Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad

Last year when we were in Hyderabad, we visited the lap of luxury in the form of the grand Falaknuma Palace. This fairy tale of a palace has been lovingly restored by the Taj group of hotels and guests can now marvel at its wonders once again.

Guests staying in one of its luxurious rooms, can wander about the palace’s common rooms such as the library and the Gossip room. We were just there for the food and fresh air, so we had limited (but splendid nonetheless) access to the Palace lawns. The food, truth be told, was just an excuse to experience this palace at our own pace.

The food was good, although the tables are not built for larger groups. We had to split the group in two. But the experience took you back hundreds of years where people enjoyed their food at leisure, then walked about the park overlooking the city expanse and pondered over life and its meaning, or the strategy of the next war.

We had an unhurried lunch and then a nice stroll. The hospitality was impeccable and the experience memorable.

Chowmahalla Palace - Hyderabad

I was in Hyderabad recently where we decided to brave the narrow lanes of the Old City and visit Chowmahalla Palace. It is strange that your list of places to visit often leaves out the spots close to you. Classic case of taking things for granted.

Palaces evoke a sense of romance and wonder in most of us...probably because of all the fairy tales we've been read all our lives. Living in those times though must not have been easy - even for royalty. Imagine life without indoor plumbing!

Chowmahalla has a great collection of artifacts and pictures, and what's more is that the recent restoration works have made it sparkle and the staff keeps it clean and green. We especially loved the chandeliers in all the halls.

Here's just a glimpse of what we saw.

Change Happens...except when you want it

I like change. Some people say I am crazy, but I do! Of course I wouldn’t want to wake up one morning and see my life turned upside down. Not BIG changes, but little ones that let you know that your life is moving forward.

One of the changes I have to have in my daily life is food…I can’t have the same kind of food on a regular basis - even if it is a diet of pizza and chocolates. If I get tired of one thing and can’t find something different to eat, I just won’t eat! Did I mention I am also stubborn and picky?

Another thing I cave is a change in scenery once in a while. My last vacation was in November last year to Matheran. In December we did go to meet family, but that’s hardly a vacation. By June I was so stressed about the situation that I didn’t even realize it. I vented it out the only way I know how - food. I would order something new everyday to eat and since I din’t want to pile on too many calories (just many) I took to eating just once a day. I was perplexed at this eating habit and Husband too was at his wits end trying to get me to eat, until I figured the possible reason…no vacations.

With that frame of mind, I was actually glad to go out in July to meet the families. Still not a vacation per se but we did have fun, met friends and family (some after ages) and ate a lot (food is a recurring theme with both our families).

Now that we’re back, I feel refreshed and my eating habits are back to normal (or what qualifies for normal in my case). I wonder how some people resist even small changes like these. How do they survive? How closed is their mind hat they won’t try new things, have new experiences? I would die from the inside out.

It's the Thought that Counts

Store bought gifts are good when you know the person wants something particular. But when gifting, always buy what the receiver would appreciate, not what you like. I know a lot of people buy something they like and then gift it to someone thinking, "If I liked it, I'm sure everyone else will too." Hence, the birth of re-gifting and returns.

Then there are people who are difficult to shop for. Adults can just as well buy most of what they want (and can afford) so they would appreciate something that can't be bought. It doesn't have to be something crafty; it could just be a memorable experiences. A good experience is a cherished gift. A surprise party at their favourite restaurant, a meal cooked from scratch, or just a day spent together on a picnic.

I for one am tired of things that deplete my closet space.

UPDATE:

The Big Move

I like change...in fact, if I don't have some change every once in a while, I start to get restless. So in that spirit, I opened a Tumblr account after having used Blogger for a year now. This is not so say I am giving up my Blogger page. I will be having my cake and keeping it too.
Of course the big question was how to transfer all my posts without spending the entire week on it. A quick Google search led me to a tool which transferred ALL my posts in 1 minute flat...WITH pictures! If we didn't have Google, I think it is safe to say, we would not have advanced much technologically or otherwise.
So here's to new beginnings!

Human VS. Animal

It's been almost 4 years that I've been married, which increases the frequency of the dreaded question, "When are you giving us the good news?" I have given people a lot of good news these past few years - promotions, hike in salary, new adorable pets - but that was apparently not good enough. Like a friend said, the next stage would be when people start giving you numbers of fertility doctors, and if that doesn't work then in a few years they'll start giving you contacts of gurus and magic healers.

I don't know what's with wrong with choosing to not have kids or having/adopting them when you are ready for the torment? It all seems like a number game. I know of someone who had a child only because she was told that she should have all her kids before she reaches 30. I agree that it becomes difficult for most to conceive after 30, but that doesn't mean you live your life with deadlines - marry at 25 and give birth by 30. There is also no guarantee that even before 30 you'll conceive without hassles and have a smooth pregnancy.

What of those who do not want kids at all, or prefer to adopt instead? Just because it is not the choice you would have made, does it make my choice wrong? With all the chaos in the world, the neglected children, is it right to bring a new life just because you can say, "This is Mine"? There are people who are born to be parents, and then there are people who would like kids of their own but it is not a high priority. I would be the second kind.

Meanwhile, Rummy and Bing are getting along famously. They are a 24x7 entertainment channel. Even when they're sleeping they're fun to watch. We're in the process of searching for kennels that will keep both of them when we go out of town (no luck so far). They will miss each other if they're separated I would like to think.

Having some Wheatgrass

Bing's baby tooth

Bing's First Walk

WAR!

Boredom Breeds Creativity

Husband's away for the weekend for a conference and I didn't feel like working. Thankfully, I work from home and it allows me a little flexibility with regards to how I manage my time. My social life does suffer since I don't get to interact with people face-to-face, but it is a compromise I'm more than willing to make.

So I went looking for something to do around the house and decided to do something with two wooden canisters I've had for a while now that have been withering away in some corner unused. So I got out my craft basket, switched on the TV, and set to work.

A plain old canvas is what I had to start with. I love natural finishes, but somehow this look wasn't working as the canisters just faded in the background.

I wanted something to go with my multi-coloured living room that has orange and pink as it's core colours (and doesn't look girly at all). I used my set of acrylic colour set that I've had for the longest time now! So all my artwork kind of seems to tie in with similar colour themes from the same box! (Example: See the two paintings at the bottom of this post.)

The other one I wanted in purple, just because I felt like it. It turned out decent as well. I need to practice on getting my hand to be steady though. It's only so many times that I can blame a clogged tube of paint!