My very first Blog Award *applause*
So this is very exciting! The gorgeous and envy-worthy foodie-traveller Sonika has awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award. Considering this is my first blog award, you can imagine me jumping up and down hysterically. I googled to find out what the award means and came across posts that Liebster in German means ‘favourite’, so I am guessing my tiny little effort on the world-wide-web to write is being liked. *whee*
I have always wanted one you know.. I always looked at fellow bloggers’ receiving tons and since I could not bully anyone into giving me one, this award is quite special (I swear I did not bully Sonika for this :D)
So, thank you so much Sonika for this lovely gesture..I be honoured! 🙂 And this is probably a month delayed, but the life has been like a moving train and I was just trying to catch up!
These are the rules of the Liebster Award:
- When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.
- Pass the award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions.
- You are not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated you!
- Make sure the blogs you choose have 200 or less followers.
11 Random Facts About Me:
- I ate raw potatoes as a child. *yikes* I know. But I do have picture proof. Somehow I loved the taste of it. Yes. You can disassociate with me right about now!
- When I was younger, I dreamt of being a professional dancer and choreographer. I did continue my training in various dance forms (Kathak, Odissi, Jazz, HipHop, Latin, Belly Dancing…) and will continue to learn more forms, but taking it up professionally, not sure if I still would. 🙂
- I make travel itineraries for a hobby. I love travelling so much that I have documents over documents of plans to destinations that I love. I keep a little notebook where I write my “Wish List” when I come across an exciting new destination to go to. It is a different subject when it comes to how many materialize.. *sigh*
- I wear my innovative-thoughts hat in the shower. My best ideas for work or for the blog come in the shower. I believe the shower head has some powers!
- Trains are my favourite mode of travel. I can sit endlessly by the window and stare at life passing by. As the train chugs along, I have a million thoughts about life, people and their emotions fleeting like a moving picture in my restless mind.
- I make song mash-ups in my head when I am alone. I will start singing a song and then seamlessly move on to another one without a break. If there was a recording studio up there, I bet I could product platinum hits 😛
- I can never apologize in person. I suck at it. So I write. If you receive a long letter profusely apologizing from me, that is the best I can do. Ask my mother. She has a truckload of such letters.
- I hate chocolates and I hate sweets. I also hate chips and biscuits and fried nuts. Now you are probably wondering why am I not a supermodel. That is because I love cheese and bread. I can finish an entire 6-slice pizza on my own! *shows off muscles*
- I am not the kind who has a lucky top, number, jeans, sweater etc. I used to see the quirky ones around me who wore the same jeans to all their special days because it was lucky. I tried real hard to find my “lucky” something. And then I dug out my subconscious Apparently 3 is my lucky number (date of my marriage ;)) and Monday is my lucky day!
- I am not religious in its literal sense. I don’t pray regularly (can hear my mother go tch tch), I don’t make an effort to go to the temple or any such thing. I just treat the higher power as a best friend who knows what’s going on in my life and will show me the right way. No need to “ask” for anything, is my mantra of Religion. However, I do love churches! They fill me with peace and self-worth.
- I dream of travelling solo. I believe I am one with the place when I travel alone because I don’t have to worry about anyone else and their needs. I enjoy exploring the city on my own as well. (can see the husband frowning! ;))
And now 11 questions asked my Sonika, for me to answer *braces*:
- Favorite Place. One word why.
Villefranche-sur-mer. A village 9 miles off Nice, south of France. As elaborated here . 🙂
- Favorite type of cuisine.
Italian. I could eat Pasta for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Another testimonial of how much I love it is here.
- Favorite Quote.
“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” – Rumi
I follow this quote quite literally. Whatever be the mood, dancing in my bedroom, with the door closed on the face of the world.. it is just me and movement.
- Favorite piece of artwork.
My mother’s artwork. She is a talented artist and I love her work. She has these gorgeous pieces and I dream of acquiring one for myself soon. Here is a sample.
- Favorite piece of bad advice given to you.
For a week eat only cucumber and drink lemon juice, you will become amazingly thin.
- Favorite Movie.
This one kept me thinking for about 15 minutes. I really don’t have one favourite movie. Love anything that tickles my bones, makes me warm and gets me inspired!
- Favorite band. Yes, there is a correct answer. No, One Direction is unacceptable.
I love Adele for her mesmerizing voice. I love Oasis for their gorgeous rhythm. And my favourite would be The Doors, a recent discovery thanks to a gorgeous friend who brought me to this beautiful, addictive world of music.
- Favorite way to waste time.
Watching TV. It is a terror, I tell you. Considering how much crap is there on the telly these days, I just cannot get myself to shut it off!
- Favorite embarrassing guilty pleasure.
Browsing online shopping websites and registering with them. Oh! and did I say, I don’t buy anything? Yes. Try dealing with the daily spam emails after embarking on that guilty ride.
- A place you have travelled to and you now wish you lived.
South of France. My dream to-live destination.
- If you could choose your nationality what would it be. You can’t say the current nationality you are.
