Life summarized

‎"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life. I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."- MAYA ANGELOU
These are beautiful lines depicting exactly how I have been feeling lately. 

Weekend of fun:
Last week was a blur and I fail to recollect most of it except for the weekend. 
Friday night we planned a surprised birthday party for Rohith's aunt and boy was she surprised!
Just notice her reaction. 

Surprise!

Our twin cousins prepared such yummy finger food comprising of bruschetta, pasta salad and jalapeno poppers.

The spread!

Jalapeno poppers

For dessert, they made chocolate covered strawberries at home from scratch. These were so yum!

Chocolate covered strawberries

We got her some flowers as that was the only thing missing in the celebrations.

Flowers for the birthday lady

Rohith worked long hours for all of last week (including Saturday) and wanted to relax. So I made the plan to travel out of town on my own to attend a new born baby boy’s party.

Life is funny: 

I completely forgot to notice that I was aboard an express train to Stamford this time. When the station finally came, I was too engrossed in my book to notice it. As soon as I realized, I threw my stuff on the platform and jumped right out of the coach. It was very embarrassing and funny at the same time. 

My treats at Satmford, CT:

They are countless. The first and foremost treat is to meet my thirteen months’ old niece. She is absolutely the cutest and most beautiful kid around us.

I picked this for my sweetheart niece, Suhasini, from kidding around inside the Grand Central Terminal.  She immediately got busy with it, as soon as I took it out of my bag. 

Story book for Suhasini

As it was tea time, my phenomenal cook friend, Juhi, made this upma for us.

Upma

We sprinkled a little bit of namkeen over it and the taste leapfrogged to the next level.

Heavenly

Out of all my school friends, only Juhi truly makes me feel that I am at my mom or sister’s home in India with her welcoming nature and never ending jokes besides the home made Indian goodies that she keeps preparing all along.
 Sunday:
We attended our school friend’s baby boy’s arrival yesterday at an Indian place in Edison, NJ called Akbar. It was nice to see her and her family after almost two years. All of us went Indian for the celebrations, which was nice for a change.

R to L: Juhi, Megha and yours truly

Dinner and Lunch:

I was so bushed from the travel back last evening that I turned in very early even without having dinner. Rohith ordered pizza from Domino’s upon my suggestion. I had this one at Stamford over the weekend and really liked it. This one is two toppings with roasted red peppers and pickled jalapenos and absolutely rocks.  

I had it for lunch today and it was equally good.

Game changer

Workout:

I started my workout gradually today as I had all the energy of a used tea bag this morning. 

After Sun salutations 1 and 2, I did the yoga sequence for lower back pain. It really helped me ease my aching lower back.

The week ahead: 

The week ahead is going to be hectic and the weather will also not help it seems. 

Have a productive week ahead guys!

I will be rooting for you all. xxxx

Question for the day:

• Have you ever thrown a surprise birthday party for someone? If yes, then what was their reaction?
• Do you have a close friend who makes you feel right at home whenever you visit him/her?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot com or comment below.