A day with Romedy Now

There are days when one doesn’t want to do anything and in my case these days show up more often than the days when I want do to something. I just surprise myself at the length of time I can spend lazying in my bed and accomplishing number of things without even getting up like watching television, listening to music, eating while watching tv, reading, talking on the phone and the list goes on. So when I actually fall sick and am allowed being in bed 24X7, it is like a guilt free, legitimate sponsored trip to heaven.

Another very interesting aspect of falling sick is the holiday you give to your mind.  The mind doesn’t want to be bothered then and it along with its best friend, “the intellect”, go away to have their little “them” time. I figured that maybe that is the reason that I suddenly start seeing the chick flicks and the RomComs with a whole new level of respect and love that it probably wouldn’t have garnered on an otherwise perfectly healthy day. Strict rule: no Tarantino, no Scorcese, no Nolan! Basically no Brain!!

Imagine my happiness and glory when I am on a sick day off and am showered with movies like Crazy Stupid Love, 27 dresses and Its Complicated. Now ever since, I have discovered Romedy Now channel , I have discovered an easy way to shut the mind off, watch honey dripping unrealistic romantic movies,  giggle away to glory, savour the aww moments and occasionally let a few tears roll down my cheeks. With movies like the ones I have mentioned above when I have the whole day to gulp them down in, is like a cherry on top of a delightful sinful chocolate cake. If you look at all the movies, there is a pattern. Boy and girl hate each, or one of them hates the other after an incident, a drunk scene (which is usually the in the stupor type, heart in the throat scene) and of course in the end the passionate kissing reunited scene. Yes, I know them all and I still watch them and am not ashamed coz its my ideal way to relax in bed with a chocolate in hand. I do not think men really care for unabashedly being stuck on Sports Channels, Star Wars or Sci-Fi movies , then why should we give a hoot for being suckers for a little bit of fairy tale melodramas!

Romedy Now, you have been a true companion, a light of happiness and motivation in my times of despair and I will be forever in your debt for just being there (after recharging my cable network timely). You will always be special, till deaths do us apart!

Since I always give a true picture of everything, Hmmmm...here is why you may not choose to watch RomComs:

http://themovieblog.com/2007/why-women-need-to-stop-watching-romantic-movies/

Time

Waves hitting the shore,


Winds of change sweeping me ahead

I smile and wonder,

How far I have walked,

Hugging the sweetest thoughts,

That shall ever linger,

And so many yet to unfold,

Time, the greatest adventure,

You need to embark on it, to see the full picture,

And joy shall overtake you like a flood,

Believe in Carpe Diem,

And you shall sit, attired in stars,

Reaching out for your dreams no matter how far,

We forget about time, yet it's all we know,

In time, there is everything, and time will show

Together Forever

There we were,
Staring at the dipping sun together


There we were,
Locking eyes and not spilling a single word ever


There we were,
Lost in the clouds and rain


There we were,
Enjoying the sweet sublime pain


There we were,
Holding hands and leading each other


There we were,
Walking on the road of life not knowing what lies further


There we were,
Uncertainty and doubts clenching our hearts


There we were,
Content and Smiling as we knew it be soon taken over by the love that runs through our veins in the hearts

Review: The Potbelly Rooftop Cafe

Rain and weekend and you see people scurrying out of their homes and rushing to sit out and enjoy the fine weather! Because its a Sunday and I had a late breakfast, so i decided to go out and have a late lunch, also hoping a late lunch would eliminate the rush and the crowd. So when me and my friend decided to meet, we as usual decided to head to CP where we can sit outside and chill. When we were just about to board the rick, I changed my mind and decided to go to this place where I have been planning to go for last one year. Yea, believe it or not one YEAR! 

