So, despite the previous poll i wasn’t able to get the blog name that won. yum is no longer available because they’ve increased the limit for a blog name to four alphabets. I swear it was available when I tried earlier!!!

Anywho, the blog is up now here and I hope to see you guys there! Some of my friends along with our very own TFL are a part of this venture so there will be a variety of dishes in the future

There’s still a lot of work that needs to go into the layout but the blog is officially active!

YaY!

I’ve been meaning to get a food blog started since a while.

Considering how I’m always running after my mum, actually I run after anyone’s mum, it would be a great thing for my kids – if I ever have any of course. They wouldn’t ever have to run after anyone and distressingly beg for detailed recipes to replicate those delicious noms they love so much in their own kitchens like I have to!! What a superb gift right? AND it’s free! AND delicious!

So I had decided on a name I absolutely loved, made the blog and everything, and then I don’t know HOW I DELETED IT!!!!

I am S O sad.

I really want to use just that very name for the blog but now I can’t because apparently once deleted, the name is lost forever!!!!!

*sigh*

The name of the blog was supposed to be “allthingsyum”, which I am very much in love with. “allthingsyummy” just doesn’t cut it. H A L P!

I suck at blogging. I think I’ve made peace with it *sometimes acceptance isn’t a good thing*

I’ve been back a good 3 weeks now and haven’t even posted once :! In my defense though, it’s been really hectic!! What with getting back to a cat fur infested home, homing two the kittens, my MIL staying with us (*ahem*) and Ramadan, I should be allowed some slacking right?? Many hate mails and lots of sorting later I was finally able to upload most of the India pictures on FB…I still haven’t sorted the Kerala trip pictures (it was SO gorgeous there!) coz there are just too many pictures and I get a bit put off at the thought of organizing them!! But I must say that it was a much better trip than I expected it to be, mostly because of the surprise Kerala trip. I had loads of fun, shopped only a little (but somehow we had 40+ kgs excess baggage!) and attended some weddings and even more pre/post wedding functions!

But of course I’ll write about the most important stuff; the Books!

I have this favorite bookstore in Mangalore. I *only* shop from there. Even if I see a book some other place that I want, I come back here and get it. A bit insane right? But see the thing is this place is one of those really old fashioned bookstores that F E E L S like a bookstore. Know what I mean? Also, the owner has never used plastic bags to give books since the God-knows-how-many-years he has been doing business. He packs the books in a paper bundle (or in my case most of the time in a box, coz there are too many) which is so cool coz it’s packed so well. I love my go-green store uncle. And the best bit is that he puts a little stamp of his shop inside of the book, which makes it so special and personal!! I love! Also apparently at this store, the guy *never* gives a discount, that was before me met yours truly of course. I’m always given discounts By which I have also become the envy of one of R’s friends who has been going there since ages!!

So, for once I’m putting up pictures (hope this works) for you to S E E why I love this store!

I bought these at on my first trip to the store

I wouldn't have got half those books if I got them here!!

Me, at THE store

Then, I went again after a couple of days...

...and bought these!

We were lucky that R’s bro and family and my MIL were coming within the next week or considering the excess baggage charges I would have ended up paying tons of money! I still don’t know what I bought…other than these books, some movies, a couple of salwar kameezs, some yummmmm biscuits from Bangalore, some funky jewelry I picked up, a really cool wok, achars (R’s mum makes them herself and they are SO good!), masalas, gifts for people and just a few knickknacks. And of course I had to bring back the 15 salwar kameezs and jewelry and makeup I took too.

*Hmmm…I wonder why the bags were so heavy*

I’m going to India for some weddings (!) and so I’m obviously going to be stocking up on books and DVDs there…they are SO much cheaper!

So go on, gimme some names of books/movies you’ve loved and I can get them if haven’t read them yet (which has a really high probability considering how I barely get time to read since I’ve been married!)

I rather get books really…I’m not big on watching movies at home…but if it was an exceptional movie (old or new) do tell me!

x

Before I was married I was quite unaware of South Indian fast foods. Actually considering most (all?) of my blog readers are Pakistani I think you’ll are more unaware than I ever was!! Hell TFL was so shocked when she came over once when I was making Dosa’s that I thought she was pulling my leg!! I mean how can you NOT know Dosa’s??? Thankfully she was impressed and has been to some restaurants since.

Coming back, well since being married I have been introduced to many dishes I didn’t know of before considering R is South Indian (from Mangalore) and he can live on purely Desi food and nothing else forever. So thanks to him I discovered a whole new meaning to South Indian fast food and have become quite a regular at a restaurant called Sarvana Bhavan. It’s a noisy dhaba like restaurant but the food is AMAZING. I used to go there once a week (that was when I got addicted) but now I go only once in a while.

