True Friendships!!

"She is my best friend, I can't imagine my life without her", "we have have a BFF's #selfie", lately I am coming across such lines on a regular basis. Social media is changing the definition of best friends, best friends now a days think alike, dress alike, have same tastes, the best friends have the same gossip to share and everything else which can easily get attention on social media but have we ever thought that true relation of a friend is beyond all this, somehow I have realized that best friendships and best relations are formed without any similarity of tastes and passions, the best friends just tend to happen, even if they don't meet on regular basis, the true friendships nurture in the longest of distances and the deepest of smiles, the best friends can read your mind just by the way you say hello on a call, they hardly dress up like you, their tastes might not be similar as yours but the connection you share with them beats all the materialism requires to pass the test of friendship these days.

When hearts are connected , distances take a back seat. You move on with life and so does your best friends but never in your mind for a second you feel that this distance might harm your friendship, off-course meeting and chilling out together doesn't happen that frequently but no matter how far your friend is you know that just a phone call is enough to tell them that you need them and sometimes they know even without a call that you need them and when you develop this kind of relationship with someone and look back how it all started, you will realize that all the drama that took place then was just a process of bringing you and your best friend closer, it was a law in play which had a purpose and the purpose is disclosed now.

Instead of running through life, let's be grateful for what we have, try being grateful to a friend who has been with you in your thick and thins, who knows you inside out, no matter how far you reach in life or how rich you become, your real wealth lies in the people you have spent your precious growing years with and if they are still a phone call away , you are sorted for life. Embrace life and the true relations. Be as passionate and thankful to your friends offline as much as your to them online.

Amicalola: The wonder falls!!

Traveling to far off places to experience fun, happiness and peace is a passé . We don't have to rush through life to book that ticket for Europe or to save money for a luxurious trip to the oceans. Lately, I have realized that all we need to do is to open our eyes wide,sit back and relax, we are not in a race to visit the world first. If we try to look around, we will find so many places in and around the city we dwell in which are still unexplored and are exceptionally beautiful.

Amicalola state park is one such place, husband and I have always thought of visiting different countries to experience the newness of traveling but driving through the countryside to a nearby water-fall is also an equally overwhelming experience. The journey to a destination sometimes is more beautiful than the destination itself but we were in a win win situation when we got the best of both the worlds, located in the heart of Chattahoochee National Forest, Amicalola falls are the perfect weekend gateway for those looking for an escape from the daily hustle bustle.

Countryside

We did a day trip , hiked the 720 foot tall falls, the trees became our shelter , the ground was the dining table, every moment spent there made me realize that we don't need to travel miles to feel the beauty and magic of nature, the gateway like these, the moments spent singing songs under the trees, walking the trails and drinking the mineral rich water straight from the rocks make the journey called life more beautiful.

A perfect weekend into the lap of mother nature, eat under the trees, play guitar, sing songs, camp, hike the famous Appalachian trail, or just be yourself, this place is a refreshing change for those who like to get lost in the striking beauty of the mountains. For those, who want to be a little more comfortable there are cabins and full service hotel rooms available around the state park. While returning back don't forget to make a halt at the North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall for some shopping from the best of the brands.

Life is beautiful and once in a while romancing with the nature add tons to its beauty!!

Amicalola falls!

US

Madras Chettinaad :Love thy food!!

Since the time I have moved to Atlanta, husband and I have explored some gazillion restaurants in search of good Indian food. When I say good Indian food, I want to mention that I belong to Northern India, having lived in Delhi and tasted the best of Indian cuisine from street food to fine dine,I have tasted all the good food within and beyond my reach, I have traveled distances to satiate my taste buds.Therefore,the food needs to be really scrumptious for registering a spot in my memory.

So, here after cajoling the husband dearest (he is not experimental with food ),we finally went to Madras Chettinaad, an Indian restaurant with a South Indian feel and the food as amazing as any of those good restaurants in Delhi with a long cue. They have a great Indian buffet every single day of the week and it gets grandeur on the weekends. The ambiance would be relaxed and warm on weekdays but since we went on a Saturday, it was very busy but when you only care for the food, the rest of the things take the back seat, so no complaints here. The best part is the entrance, all the mood setters for the food will be delighted to see the bar at the very opening, just after the waiting area, in fact the wait becomes all the more worth it when you get to enjoy your food with a drink or two.

