. The articles were wrapped in the page 3 of a top Indian daily, and a part of me was tempted to read the paper before opening it further. Anyways, I tore it open, not one, not two, but three layers of it. 

and out came three beautiful books, the latest bestsellers, and a handmade card - from my mom and dad. “Happy birthday betu”, and a few more words full of emotions, and blessings. 

This was one of the best gifts I have received on my birthdays, because of the two factors - they were books, the source of joy, and the fact that it was a surprise, and a extremely joyous one. 

Thank you mum and dad, for that and everything, always.. 

Love you!! 


This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

The daffodil dance

When William Wordsworth penned it down,

Golden daffodils painted the town,

Was it the flowers or the flowing stream,

Was it the solitude or his dream. 

I cannot tell what poets do,

Inspirations, imaginations, or just a singing cuckoo,

All I know, my mind blinds off,

Starts galloping like a horse.

It takes control of my thoughts

Holds my will as a wrought,

Penning it down is the only aim

Nothing works, no excuse lame. 

Today was such definite day

Down the stairs, I pave my way

I feel the breeze in my hair

The sun shines somewhere.

Listening to the rustle of autumn dry

The white cumulus flocks the sky,

The moment of smile, a sigh of relief 

Tonite with sleep, I would do a thief. 

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - My hero, I hail to thee!!

When Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar started playing cricket, majority of the players in the Indian Nathional Cricket Team were attending kindergarden.

Under the influence of the world, I used to cheer for SRT. It was world cup 1992 when i started understanding cricket. Sachin was Jersey number 6. I started following his games. I do not much technical understanding of the game, neither do i intended to. What impressed and influence me was the commitment. It was far away from his team mates, from his seniors. (90% of the team was senior to him).

And then came Sharjah cup 1998. Whoa, what matches. And the game which I will forever remember, which made Sachin my hero. The desert storm game. The storm starts, the players leave the field, no one near the pitch, and SRT standing tall, with his bat, on the middle of the pitch, waiting for the storm to end. Nature bowed to his dedication and will power, and the match continued, and the SRT store continued. Shane Warne did enjoy it the most.

That incident is printed on my mind forever. A very rare sight seen in today's world. I consider myself real lucky to witness this little man's great work.

SRT, just for the Sharjah Cup 2008, accept my standing ovation. You are my inspiration, for life. To have the willpower to win over all complexities of life, stand tall, and persevere to excel.
ucky to witness this little man's great work.