So yesterday I was meeting a friend from school to catch up since I was in the area and we decided to go to SB since he’s Vegan and that really limits me and we both love SB. I was lucky enough to get a parking spot right in front of the restaurant and we had a really nice time.

But that’s not what this post is about. After we’re done we come out and I see someone has blocked my car by double parking at the curb. I waited for 5 minutes then honked and honked, tried to see if his car was open but it wasn’t (he has locked it and gone off!!!), I also went inside the restaurant to see if they knew whose care it was…maybe he was placing an order or something (because there was no where else he could have gone parking the way he was parked!!!). After 15 minutes of this drama I’m dead with the humidity and my friend suggests I try to get my car out from the little place by driving up the pavement a bit. It wasn’t impossible considering how little my car is but the guy who had blocked me was parked so close that the impact of going up the curb would probably bounce me into his car!

Anyways I was crazy pissed and didn’t know what else to do so I some how tried to help myself. So I’ve rolled down my windows and am struggling with the help of my friend when the lunatic guy who has blocked comes out chewing his food and says “Wait Wait I will help by moving my car a little!”

I WAS SO FURIOUS!!! The way he said it was like he was doing me a fucking favor! Can you BELIEVE he was EATING INISDE THE RESTAURANT WHILE DOUBLE PARKED?!?!??!?

I yelled at him and asked him if he had any sense and how the crap can he block someone, double park and sit and have a meal!!??? To which he stops, glares and me and says to me “I know. Don’t teach me.”

WHAT.THE.FUCK?!?!?!?!

I was SO angry I wanted to ram my car into his. Seriously. I was SO MAD. And being as mad as I was I decided to not remove my car coz I didn’t want him to park in my spot. So I just sat in the car.

And what does HE do? He backs up to clear the way for me, double parks AGAIN, turns off his car and goes back to his meal!!!!! And guess where he was sitting ALL THE FUCKING WHILE I WAS HONKING FOR ATTENTION?!?!?! He was the ass hole sitting in the window with his family and his fat daughter was WATCHING ME THE ENTIRE TIME and it STILL took him 15 minutes to come move his fucking stupid Nissan.

Can you believe that?!?! An entire adult family of 4 is sitting and having a meal while they have double parked their car leaving the blinkers on (as if that’s some sort of fucking consolation!). they sitting is FULL visibility of their car AND the car they have blocked, have been watching me the entire time and have STILL sat there on their FAT useless asses and just continued on with their meal!!!!

I SO WANTED TO SCTRACH HIS CAR. If it wasn’t for N who was with me I would have. N thought the guy was only placing his order and I was over reacting but when he saw him go in and back to his table that was in full view of us he was too shocked to believe it.

I’ve taken down his number plate and if I EVER see him anywhere I WILL STRACH THE ASSHOLE’S UGLY CAR.

KHABAR DAR! HOSHIYAAR!

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THEIR INNOCENT LOOKING FACES!!!!! THESE CATS ARE A PART OF “THE GANG” . TERRORIZING ALL HUMANS THEY MEET THEY HAVE MERCY ON NONE. DON’T FALL THEIR VICIOUS TRAP. IF SIGHTED DON’T ATTEMPT TO GO NEAR THEM OR CAPTURE THEM!!!! KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AND CALL THE NEAREST EVIL-CAT-NAPPERS-AUTHORITY!

*sigh*

We had finally found someone who was to come clean our apartment thrice a week. Only he ran off the second time he came. Because he was afraid of the cats.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!??!?!

He called R (he came while we were at work) and said he can’t do it because the cats were “attacking” him.

See, when we or anyone for that matter comes home Bijli has a habit of stretching on the persons legs. Much like a dog would you know. She stretches, you pat her and off she goes. That’s probably what happened.

But the guy translated it as “Body pe attacking sir!!!”

He actually RAN for his life. I kid you not. When we reached home we found the dusting cloth OUTSIDE our apartment!!! OUTSIDE! Inside, the vacuum was out, there was a bucket in the hall that was toppled over (thank god the jerk didn’t leave water in it!!!)!!!!
HOW CAN SOMEONE BE SO AFRAID?!?!??! OF KITTENS?!?!?!?!?!?

I’m sure Garfield didn’t do nothing coz he’s the most quite non intrusive cat EVER. Bijli is also extremely human friendly and so are the kittens.

When we told the woman who recommended him she couldn’t stop laughing and said “Yea, he is quite a sissy. Keeps complaining and whining worse than a woman sometimes!!”

WTF?!

R was in stiches laughing.

I on the other hand and sickly worried because the lady that recommended him is the one who is supposed to come take care of them when we are in India..! What if he scared them off!?!

I’ve somehow lasted the three months of grueling training.