And so I switched on my map, and headed to The POTBELLY ROOFTOP CAFE, a Bihari cafe. This is located in Shahpur Jat, very close to Hauz Khas Cafe. The entrance to the place is very unassuming. A few people even might not find it safe, especially if its your first time and you appear lost.  I have this stupid thing of not seeing the easy way and going the tough way. Living up to my habi whit, I chose to climb up the winding metallic stairs to reach this cafe on the 3rd floor instead of taking the good old straight forward stairs which was right in front (No i wasn't being adventurous, i just didnt see it) ! The result was by the time I reached the top I was dizzy. During the steep climb, my friend was constantly bickering where the hell have you got me! Frankly, even I started having my doubts... until I opened the door to the cafe.And boy was it teeming with people. 

First thought, ok this place is super hyped. It takes few mins for the place to sink in. It is very simply decorated but it is very colorfully done up. Bright cushion covers, green roof and cute lights add zing to the place. 

What took me by surprise was the way people were pouring in. It was half past three, and there were queues of waiting.I also overheard a guy saying whatever time it takes, I am gonna have lunch here. I was like waow! We asked for a place for two and the waiter patiently told us it will be at least an hour before we get a table. And so we stood looking at the food coming, going, people screaming, more people coming but no one leaving without eating. The food looked lovely and smelled absolutely tempting. Food award certificates adorned the walls. I do not know how but we did wait for 45 mins before we got our table and we werent complaining. 

We immediately ordered an apple iced tea, a litti mutton and a maithili thali. We got our order served to us in less than thirty mins and it was absolutely yummy. I do not know if it was the wait or what but we gobbled up the food like we hadnt eaten for a day. Having eaten the first bite, we immediately realised what the fuss is about. The food was goooood and it had a home cooked type flavour in it. It looked and tasted healthy.There are no dessert listed in the menu but they had a dessert of the day thing which you need to ask for. So today we had apricot and chocolate fudge and a pineapple pastry. But our lunch was so heavy and filling that we couldnt dare go to the dessert part. The meal was not expensive too. It cost us 760 bucks for our lunch which we couldn't finish!

Litti with mutton and aubergine salad

Sattu Puri and Onion puri with chana and aloo dal.served with masala curd and flax seed  sald

Pros

Undoubtedly, awesome awesome food!

Reasonably priced

Very well mannered and polite staff

Simple yet nice decor

snapshot of a part of the menu

snapshot of a part of the menu

Cons

Place is a bit small considering the demand

No alcohol

Location could have been better

A Happy Happy US

Apparently they have opened up a  branch near or in Chanakyapuri. So maybe some of you can try that. For me I had a lovely Sunday meal after a loong time!

Naukuchiatal... The Hidden Gem

Delhi is lucky in a way because out of all the metros, it is closest to all the gorgeous hill stations that India boasts of. The two most important states that it borders in that respect are Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and two most well known hill stations that are just 7 hrs drive away in these respective states are Shimla and Nainital. Owing to their proximity to the capital city, it goes without saying that these places are always packed with tourists looking for a break. So you can imagine my sheer pleasure on discovering Naukuchiatal which not only is at a stone throw distance from Delhi but also still has some of its sanctity in place!

Last weekend, I had a three day off from my work, so grabbing the opportunity I headed to the hills. The vacation was a lovely time off especially because of the place I stayed in.  This was a quaint home-like resort called The Camphor Tree Resort. The name of the place is derived from the big Camphor Tree that’s there in its premises, its branches all spread out as if offering its blessings.  The place is ideal for nature loving people looking for a quiet getaway.  The Naukuchiatal lake right in front of it adds to the serenity, the mysterious ruins around it adds to the grandeur and the foreboding forest behind it adds to the aura!

 The guys who run this place are awesome fun guys. The food was absolutely lip smacking and innovative. Two dishes that I really loved were Chicken in cashewnut gravy and poached peaches and orange in cinnamon syrup, perfect summer drink (picture below).

