Beautiful Journeys

I have realized one thing that I love journeys more than the destination. I look forward and plan for days together for the same and I am excited to embark on my journey every single time with enthusiasm. Honestly in my heart I crave for the journey to just go on and on. Journey to me is a discovery always in progress. 

Journey is the present which I don't want to let go for the future destination. I like to enjoy it to the fullest while it lasts. To explore the hidden treasures it promises.

It's not about quickly getting to the destination, it's about exploring the journey whilst you get there.

We miss beautiful things on our way in the quest of our destination. And these moments, beauty and experiences make the entire process complete and surreal - unforgettable memories ( just like Life )

According to me - Destination is the finale, the end point of journey and journey is laid with pathways leading to innumerable possibilities and destinations. 

And isn't life itself a journey and not a destination...... With this thought I leave you to embark on many more journeys filled with numerous possibilities.. 

Very aptly said indeed -- it's about the journey and not the destination. 

One such journey --- ❤️❤️

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it -Greg Anderson

Footwear- Flea Market

Shorts-Westside

Shirt - Fashion Street

Vest - Lifestyle

Until we meet again on our next Journey.

xoxo

Bhakti

Seasonal Love

Call me confused, can't stick to one thing or can't chose or can't make decision, yet I still will stick to my opinion - I love all Seasons.

In my defense can you compare between two Gods, then how can you compare and to top it all chose one season. Seasons are the most perfect and beautiful things to keep the earth going, without them it would have been one monotonous ride. 

Every season is so beautiful and gets with it the beauty and wonderful things it had to offer. 

I love rainy seasons reason being I think it's so romantic, walking under one umbrella. It's fun splashing puddles, playing in the rain. Oh the beauty of the earth in rains. It's like rainy season is thd bathing season for the earth. Hot pakoras and chai. The fragrance of the wet soil. What's their not to love. Everything is in full life and fragranced. 

Winters bring along with them the cool, breezy and windy nights. Snow I many countries. Beautiful weather, hot soups. Movies cuddled in blankets. Comfort food ladled with cheese. The earth in winters looks at it's best. 

Summer season - the season for vacations, for a dip in the pool. The season for mangoes, watermelons and juices and fresh fruits. A season to relax and take a break. The earth dressed in golden hay and trees all shedding away the years tiredness and waiting to dance in the rain back to life is a miracle. Summer I feel is the month to shed away all inhibitions, eat well, be active, travel and just enjoy. 

How can you compare any one now, the beauty of these seasons is what makes the earth and hence life so miraculous and happening. 

How can you deny me my seasonal love for each one of them. Can you blame me for not chosing one? I think not 😜

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each.” —Henry David Thoreau ❤️❤️






xoxo
Bhakti

Lessons from Noah's Ark... with a Pink tadka..

I was just going through Noah's Ark story and came across a very unique interpretation of the things we learn from it. I was really fascinated and decided to share it with you guys, of course with my interpretations too ;p

Lessons from Noah's Ark...

My interpretation and take on the lessons in brackets.
One: Don't miss the boat. (obviously all other means of transport too ;p, Respect time.. )
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. (equality matters, don't underestimate anybody.)
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. (do plan ahead, but don't live in the future)
Four: Stay fit - When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. (someone might ask you to do anything big anytime)
Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. (listen to the critics and just polish your act but don't let everything bother you.)
Six: Build your future on high ground. (aim for the moon, you will land in stars, aim for the stars and you will land on the ground)
Seven: For safety  sake, travel in pairs. (no wonder God made us in pairs.)
Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. (Don't underestimate anybody, Speed differs for everyone)
Nine: When you're stressed, float a while. (Rejuvenate, Relax, Refresh- 3R's)
Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. (Passion is the real mission, just love what you do, its all that matters.)
Eleven: No matter the storm, there's always a rainbow waiting. (if there is no storm, what's the value of a rainbow)
Twelve: You may want to leave the woodpeckers off of the ark. (stay away from unwanted elements in any form)
 

 

 

Wasn't that good ?

