199/365 - 244/365 Catch up

This year is about to fly away and when I look back I feel where did all the time go?? 

I haven't been regular with my 365 days project, but It gives a second chance to start all over again next year, That's what optimistic people do ;)

We have been travelling a lot, 
Mumbai-Jammu,

Jammu-Kashmir,

Kashmir-Mumbai, 
Yes, it was a lot of fun, festivities, good family time together, Vihaan seemed to enjoy a lot more than we did. He was happy exploring the new spaces and new faces, and like it happens every time we return back home, he starts to feel gloomy, missing all the fun, all the independence he had, well that's life, he will get used to this life in Mumbai as he days will pass by.

Here are a lot of pictures that sum up our time spent so far, some pics were captured in Mumbai, some in Jammu, and some in Kashmir.

A fleeting moment - Thank you note :)

Last night , late late at night, a girl not so happy seemed to be emerging from my core,  leaving  my chest...evaporating into the air all around me...she turned to face me, looked me into the eye....and  I saw a pang of sadness in her perfect orb shaped twin eyes.

Her face pale as left over milk, her heaving heart that barely seems to be beating, her dry cyanotic lips, her clouded mind... chaotic with so many prophetic queries.... and I wondered why?? 

 I looked at her with those probing inquisitive eyes, and exactly at that very precise moment she smiled faintly, opened her mouth and said to me:

Tonight,I am nothing but your imagination,  a sham, a story book, a chimerical unfounded  nebulous entity, a pure figment of your and only your imagination  "Thank you " for liberating me !! For You have worked real hard to make me what I am today, and I am so glad you made me a Phantasmal blue-sky!!

92/365 and Evening Tea

92/365 and Evening tea

It was the time of early vespers and the plan of going out and for our evening tea was made in a jiffy, mom made tea and i made some cauliflower and onion pakoras, packed everything in our picnic bag and set out for Mughal gardens!! that's what I will always love about Kashmir, life is so simple and beautiful, you plan things and you get out , that's it, you don't have to worry about traffic, congestion and above all you have plenty of places where you can sit with family without unnecessary distractions, you can spend some quality time while having tea and watching the sun go down the horizon, it's breathtaking and simply beautiful, but in a metro all you have is shopping malls to go to, there is cacophony, dazzling with artificial lights to make you even more dull :(  !!

Coming back to our tea time, so on the way we have a lengthy discussion where to go because the choices are so many, I wanted to go to Botanical Garden, its vast, as far as eye can see...it has a beautiful pond... but mom wanted to go to Chamashahi, it's on the height, in the Zabarwan mountain and you get to see the view of entire Dal lake!! Dad was neutral ;) and Vihaan was least concerned about our discussions, he was busy watching the tree tunnels on the way....so finally we headed for Mom's choice...by the we had our refreshing tea , the weather had changed, it was sunny when we arrived and soon there was a cloudy overcast...with mild puffs enveloping everything around!! 

Vihaan had fun running around, giggling and playing with water... and when  the sun went down we headed back to our Home sweet home!!

88/365-Family outing

88/365-Family outing

On the foothills of mountain Harmukh is a beautiful Village "Naranag", it has scienic meadows, lakes, Tall Pine tree canopies, and unruly Sind river...apart from that it has a set of many small cluster temples of Shiva that date back to 8th century built by Lalitadhitya Muktadiya!!  The area is inhabited by local Gujjars now!!

It took us about 2 hours by car to reach the place, quiet untouched and relatively calm, we had our share of some quality family time and yes Vihaan had his share of fun as well....green meadows to run around under the clear blue skies, ice cold water to dip his tiny feet in and lots of fun in water fight , comfortable lap of grandpa, and lots of hugs and kisses from people nearby that were complete strangers yet seemed so loving, warm and welcoming   !!

here are few captures :)

Yoga & My thoughts around it!!

We all have heard a lot about it, apparently everyone is talking about it, every other article is regarding its benefits...well this is "YOGA"  Yes it has become the  latest fad with its name in the days marked internationally.

undoubtedly yoga is good for us, it is not just for body but for mind as well, its the holistic science that was put together many many years ago by a wise sage named Patanjali, he at that time recognized its true potential and took the task of arranging it, assimilating it at one place so that mankind will benefit out of it, and if you think you can't do it, think twice because you have already done it and you are not aware, you have practiced yoga in he womb, when you were in the fetal position...in deep meditation , the only difference is that at that time your lungs were not pumping oxygen and removing carbon dioxide, it was done by placenta :), so you have to learn that Pranayama (breathing exercises), how to breathe deeply, and exhale deeply as well, we all are accustomed to this involuntary shallow breathing, whereas to attain that stage of relaxation one needs to breathe deeply, and exhale deeply as well, expelling out all the negativity, frustration that grips our soul...then only can we be at peace.

There are few Asanas (body postures) that if you practice in your stressful times, they tend to ease that tension a bit, besides relieving those tension knots in your spine and neck, like the Balasana (child pose), i tried it recently , and it works great for me...there are many more that help with body flexibility and mental peace...i am thinking about starting a series about yoga poses in my blog, lets see how it goes and how i start...as i have said earlier, I start many things but hardly complete them , or stick to them...i have serious commitment issues, that i need to work on...so not bragging about anything right now..lets see..fingers crossed!!

Photography credits go to my Niece , Divya Kaur Mehta, she is a 9th grader, an artist, a phenomenal painter, and budding photographer!!

In the pictures above, my darling Nephew and my elder sis, apparently my family in Kashmir celebrated their yoga day in Narang Nag in south Kashmir amidst all the beauty, greenery and fresh air!!

Akash's 32nd Birthday!!

My best buddy turned 32 on 20th June!! The best part of marrying your friend is that you never realize that you are getting old, while years come and go just so fast!!

Our day started with a nice and hearty breakfast for Akash served with beautiful fresh flowers ;), then the much awaited Cake cutting, this time I ordered a Chocolate ice-cream roll cake and now that has become our fav, we absolutely love it!! and finally a Photo shoot!! 

I am waiting eagerly for Vihaan to grow up and be my charming companion in planning for occasions like these,it will be so much fun doing things together, going market, making plans, and shopping!!