I would choose my current nationality. Yes, I know I am going against your order up there. But, I cannot dream of being anything else other than Indian. *yells Jai Hind*
11 Questions for the bloggers I nominate.. come on! brace yourselves!
- If you could be something/someone for a day, what/who would you be?
- Your favourite dish. Not cuisine.
- What is your biggest phobia?
- Which season are you?
- What is your favourite TV Show Moment? That moment on TV that inspired you/blew you away/made you sob/made it memorable?
- One embarrassing thing you did as a kid/teenager?
- If you could choose a decade from the following to live in, which one would it be and why? – 20s, 40s, 60s, 2k?
- Tell us your most unusual, unique travel story?
- What is the worst gift you have ever received? (I once received a 3-pack deodorant set!!)
- Finish this sentence – “If I could pack my bags and go, I would travel to……….”
- What are the 5 things in your handbag right now?
And finally *drumroll*, my nominated blogs are:
- Aishwarya Rao, the gorgeous lady behind – Coffee House
- Meghna Garg, love her writing; free-flowing and dreamy – Etcetra, Etcetra
- Shitika Anand, hard-hitting writing and words that transport you to the situation – Sweet Dreams In My World
- Priya Pillai – my favourite girl; honest writing, lovely prose – Living in a Mirage
- Iya Malhotra, gorgeous and true at heard – Iya’s blog
And that would be 5 women-powered awesomeness on your plate! *cheers* Cant wait to see the replies!
Adios Bangalore…
Dear Bangalore,
This is a few weeks late (my apologies) but you see I was trying to pack my settled life in your pretty land and find footing in a brand new city. But don’t worry, I did not forget you.You are a huge part of my life. 6 long, beautiful years have been spent in your company and I got to say, those were memorable, to say the least. I came to you as a rookie, straight out of college, trying to find my place in the adult corporate world and you gave me your best. You made me feel welcome, made me comfortable, made it easy for me to adapt and love my life. What I am today, I owe some of that to you.
If I were to remember my first day in your land, it was filled with wide-eyed curiosity coupled with instant love. Your gorgeous weather, the warmth of your company makes any soul fall in love with you instantly. Your intimate cafes lined by the side of tree-lined ‘100ft’ and ’80ft’ roads were inviting during those drizzly evenings. The ever-smiling, young, approachable people of your city would sit and sip hot cup of cappuccino, making one feel at home. Any street I entered, I would find hidden all-day eateries serving the most delicious food and beverage and oh! so inviting. Your streets had a vibe, a positive energy; when I walked and explored, I felt one with your aura.
Your casual yet alluring pubs were the ideal set-ups for a crazy work day when all I had to do was settle back and unwind, without a care for judging eyes. Judging eyes. That is another thing that you never had. Loved that a Bangalorean can be who and what they want and no one would judge or look or care. You gave me a chance to look within myself and bring out the best, both professionally and personally. You gave me the space to explore my talents and present them for the world to see. You are a land of opportunities making space for people like me to come and fall in love.
Yes your traffic made me mad and your infrastructure drove me crazy, but you had this magical appeal that never wanted me to leave you and go to any other Indian city. You gave me a lifetime of friendships, that I will always cherish. You gave me people who I cannot think of living without now. I started my married life with you and I have you to thank for making the 5 years of my marriage so memorable and worthy.
For all those lovely times, for all those before-11:30pm-parties, for all those café gossip sessions, for all the street shopping, for all the lets-try-new-restaurant outings, for all the crazy nights and for all the weekend getaways, I thank you. You made me a foodoholic and a traveler. You have given me a bag full of memories and stories that I will tell the world time and again.
Thank you to all those people (you know who you are) who made our lives come alive in Bangalore. I will miss your presence but you know the connection will always be there. Thank you a million times.
So Dear Bangalore, for now it is a goodbye but you will always have a special place in my heart because as of now, you are my favorite little city. Did not realize that this post will make me all teary so here is me quoting Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
Your’s lovingly,
Tanu….
Memories
Memories
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique
India is a land of many unique cultures and traditions. So when The Daily Post came up with a photo challenge on the subject of “unique“, I had to pitch in. Last winter, on a trip across Rajasthan, I was lucky to have witnessed the annual Jaisalmer Desert festival, a 3-day treat in end January/early February. The festival has some really quirky and colorful activities. From judging a camel decoration contest to camel polo to longest mustache, traditional dances and parachuting… the festival is a highlight for many visitors coming to Jaisalmer in January.
Camel in all its glory!
Camel Polo
Camel Polo in action
Why unique? The pictures could say it all… Where else would you find colorful camels standing tall in all their grandeur, their owners equally proud and witness a competitive camel polo match? Makes you want to enter this in your travel diary, doesn’t it? 🙂
Bak Bak Bar: a gastronomical delight!
Bangalore is a Foodie heaven. Pretty sure many of you agree. The multicultural melting pot of a city is an ideal place for any foodie to live either (or both) of his dreams – eat the most fabulously original meals and/or open his own crazy one-in-a-million restaurant. Interesting names and even more interesting cuisines dot this city’s restaurant map.
