Worry Wart

I am being worried sick with hubby's flight tomorrow. Kolkata would have sunny weather and San Fran would be cloudy. Singapore would have rains with the possibility of a thunderstorm. I feel like kicking myself for getting him in this situation. Because I was afraid to fly, I forced him to come here.
I would be on tenterhooks until his flight lands safely in SFO. All my plans have been put on the backburner until then. I am praying to God to make his journey safe and uneventful. So long.....

Solva Saal

Yesterday, I bothered my sore back by sitting up till late in the night watching 'Solva Saal'. This was a golden oldie with a somewhat similar plot of 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin'. I was searching this movie since quite some time back. I had tried YouTube but had not got it there. Yesterday, I chanced upon it. It was a very cute and entertaining movie. Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand were in the starring roles. Waheeda is my all time favourite. And Dev Anand was the very epitome of charm in the black and white days. There are very few films that can leave one with a sweet aftertaste. This was one of them. It was well worth my aching back!

Bhavatarini

Every passing day brings me closer to the day when S will be here with me.
And the worry meter is hitting an all-time high. I am praying to my God to make his journey from India to San Jose smooth and safe. I am not sure when I became a sceptic again, unknowingly. I was just starting on my spiritual enlightment when I was sidetracked with other issues - like my day to day survival here, the impending Thanksgiving vacation etc. Even now, when I see pictures of Ma, tears come to my eyes. When I read about Her, I get goosebumps. But, at such times, I ask myself - do I love her or am I in awe of her?
The goal is to love her more than anything else in the whole world - just like a child loves his/her own mother - completely depending on her to guide us across the ocean of eternity. And I should be praying not only when I want something or am unhappy but also when I am happy and contented. I have yet not achieved the latter. The key is to grab hold of the wandering mind. Various religious and spiritual rituals actually aim at trying to discipline the mind. But most of us get taken up with the steps, the props, the chantings etc. As a very popular Rabindrasangeet goes 'Tomar Pujar Chole Tomar Dure Thaki' - we seek the pretext of the rituals to stay away from God herself.

The Foodie In Me

After having read numerous food columns and recipe sections in countless newspapers and magazines and driven by the culinary drought here in the States, I came up with a list of piece de resistance of several restaurants in Kolkata. One of my friends helped me in this compilation.

An Ode to Cupcakes

Cupcakes!!

Why had I not discovered this marvel when I last visited USA?

Google describes a cupcake as 'A small cake baked in a paper container shaped like a cup, often with icing on top'. Interestingly enough, this term is also used for 'an attractive young woman' :)

The definition is an understatement. This cake inspires thoughts in me that no man ever could!!

I am especially crazy about the messy butter-cream icing on top.

I first heard cupcakes mentioned in 'Wizards of Waverly Place' - a popular soap on Disney Channel. But, it took the birthday of one of the auditors here to make me realize that this American cupcake is not anything like it's dull Indian brother.

This lady brought over a posse of cupcakes. I whimsically picked up a white one. Little did I anticipate the culinary storm which would sweep me off my feet. The taste was beyond any other confection I had ever tasted. The cake had multicoloured beads in it and had a vanilla icing. I remember having prowled around in the kitchen area looking for leftover cake! Anybody who knows me can vouchsafe the fact that I am not fond of cakes in general.

On my birthday this month, my friend S asked me what I wanted as a gift. I asked her to get me cupcakes. Eventually, I could not procure cupcakes on my birthday. But, we fished out a gourmet cupcake boutique in the downtown area. We walked to the store on a weekend. There were only about 10 or so cupcakes left in the shop. We bought two of vanilla and two of 'fleur de sel'[see picture]. The latter was simply out of the ordinary with a typical salty-sweet flavour and a creamy texture.

Looking forward to many more cupcakes during my stay here!