There is no sincere love than the love of food - G. B. Shaw

Instructions by Neil Gaiman

Touch the wooden gate in the wall
you never saw before.

Say 'please' before you open the latch,
go through
walk down the path.

A red metal imp hangs from the
green-painted front door as a knocker,
do not touch it; it will bite your fingers.

Walk through the house.
Take nothing.
Eat nothing.

However, if any creature tells you that it hungers,
feed it.
If it tells you that it is dirty,
clean it.
If it cries to you that it hurts, if you can,
ease its pain.

From the back garden you will be able to see the wild wood.
The deep well you walk past leads to Winter’s realm;
there is another land at the bottom of it.

If you turn around here,
you can walk back, safely;
you will lose no face. I will think no less of you.

Once through the garden you will be in the wood.
The trees are old. Eyes peer from the under-growth.

Beneath a twisted oak sits an old woman.
She may ask for something;
give it to her.

She will point the way to the castle.

Inside it are three princesses.
Do not trust the youngest. Walk on.

In the clearing beyond the castle
the twelve months sit about a fire,
warming their feet, exchanging tales.

They may do favors for you,
if you are polite.

You may pick strawberries in December’s frost.

Trust the wolves, but do not tell them
where you are going.

The river can be crossed by the ferry.
The ferry-man will take you.

(The answer to his question is this:
If he hands the oar to his passenger,
he will be free to leave the boat.
Only tell him this from a safe distance.)

If an eagle gives you a feather, keep it safe.

Remember: that giants sleep too soundly; that
witches are often betrayed by their appetites;
dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always;
hearts can be well-hidden,
and you betray them with your tongue.

Do not be jealous of your sister.

Know that diamonds and roses
are as uncomfortable when they tumble from one’s lips
as toads and frogs:
colder, too, and sharper, and they cut.

Remember your name.

Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found.

Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped
to help you in their turn.

Trust dreams.

Trust your heart, and trust your story.

When you come back, return the way you came.
Favors will be returned, debts will be repaid.

Do not forget your manners.
Do not look back.

Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall).
Ride the silver fish (you will not drown).
Ride the grey wolf (hold tightly to his fur).

There is a worm at the heart of the tower;
that is why it will not stand.

When you reach the little house,
the place your journey started,
you will recognize it, although it will seem
much smaller than you remember.

Walk up the path and through the garden gate
you never saw before but once.

And then go home.

Or make a home.

And rest.

Hummus in my salad.

While scanning through the refrigerator and thinking of what to eat for dinner  tonight I  realised that there's a variety of lettuce, bell peppers, lemon, sweet basil, alfa-alfa sprouts, cucumber and a small bowl of boiled kabuli channa or chickpeas or garbanzos (if you're spanish). The fiber-and protein-rich legume with a slightly chestnutty flavor is one of my favourites. I instantly knew that I wanted to eat salad. Maybe with hummus, not quite sure of how it might taste but I wanted to give it a try.

I quickly made some hummus. There was plenty for everyone, so I put it in a glass jar and stored it for later. I quickly chopped the veggies and put a table spoon of hummus on top, squeezed some lemon, sprinkled salt and pepper.The salad looked colourful and inviting! Took my first bite and boy it was good. I'll definitely eat it again. 

I'm going to experiment with salads and dressings. 

Moi.


 


 

Oui,we!

Left,right,left
You pick right,I choose left
You take things with a pinch of salt
while I passionately believe in what I do
I am a child of the mountains,the earth and wet soil unleashed by the rain
You are a free spirit, high on life and energy, with no strings attached
We come together as bits of glass and pebbles in a magical kaleidoscope.

Forever changing.The clouds and I.

                             Kolhapur, January 2012.

At The Starting Line

I love food and am too lazy to exercise. A deadly combination no doubt!I have always been large as far as I can remember and over the years I have made numerous unhealthy short term efforts to lose weight I have put myself physically and emotionally through a lot of unpleasantness.Am going to take control of my life .I want to be healthy and fit and live my life with passion and live it fearlessly! So, here I am at the starting line.

Off the Scale Goals:

• Get healthy and fit. Make it a habit.
• Eat nutritious food everyday, eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful.No skipping breakfast.
• Keep my body hydrated properly.
• Learn meditation 
• Save money every month
• Get back to photography, art and Odissi.
• Travel often.
• Do the Kailash Mansorovar trek with my father by 2016
• Read a book every month.
• Buy my cycle 

Can't wait to strike off  items from this list one by one.

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.