Salute to Kate Furneaux

From the little I knew you, you always brought a smile to my face and I am sure I am one of the few millions touched by you.

In your tribute, I am posting your note on "25 things":

I was supposed to finish some work today, but daydreaming took over......

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you (and you're someone who I think might have fun with this kind of thing and hasn't done it already!).

(To do this, go to “notes” or the "+" sign under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people--in the right hand corner of the app--then click publish.)

1. I love drinking tea and all the traditions associated with it
2. I’ve always wanted to have a strong Cumbrian accent like my cousins. When I was a kid I used to try to speak “proper Cumbrian”. It didn’t work.
3. I’m always late – to arrive, to finish things, to leave….. I never intend to be, and I’m sure people wonder just exactly how I’ve managed it.
4. I really love football. I think the irrationality of a football supporter is brilliant.
5. I’ve never been to a football match out of the UK – yet.
6. I love India.
7. I would love to find out if Jamon really is the tastiest food in the world, as all Spaniards tell me – but being vegetarian stops me!
8. I’ve been known to convince myself I can eat Mussels as a vegetarian because “they don’t have brains”.
9. I once got a lift across the Tanzanian-Kenyan border on the back of a push bike to avoid work permit issues – and got a marriage proposal from the guy riding the bike.
10. I’m really indecisive. Especially about food.
11. I like it when people are straight to the point and honest – it makes life a lot simpler.
12. I love picking fresh fruit and vegetables. Especially raspberries.
13. I love fresh air, wide open spaces, and silence. But I’m not very good at the silence part.
14. I love baking cakes. And then sharing them.
15. Laughing is brilliant.
16. I wish I was better with words. I either muddle them up, or sometimes offend people by saying something I didn’t mean. I hate offending people.
17. I admire spontaneity.
18. My close friends always know exactly the right thing to say to me. And I often wonder if I ever manage to return the favour.
19. Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips are the most brilliant fish – for the name alone.
20. I’m ashamed of being a bit scared of cows since my Uncle and Granda were dairy farmers.
21. The number of stars in the sky is amazing – I struggle to get my head around the Milky Way though.
22. I discovered that snakes can travel up walls when I was hiding from one on the top bunk.
23. I think anyone who can speak more than one language is really talented. And brave.
24. I think really cold places, with snow and blue ice, are beautiful, but I always get cold hands so I can’t stay outside and play for long.
25. I think if I could be a rainforest creature, I’d be a gibbon.

I am sure wherever you are, that place has just become a brighter place.
Goodbye Kate.

Brilliant I Say!!

Can things simply stay for the pleasure of it. No underbelly to it, no underlying meaning to it. Like a Saturday night that is just meant to have a good time, nothing less, nothing more.

Can life just be like that?

Confused. Got to play football today.

I want katta sessions, Sinhagad, Polka Dots, Aachaey.

...Good food and some good sleep.

Relative happiness is such a dangerous concept. Every time you dabble with it, you are sure to get burnt. Done.

Also this weekend I got to have fun. Enough work, enough multi-tasking. I am not making good use of summer, I gotta get something of mine going, aisa to kick-start the season. That something is not happening. Camping, I think that's it.

Done.

Spaced Out

You know the feeling you get when you finish countless million things just like that and now you have nothing to do. You know the feeling of laziness, now that you have earned it, to be able to do just nothing.

So I start off thinking what next? What next in this time span of nothing? Should I sleep or stare or not even do that. Just nothing. Then I decide maybe I should read a book (yeah right!!), then I think I should just dream but eventually I get down to cooking. I experiment with fish curry. For a change I decide not to make it the usual mom taught way but just let instinct flow. Result, priceless!!

Now I have a full tummy with a new fish dish I just learnt and I am back to doing nothing :)

Choti Choti Khushiyaan!

The pleasures of small happiness. Good happiness :)

Just Cooking

God's blessed me with one thing. Atleast I am not gonna die for lack of tasty food. The ability to cook your own favourite dish is just priceless!

For those not in the knowing, I am a carnivore. Goat curry (and I say goat and not lamb cause lamb is such a cheap imitation) is by far the best thing mom made and passed it along to me, Mutton Biryani is still some distance away, but 95% mom-like goat curry is good enough for me.

Stud vs Sweetheart

I am already scared of Aarish. The dude is gonna turn out to be one heck of a stud. The dude already gives me the chilled out, "it's cool!" look. And the smile, just precious!

This, by no means, has any impact on Arshu. She is my sweetheart, I will love her and protect her even while the dude turns into the stud he is threatening to be.

Their parents have pretty interesting years ahead. I just get to do the good part, pamper them, spoil them and that's it.

Shucks I just met them a month back and I already miss them.
Mom if you thought we kids were a handful, wait and watch these guys.

It's all good :)

Surreal!

I was a small boy waiting at the bus-stop, about a 20-min walk from home, alongwith my sister and other school friends for the PCMT bus to come. Walk back from school was even better, with samosa and imli chutney along the Dairy Farm route.

20 odd years hence that small boy might just be traveling all across the globe to approximately the same place (pinpoint), in a different capacity, with different ambitions. What do I call this? Progression or whatever it may be, living life is just such a wonderful experience. To me, I have got the greatest gift of life, Thank You God.

My contribution to this has been just living each day as it comes. Pretty rewarding, no?

PDX

Neil, Rosanne ...Taruna.
Margarita's, Chocolate Delight, Fudge.
4 AM good the nights.
Food, food, exotic food, food, food, exotic food.
Margarita's.
The boats and the fishing.
Rock Bottom. Beer. Pool. Buddies.
4 AM good the nights.
Kamal, Betsy, Pastor.
Food, food, exotic food, food, food, exotic food.
Ani, Pratibha -- Aachaey.
Linda - BBQ.
Riverfront - Fireworks.
Jerry, Neil, Rosanne, Taruna, Aura Lounge.
4 AM good the nights.
Church.
Food.
Conversation.
Gulab Jamun, Ice-Cream. Tea.
Conversation.

Well Done!!
Yeah long weekends in PDX have quite a bit of Pune in it.