Things to do

• Due to the beautiful forests around it, perfect place for bird spotting and trekking
• Boating, zorbing and kayaking in the lake
• Para-gliding
• Best of all, take a book, listen to your favourite music and just relax amidst the nature ;)

                                                                my walk in the hills

How to reach there

•   Uttarakhand Volvos ply everyday between Delhi (Anand Vihar ISBT/ Kashmere Gate ISBT)  and Haldwani.
•  Very good train connectivity between Delhi and Kathgodam.
•  You will have to take a taxi from Haldwani/Kathgodam to Naukuchiatal. Its a 45 mins drive  and taxi usually taken somewhere around Rs 700-Rs 800.
•   Else just drive down from Delhi, will take 7 hours like I said.

You can check out more detailed pics of the resort and its rooms at its Facebook page: The Camphor Tree Resort and at my Instagram page @ganj15.

Companion

She plucked the petals: he likes me, he likes me not, he likes me, he likes me not, until the flower turned into a skeleton and there was nothing more to be bared of. She was eager to get his attention, to make the friendship stronger, but patience was not her finest of virtues. So she will have to work towards it, she sighed. To put efforts.

She thought of the long walks with him, there was definitely electricity between them; it was not just her imagination. His dark brown eyes and the sinewy physique! He, unfortunately, was still a little withdrawn and guarded. She smiled as she imagined all the view they could see together, if he allowed it. She knew she wanted him the moment her eyes had fallen on him.

Gathering her courage, she put on her cap and riding suit and walked to the stable to try yet again to break the shell of her favourite stallion: Abrazo.

Movie Review: The Judge

This movie was lying in my pen drive for quite some time now. I kept on ignoring it thinking it to be a technical movie with a lot of legal jargons, and keeping it as an entertainment of last resort.  Meanwhile, I watched all Oscar nominated movies, begin again (saw it twice!, my current personal fav, love keira), whiplash (woah Simmons!), birdman (Emma , love u girl!) and spectacular now ( an ole one..). So, one hot Sunday afternoon, I finally played it, as I ran out of other options. And boy! Was I in for a surprise!

This movie blew me off will be an understatement. I was hooked. And it touched a certain chord in me. The way it has explored the father and son relationship is just beautiful. Robert Downey Jr portrays the character spot on of a successful city lawyer who even when he is in his 40s is still waiting for his father’s pat on his back which he has never got. Robert Duvall as the father and a small town judge who tries to hold on to his self esteem even when he is facing a trial is commendable. The story unfolds with the demise of the judge’s wife and the lawyer’s mother which brings the son back to his hometown and so triggers many an explosive moments.

There were three scenes in the movie that I thought were the highlights of the father and son relationship as well their character:

1. When they are investigating the crime scene on a rainy day and the father screams that he is ready to take a hit with the trial rather than have a tainted reputation and the son taunting him of being a judge in “just another” small town and nobody gives a shit to his reputation.
2. The heated exchange of words during the heavy storm and how Robert bares his feelings of being needed and literally begging for a word of appreciation from his father.
3. The son washing and scrubbing his old father, putting to rest temporarily the differences and the concern and love taking over them.

While I know such movies can be highly predictable, but it definitely leaves behind something to think about. I know my father can be a very difficult person and I know he is not very vocal of his appreciations, because they are not comfortable displaying their affections.  They always criticise you thinking they are making you a better person, but somewhere it leaves a hole behind.  But what as a son or daughter needs to understand is that that is who they are and they will not change but we being a slightly open generation need to forgive that and be by their side whenever they need us.

Another aspect that makes me wonder not particularly about this movie but generally. Why do most of the movies show a divorced, separated or a difficult guy having an only daughter? Does having a daughter show a softer side to their otherwise arrogant and strict persona. I am not sure. Views are welcome!

I will end this with this one scene that brought out a giggle from me.  When Robert is given a lift by Vera (ex gf) in her car and Vera is accompanied by her daughter. I would not disclose what happened because that will be a spoiler but it was really funny and the look on Robert’s face on seeing the daughter is indescribable!

So hope you people enjoy it as much as I did, happy viewing!