 

and now Outfit of the day-- there's still a little chill in the air-- so here goes --

 

This is what I wore for a brunch with friends over a casual professional meet.

 I swear by tees with jackets in winters, so comfortable, chic and warm. :)

 

 

 

I love this Tee and I Love Quirky prints.

 

Jacket - Max

Quirky tee- Fashion street

Denims- Benetton

Wedges- inc5

Bag- Bangkok- Platinum mall

Watch- Fast track

Ring - Pink pvssy

Neck piece- Vero Moda.

 

xoxo

Bhakti

 

Savory Samosas -- Recipe

One of the popular and common food item found in chaat/ sweet shops. I love samosas. Be it samosa chaat with curd and chutneys or be it samosa pav or just the simple piping hot samosa with tamarind chutney(sauce). The crunchy exterior and the rich filling of potato concoction inside it is yum.
Though I never miss a chance to grab a piping hot samosa from the sweet shop, today I decided to prepare it at home as a snack on our picnic.

Recipe

for 12 samosas

Ingredients for the dough
1.5 cup Maida
1 tbsp. oil
salt to taste
1.5 tsp. asafetida (jeera)
Water just enough to knead a firm dough

Method
Mix all the above ingredients together nicely and make a firm dough, make 6 balls out of it and keep them covered with a moist cloth

Ingredients for the filling

3 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
1/4 cup boiled peas
1/2 cup boiled and finely cut carrot
4 - 6 green chillies ground in a paste optional
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilly powder
1tsp haldi
chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

oil for frying

Method
mix all the ingredient for the filling nicely and mash them together. Make six small balls and keep them aside.

Now take the maida dough and make small chapatti out of the ball,cut it in two half circles with a knife. Fold the half chapatti in triangles and add the filling balls inside and then seal the edges with some pressure and wet your fingers to help you.

Deep Fry these small samosas in hot oil on medium heat till golden brown.

Tadaa ! your piping hot samosas are ready , you can devour them with hot chai, some milkshake, chaat, or paav or just the way they are.
In my case I packed them for a picnic and were they lovely.

for the filling

for the dough

Enjoy your samosas :)

xoxo

Bhakti

Our litttle Adventure from Siam to Platinum mall Bangkok !!!

It was a bright and sunny day calling us to explore Bangkok.(oh boy and did we explore in the truest sense)
We decided to go to Siam and check out Siam center, Paragon and Discovery. We took the BTS our daily, friendly, fast, easy and cheap mode of transport. The BTS takes you to Siam and is directly connected to the Siam center. So here we were in the Siam center, enroute we had gorged on street side fruits, which are truly yummy and delicious, the best of them being the guava and then Mango.
Well this was our daily breakfast and oh did we enjoy it.

our breakfast - bags of fresh fruit.. I dint like this fruit much though

 We explored Siam Paragon which is a luxury shopping mall took a look at the Siam underwater ocean world.

Holiday hangover - Thailand tales -- Pattaya it is.

As most of you know that I have been ranting about my holiday. Well to tell you honestly I still have a massive holiday hangover which refuses to go.
So here I thought why not blog about the same as I can't keep the thoughts to myself alone ( so typical me hehe)
Bangkok being one of the popular destination of the world. As you all know I being a OCD victim have a habit of doing in depth planning and research of most of the things (eyes rolling) so I was all prepared and well versed with Thailand. Thanks to bangkok.com which is an amazing website which allows you to download a free pdf guide as well as has detailed iteneries, maps, convenient travel, packages, food, shopping and any other think you can think of listed.

Tourism Thailand site which has detailed information about Thailand, everything you need to know and much more.

But Thailand has its own way. It springs surprises at you no matter how well you are prepared.
Thailand especially Bangkok and Pattaya are so similar to Mumbai yet so distant and mystique I felt. Every lane (soi as they call it) had a surprise to offer, something new to discover.

We were there for 9 days in Thailand but every day was a new experience. There is so much to explore, so much to experience and at the end of it all Thailand binds you in the magic unknown, and all you can do is keep reminiscing your experience until you create another new one with Thailand.