Adding yet another pin to this gastronomy map is a brand new bar – Bak Bak Bar, your little world for unlimited talking… Now that is a chic name and kudos to the people behind it!
Bak Bak Bar
Begin the Bak Bak
Quirky Coasters
You can see a lot of thought was placed in the decor of this place. A very friendly ambiance, warm colors and a host of sharp, tongue-in-cheek one-liners carelessly thrown about around the bar. From the plates at your table saying “What happens on this table stays on this table” to quirky coasters and wacky wall hangings! It is very important when a place is not just inviting but also makes you appreciate the fun part of life. Kudos to Bak Bak Bar for getting it so right!
Friendly ever-smiling servers help you with your choice of food and drinks, music is lovely and old-school and the crowd is young. What else you need? Well, you need the scrumptious food and the divine drinks, silly! So moving on to that!
I will first talk about the drinks because in my life of living in Bangalore, I am yet to come across a place that offers drinks with such appealing names. Take your pick from Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Voldermont, Scarface or our very own Gabbar Singh! Do I hear a “Whaaaaaat??”. Yeah! that would be the reaction I expected. Each drink has its own ‘Yaaaooozzzaaa’ element.
Princess Leia’s magic!
For the adventurous, I say you try the Gabbar Singh. The curry powder will blow you away! Yes,
Scarface!
you heard it right! 😛 For the girly girl, Scarface is gorgeous and for those who want to get their brains blown, try the Princess Leia; comes in a coconut shell and extremely potent! Whiskey lovers, there is an amazing drink called Hannibal Lecter… yummm!
Every cocktail is made to perfection, getting all elements right. There is never too little alcohol or too strong. If I had to find a tiny flaw, it would be the drinks were too sweet for my liking, a little too much sugar. But otherwise a win!
Mayo Magic
Coming to the yummy-in-tummy food.. Again! It is pretty clear the owners have put a lot of thought in designing the menu and experimenting with flavors.
Before the food, let me draw your attention to these 2 add-ons that you must, absolutely MUST order. The Gunpowder Mayo, spicy and the perfect partner to any starter and the Smoked Mayo, that will blow you away with its beautifully smoky flavor, so intense that you will stop your bak-bak for just a second. You will never have enough and you will always ask for more, I promise!
Chilli Yogurt Tapas
PCP Love!
Now for the vegetarians, a must-try would be the Bak Bak PCP: little round bites of potato amply flavored. An explosion of something tangy and something spicy is what you must expect. A perfect nibble to start your evening with! Also a definite try is Chilli Yogurt Tapas: little fat chillies stuffed with spicy yogurt and deep-fried in a light batter served with the Gunpowder Mayo. Every bite had me gasping for water, relishing the mayo and surrendering to the tangy sweetness of the yogurt – all at the same time!
Moving on to the meat-lovers,
Wasabi Riceballs
Wasabi Chicken Steamed Riceballs should come right at the top of your must-try list. The fiery wasabi makes its presence felt among the delicate boiled rice and the chicken. Supported by a sauce of chilli, vinegar, soy and olives.. the dish is unbelievably breathtaking. The steamed vegetable version is not so nice. Quite bland in fact…
Pesto Prawn Baklet
If you are a sea-food lover, I suggest you give Pesto Prawn Baklets a try. Baklets are their own version of cutlets. Delectable little pieces of minced prawns with the nutty pesto is delicious and gobbled pretty quickly with the smoked mayo!
Another definite winner is the Monk-flavored chicken. Now you will
Monk Chicken
wonder, what’s a Monk doing there? *evil laugh* Your plate will arrive with very innocent looking juicy chicken kebabs with onion and green chutney. And then the fireworks begin! The server pours a 30ml shot of Old Monk rum on to a spoon and lights it up! *cue for applause* This intoxicating mix is then poured over the kebabs. Do me a favor, stop salivating, cut yourself a piece and take a bite. Sure-shot path to food heaven, this one is! A dish that ensures 2-minute silence on the table!
For the Pizza lovers, they have Desizzas. You would not even want to imagine a topping of Baigan Bharta and Olive, but I suggest you try it if you are not a complete hater of baigan (aubergine). It is wacky and pretty hardcore! Also try the Mutton Kheema Pizza, the spices are just right and the juiciness of the kheema is intact, even when you take that first bite.
After all this devouring, I did not have another stomach on rent to try the very mouth-watering burgers and the grilled stuff. But hey! isn’t that an excuse to go back?
Bill Please?
Bak Bak Bar will not disappoint you. Fabulous service, friendly faces, would-not-stop cocktails and a spread of food that will do more than just satisfy your palate; sure signs of your Saturday evening becoming an affair to remember!
My Rating:
Food: 4/5
Drinks: 4/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5 (Been on a Friday and a Saturday night. All you have to do is wave and the server comes bearing a smile!)
Note: This post is now the post with most pictures… and now I hear my tummy grumble. Food pics doing their magic, I believe.. 😉
Ramblings of a Feisty Spirit 