Now, coming to the food, the variety, the starters, the main course and the desserts, I want to taste all of it again to write about it, I mean it was so good that I can eat it all over again like now as I write about it. I was astonished at the sight of the buffet area, it was grand. For the starters, don't miss the Tofu Manchurian, beautifully cooked vermicelli with vegetables, tandoori chicken for the non-vegetarians, you will be delighted to see the variety of appetizers, all well cooked and with just right amount of oil and spices( husband vouched for it). The dosa, vada, sambar, coconut chutney were also having a royal presence and they totally justified the Madras like feel of the restaurant.The main course included 4-5 veg and non-veg entrees, special eggplant curry not to be missed and mango style fish and the chettinaad curry are the signature dishes, enjoyed these with nan (Indian roti) which melted in ours mouths, some three kinds of rice dishes were made, I had them all, I feel bad if I miss any of the dishes in the buffet, please don't miss the egg-curry, it was hot and tasty.

As much as one can get into the plate

The desserts are still to be talked about, I mean it would be an insult to the chefs if you are done without tasting the desserts, how many desserts would you like to prefer after a good hearty meal, 2-3?, they had five of them, to start with the superbly delicious orange pannacotta , sweet and little extra sweet kheer, good to go Mango custartd, vermilcilli kheer and the very famous Gulab jamun. I thanked myself for coming to Madras Chettinaad and my husband thanked me twice after seeing the bill, all of this for only $13 per person. It's a good place to enjoy food with friends and family, for a while you will forget that you are in US and after the whole experience you will think OMG!! all of this in US.

Orange Pannacotta, gulab jamun, vermiclli kheer and mango custard

Life is good and with a little bit of food and good company it becomes better.

Address: Madras Chettinaad,
4305 State Bridge road, #108 Alpharetta, GA 30022

Miami Happinesssss!!

"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Make you want to move your dancing feet." Sometimes, I wonder whether Bob Marley went to Miami to write this song then. Alluring and warm beaches, night life which keeps you on your toes, great architecture, jovial and enthusiastic crowd, every person and thing in Miami is larger than life.

It is no less than a dream vacation for people who know how to enjoy life at it's best in Miami. There are so many things to do in Miami but for first timers, I would suggest to book a day trip via Viator, it's cool, very informative, covers the whole Miami, including Coral Gables, Little Havana and a very exciting and well informed cruise of Biscayne Bay. If you have extra time in hand and want to be a little more adventurous, go the local way, take metro movers which are completely free of cost and cover the whole downtown area of Miami or hop on the Miami city tour buses and be on your own, they have a daily charge and you can hop on, hop off any number of times in a day, or just rent a car for suiting your comfort, but when you explore a location in a local way, you take back home the best and only the best.

On our day two we covered Key-West, the island at the southern most tip of the Florida keys, the drive to Key-west is an adventure in itself, your eyes will thank you for this treat. Rent a car ,set your GPS and you are off for the best drive of your life, alternatively you can book cabs or buses for a more laid back and relaxed drive. Enjoy the Key-west island on conch trains or trolleys which are guided & are for people interested in learning more about the culture & history. If you are a party person, there are lots of cafes and bars with bands playing in. Not to be missed in Key-west, the very famous Mallory square, the southernmost tip and the great sun-set. Key-west is a place to chill, relax and be your self, leave all the prejudgments at home before enjoying the best of Key-west. Don't forget the famous Key-Lime Pie, added romance with the hubby enhances the flavor of the trip.

Drive to Key-West

Any trip to Miami is incomplete without getting wet in the waters of the world famous South Beach, go with your towels, sun screen and eye- glares to enjoy the Miami waters. Lay back on the beach chairs with chilled beers, a book or two or just be in the water the whole time, tan yourself , para-sail, jet-ski and all your stress will wither away in no time. Take a stroll of the prominent Art Deco street for observing the Miami night life closely, visit the world erotic art museum and enjoy your food with live music. You will thank your stars for tasting and exploring one of the best night lives of the world.

The famous Mallory Square

Miami is a blissful, fashionable and a sophisticated city with plentiful ways of enjoying your stay there, beat the beats to enjoy the Miami heat. Be a traveler instead of a tourist, add more "s" to your happiness..!!

Just before our para-sailing adventure

Para-sailed !!

The reason behind my energy and enthusiasm!!

I have no idea how do I start this post, I was wanting to write on this subject for a very long time now but somehow was not able to muster the courage to do so. But when I think of her, I just want to pen down my love, expressions in the form of words and thus today I am writing this post for my mommy, the source of my happiness, the rope of my strength.

My mother is a very simple lady, she never had any expectations from life, She has always thanked God for every little gift and never in my life I have seen her demanding for any of those fancy I want this-that things which women adore! Everybody was putting status messages on thanking their mommies yesterday and it does make so much of sense to thank your mom on mother's day but I realized I was just unable to do the same, I had so much to say, so much to write but I just couldn't. May be because one day was just not enough to thank her for what all she has done for me, may be one day was not enough to express my love for her , may be one day was not enough for making her realize that she is the center of my gravity, the reason behind my chilled out, simple and mommy will handle it all life.