Don't worry as you very well know me, I am going to provide you with all the details of my Thailand trip with its beauty, markets, shopping, tips and tricks.

However today I feel like beginning with the last leg and day of our holiday, that was in Pattaya.
As you very well know that I am driven by my whims, so here it goes.

Pattaya- (we were here for 3 nights)

Completely took us by surprise, after much insistence of our peers and family not to take Pattaya and instead go to the pristine Phuket, stubborn that I am, thus here we were in Pattaya and were we glad about it.
Pattaya has its own charm. Active by night more than day, though plenty of things to do during the day as well.
We use to sleep till late, have a huge lunch, take a stroll or swim on the beach, go for a massage, do some shopping, get ready and have a relaxed dinner after which we used to go for a walk at the walking street followed by long hours of shisha till the wee hours of morning.... ahhhh Bliss indeed!!


Have a look yourself---

Lunch at the pizza company, we  had ordered extra large bbq chicken, the quantity was huge, but I found the pizza slightly on the sweeter side, though cheesy. The cheese garlic bread was yum.

 the remains--

 Pattaya beach - the beach is a thin strip in the common area filled to brim with loungers, one can hire a lounger for a small fee and sip beer for hours looking at the sea. Tip - buy a beer from the 7/11 stores located widely all over at short distances, you will find everything that you need in these stores, right from mobile recharge to ice creams, snacks, and everything. the price of everything you buy here is very economical.

 well I wont suggest to take a dip in the sea on this common beach as the water is dirty and polluted, one can swim in the private beach adjoining their hotel, or go to the nearby jomtien beach.

There is lot of street shopping in front of the beach. One can get good deals, I got myself a huge haul of swim wear. Do take souvenir Thailand magnets across the street- cheaper than Bangkok. Vast variety of pubs, restaurants with different cuisines, fast food joints, street Thai food available across the street.

dress- westside

footwear- footins

we- happy happy !

Massages are available in plenty- but do check their license as many times they fool you into illegal activities and take money- the massages start from 120 to 200 baht for feet massage (1 hour)

The walking street is closed for vehicles at night, the action starts after 8-9 pm. exotix shows, beer bars, shopping, street shows,fish market, you name and you have it. One needs to experience the pulse of this street to understand it. Must do ! (obviously not for children)

Shisha places dotting the streets near the walking street. have a beer and shisha and sit for hours watching life go by. All the shisha places are facing the road with chairs and tables put up on street. This was our favorite part.

Till my next Thailand post .

take care and plan up your vacation

xoxo

Bhakti

HOLIDAY SEASON - How to celebrate christmas

Its the Holiday season,

the season of red,

 of Santa and his goodies,

 cookies and cakes,

of carols and stories,

 of Rudolph and his nose red.

Its season for celebration

yes, its Christmas ahead...

Adrenaline Unlimited @ Della Adventure

Again I am back in my lazy mood, thanks to which I have this huge backlog of pending posts. I apologize to all you guys for my laziness (sheepish grin ). Well you see its the holiday time of the year. For most of the people in India The holiday season starts at the beginning of Diwali and goes on till the new year. Well its more or less in breaks ;p
So I thought why not start by sharing my first short trip of this holiday season.
By now all you guys know, how I love the outdoors and adventure, the countryside and not to forget the adrenaline. So my first trip was a mix of everything.
Our weekend at Della adventure with friends was all that was required to kick start our holiday.
Della Adventure is India's largest adventure park. Situated in the cool hill station of Lonavla amidst mountains and valleys. Its an instant rejuvenation. Having extreme sports, cozy resort, relaxing spa, beautiful surroundings, walks with loving dogs, milking jersey cows, or just curling up with a book, its an one stop destination. For my complete review of Della click here. It satiated my craving to do something over the edge and different than my everyday routine as well as rejuvenated me all together. What a start this was.... And this is what I wore ..

 

 

 

My style

 

Shirt Tunic- Splash

Denims- Levis

Shoes - Converse

Bag - Westside

pendant- Lifestyle

 

 

xoxo

Bhakti