Today is the show that will graduate me into the world of hairdressing!

I’m a nervous wreck right now. So I know it’s not a biggie really, but it IS!

Wish me luck!

(Oh and I bought myself a really cool Cerena cutting sissor and a texturizing scissor from Beauty World yesterday to celebrate! AND the guy gave me the coolest white leopard print holster for FREE with it!! It’s a sign that I’m going to be a really really cool hair stylist!!!)

As of yesterday R is on a diet. And in effect so am I. It should be easier doing it along with someone else right?

Wrong. I just ate a bar of Snickers. Yum. Tastes so much better when you’re not supposed to be eating it

So. Atleast two people still check this space (though can’t figure out for the life of me why!)

I’ve been meaning to blog since ages. Really I have. It’s just that I’ve been so busy with my classes and I’m too exhausted most of the time. I absolutely HATE sitting at the computer now. Hate it. Hazards of my profession. Hopefully soon to change.

So considering there are WAY too many things to update (some going back a year!) which I have invariably too lazy to write about entirely I decided a cheat post with bullet points wouldn’t be altogether that bad! No? Well here goes…

1. I finally got my promised wedding gift from my BFF Mugen in August 08 after 9 months of nagging R; a kitten. She’s a Siamese and the most lively and energetic cat I have ever had (and that’s saying something coz I’ve 6 earlier) and we named her…*drumroll*….BIJLI. I had been meaning to blog about her forever but somehow didn’t get down to doing it. TFL was cat-sitting for her last November and I tried to con her into posting about Bijli but it never happened! So now you know!
2. I adopted a friends male cat in February because she was getting married and couldn’t keep him and I really did want Bijli to have some company. He’s a fat lazy Persian pertinently christened Garfield. He more than lives up to the name.
3. Bijli and Garfield got in on and Bijli gave birth to a beautiful litter of three last month. We’re still wondering how Garfield managed to actually do it though. The kittens are called Sully, Crush and Bella inspired by Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and Beauty and the Beast characters respectively. I am SO in love with them. I really do want to keep them but 5 kitties would be a bit much for my allergies (that’s why it took so long to convince R in the first place!!)
4. I rescued a 4 week old kitten that was being abused by some wankers near my parents house in Sharjah and my BIL and SIL have adopted him!! He’s been named Rowdy Tigger (or was it Tigger the Rowdy?) by the kids. Yes, I am quite the cat lady. Although even I can’t believe the first four updates are ALL dominated by cats!! That is a bit sad.
5. My mum had a heart attack but she is better now alhamdulliah. It was caused due to blood pressure and it was really scary. Really REALLY scary. There was always a throng of people at the hospital once she was slightly better and recovering and it really annoyed me considering she really needed rest. But she wouldn’t listen. Anyways she is better now and that’s what matters.
6. My hairdressing classes are going superb and I have another 2 weeks to go! I have no clue about how I’m going to pursue this further until now. I can’t quit my job and get into it full time coz it won’t pay much at the beginning. I guess I’m going to work something out or make a decision soon.
7. R went on a holiday to Phuket with some friends last week. I almost forced him to go. I was intending to send him to India for a couple of days for his birthday coz ALL his friends are there and he really misses them but then this came up and I thought better this than India. Most people I know were scandalized that I was so cool with him going for a vacation with friends. I still don’t see why not. I mean he had extra leave days and his friends were going so why not!?
8. I invited myself to TFLs and in effect got to meet Hemlock. Yes people, she is exactly as loony, entertaining and super as her blog. TFL had cooked the most delicious Biryani (I’m not even a Chiken Biryani fan and I took TWO helpings!) and THE most amazing double chocolate muffins. Oh! The Muffins!! TFL when’s the next batch baking?!
9. When R was gone, I caught up with people I’ve been meaning to meet but hadn’t managed to in a while what with the classes and everything. Friday was the longest day of my life. I slept at 4 am on Friday morning (Thursday night??) woke up at 7 am and next thing I know it’s 3 am when I reach home again!! I think it was more to do with the fact that being at home alone was a bit depressing so I tried to stay out if I could help it.
10. I got my hair colored – Red, then toned it down to a darker shade coz I had an interview, and now its Fuchsia. I LOVE It. Being a hairdresser has it’s perks!
11. I’ve been diagnosed with Glucose intolerance. So that beings my list of suffering aliments to a grand total of 8. I am sick and tired of doctors and medications. To make matters worse the Glucose intolerance tabs have had me on a constant nauseated mode since the last 2 months. It’s disgusting. Did I mention I am tired of being alive? I am.

So that about covers everything. I think. For now!

This is easy. Maybe I’ll do all my posts quarterly and in bullet points! Hah! Genius plan!