My mommy has seen me failing and succeeding, she has seen me weak and strong, she has seen me sad and happy but I have always seen her loving, her failures, success, strengths, happiness everything just revolved around my happiness, If I cried she cried too and now that I am crying while writing this and it is becoming a tad heavy, I just want to say that mumma you are God for me and it would not be justified if I thank you because a thank you is just not enough, a day is not enough and neither a lifetime to explain what you mean to me.

I love you and always will!!

Aap ho toh main hun :)

Eat, eat and eat some more..!!!

Food is not a choice, it's a necessity. It's important to eat to carry out day to day activities.They say eat to live and not live to eat but for some people like me and my real close circle of friends we just live to eat and with all the enthusiasm and pride I declare that I love food and  food loves me back.

I made some real good friends over Maggi, street food, paranthas and what not, food not only connects two people once but it keeps connecting and re connecting again and again provided the love for food is real ;)

Infact eating is a simple answer to so many questions, when in dissonance with self eat chocolates, when you have a fight eat Maggi with Amul butter, when you can't understand life and don't know which path you are on, leave everything and go for some street food hogging, I know too much food is bad and all but it is any day better than a nicotine break, you don't want to lose your lungs weight in the end ;)

Eating your favorite food sometimes is very important to know your own-self, sometimes what you love to eat at a particular point in time can actually give insight about the problems you are facing. Believe you me a friend once in deep trouble left everything to grab her favorite ice-cream and ola!! she got the answer, I am not saying she found the solution in the ice-cream but ice-cream helped her to relax and think. Food helps, we just need to allow it to soothe and ease us.

If you agree with me, please share your thoughts on the same and the foods you prefer to eat during happy or tense times.

Happy Eattt..ingg :)

To be one with the nature..!!

Living in America is a dream come true for me.I always wanted to stay in a different country, I have felt the happiness of walking down the unknown streets, meeting complete strangers and living a life of a traveler settled in an unknown space. That very feeling is what I am living right now.

I love my life, it's exactly the way I wanted it to be. After spending an year and a half in Atlanta I have realized that this city is extremely blissful, it has that freshness, the warm touch , the simplicity , amazing people and a beauty which cannot be mentioned in words.

This weekend we decided to visit the Morgan falls, I have been to Morgan falls before as well but this time around it felt different, may be because I was observing it for the first time, may be it was just more beautiful than ever before or may be it's that time of the year when everything you see gives happiness.

The park is for all, everyone can enjoy there, there were rides with happy faces of young kids on them, there were porch swings overlooking the lake Chattahoochee, huge picnic pavilion , the fishing pier, the walking trails around the lake. A place for silent romance,  a sight for the photographers, infact we witnessed
a couple of photo shoots happening around the place. It's a place to relax, to walk on the soft grass, to disconnect for a while or just be there to catch a beautiful sunset.

The kid in me felt alive after so long as we played some games from the childhood days. Morgan falls is a place to relive the childhood, to de-stress, to be in and with the nature, to calm your senses and to feel the magic of the scenic beauty around. If you are feeling a little low and want a break, just drive down to the Morgan falls, sit down on any of the porch swings and you will be relaxed in no time as the nature would have done its bit for you.

Every now and then, we all need to unchain ourselves form the daily routine to feel the music of mother nature, to let the child in us come out.

Once a Yogi..!!

It's been almost nine months since I have been practicing yoga, the decision to join a yoga studio was very random. I moved to a new country and while I was on my exploration stage of looking out for adventurous ventures, I came across a silent yoga studio across the bus stand I boarded my bus from, their was something in the name of the studio rather than the yoga part itself, it read "You Yoga Me Yoga and more", I guess I wanted to visit it for the "more" part but somehow the whole story changed.

I was soon attending the yoga classes, the owner of the studio and the very welcoming and affable Yogi Andrea , sooner turned into a friend, she was my first friend in this new country. I was overwhelmed by her yoga mannerisms, she knows more about Yoga than any experienced Indian Yogi would know.

I was some how hooked to the studio, the peaceful room, the silent decor, the studio has a personality of its own, the events she does for engaging her clients were just so heart pleasing that one could not resist from keep going back to the place.

I am now a Yogi and I take much pride in becoming one, Yoga has changed me as a person, more than helping me in appreciating my own self, it has made me flexible not only physically but also in my thoughts, I am now more open in thoughts, feelings, understanding people. Yoga change the way you look at things, I am now less judgmental and my husband can vouch for that ;)

Today is the anniversary of the studio which changed my life, today is the anniversary of the smile which Andrea bought on so many peoples faces, today is the anniversary of her dreams which she once thought were not achievable.

I pray for Andrea and the studio and wish her all the success.

Once a Yogi....always a Yogi :)