Yeah and pigs would fly… the reality is that when too many things are happening we do not even realize how time flies… good or bad…

So anyway, in between I would like to take some food pauses… which kind of freezes some delicious moments..

Sometime, back, I thought that I was spending so much amazing time on the road, I must have been a truck driver in my past life.. LOL..

Now I spend whatever little free time watching food shows… and well, I am now thinking maybe in my future life, I would like to be a chef.. hahahah

So anyway, with Dad and Rocks here, I kind of did not bother to go to the fish market.. but Rocks and my tastes are quite the opposite when it comes to fish. Dad is like me, he will get the exotic and the routine, mixed.. and the pieces are good size..

Now why does the size matter here… I dont know maybe I am fan of fish and I like to have my fish big when I eat.. maybe its a bong thing.. I dont know.. but well my big and Rocky’s definition of big is way different.  :)

So off I went and today after a long time, got Boal fish..

Well, us living so far apart from home, we have kind of lost the seasonal delicacies which used to be cooked in the kitchen by mom and aunts. Boal, Ilish, Rui, Chitol, Puthi, Dry Fish..

Summer time, there would be some light  sweet and sour fish curry with seasonal veggies and we would also have the small fishes with some interesting spice mix..

Monsoon time, the fishes would change and so would the taste, the curries would be heavier intended to generate warmth. I remember having really exotic dry fish recipes which mom would make inspite of her heavy schedule of a 9-5 job. I have been ever so thankful for the same whenever I think of her..  When I was younger, I wanted her to make more fancy stuff but what she has left me with is legacy enough… and no one knows other than me how difficult it is to whip up a comfort meal which is nutritious tasty and well having variety.. Thanks Ma for that..

So anyway, winter was a time of fatty fishes..  and Boal Fish.  This fish has a lot of fat and is extremely tasty.   And I have had some really mouth watering recipes back home..

So well coming back to present, when I saw this Boal today, all the memories came back… and though I did not have the opportunity to  take recipes from Mom, I cook them up from taste and from what I used to remember helping mom and of course my aunts’ recipes..

Its funny how something so mundane… as a particular fish can infuse the memory bank with color of memories and forgotten tastes and the feel of winter.. back home in Shillong..  the home that was…

Sigh… so here I was re cooking a memory trying to recreate the same feel and it felt good..  the association was so warm….

And just yesterday evening, I was like looking up at the stars and asking the universe… ” how much longer ?? ”

And today connecting with the weaves  of the past, I felt alright again.. rooted, and the push to move forward..

Interesting… how we can associate with some really deep triggers and make lemonades of the lemons I am getting.. haahaha

I came across a shoebox of letters from my penpals and I re-read each of them and relived the days of my teenage years when there was no net and well only a phone and the magic of penfriendship. I still don’t remember how I got into that. I remember just picking up SUN magazine which used to be a rage in Shillong for teens and adults alike and started writing to strangers. And lo and behold !! I realized from the cozy room tucked way amidst rolling hills that there was a world which could be explored via pen and paper and my pocket money of 5 to 10 bucks would actually enable me to indulge in something worthwhile and exciting rather than spending it on friends who would inevitably be short of money and would keep asking me for some with no account.

There were some very eloquent friends with whom it was a pleasure sharing thoughts, hobbies, answering questions and asking the same over topics which only a teenage could wonder. And it was one pen friend who remains close to my heart and I read his letter over and over again just to relive. A wrote long letters and yeah I used to think that finally I met my match in writing long letters. I used to spend all of my pocket money on envelopes, stamps and stickers.

We had a very interesting relationship. A used to be full of advice and me as usual used to question him and would love to put him on a spot. It used to be nice just waiting for his reaction on his many epistles. Hahaah !! When I had exams, he encouraged me. When I was upset, he would write such interesting thoughts that I would be happy reading his letters. When I was angry, I fought with him and yeah he was generous enough to apologized. He never let me forget that he was 4 years older to me hahaha !!

Somehow for a girl tucked away in the remote hills, A did open up some of the world to her eyes. Though it did not make much sense to her, it still made her happy.

When I fell in love for the first time, A was there telling me all the right things to do and not to give in to impulse. A used to write me letters sharing his views on movies and his views on many topics and well I used to really look forward to his letters and yes this was the only person whose letter writing frequency was more than me.

Somehow I lost touch with him and it was not his fault. I deviated and meandered through my path of self discovery when I lost touch with many of my friends. It’s been more than a decade but as I was reading A’s 3 to 4 and sometimes more pages back to back letters and having this really nostalgic walk down memory lane where my whole world was to be just a carefree and a brat of a teenager.

Even today as I write this I remember him with so much fondness.

And guess what !! I pinged a similar name in LinkedIn with similar background blindly and today morning the email confirmed that it was him. Yeaaaa !!!

Man it was too good to connect with him and here I am overjoyed and happy to get this good old pal back.

We never met but somehow he was one of my best pals with whom I could be the really confused and brash teenager that I was.

I was thinking as I was driving to office that I should be really lucky if my blind ping would connect me to this soul friend and well I guess I did have lady luck smile down at me.

On a different Note :

Watched Road Side Romeo.

• Loved the movie. Ok I like Animation Movies.
• I loved the villain Chharlie and his “jokes” voiced by Javed Jaffrey. Too good.
• I loved his PJs.
• I really do not like Kareena so much.. Sigh.
• Found Romeow cute.. and the movie funny.
• Animation was smooth and a pleasure to watch.
• Highly recommended if you like animation movie.
• with this movie, it feels like animation has finally arrived into the bollywood scene.
• Loved the songs.. Choo le na is a good number.. feel like dancing to it.. reminds me of the Shymak Davar song..

Watched Golmaal Returns

• Do not bother. It was totally flat.
• It was like they were trying to do comedy too hard.
• Directors should stop making sequels.
• I am happy to stick with Golmaal.
• Not reccomended even if you have timepass free time.. nope nope nope..

It felt nice to sit by Cafe Coffee day on a Sunday morning at Fame watching the crowd go by and looking at all the fancy cars rolling in as we waited for our movies.

We found that the best time to watch movies cheap and without fuss.. of booking tickets is on a Sunday morning.. buhahahah !! Jai ho to Baruah Smartass idea.. Buhahaha !!!

If anyone is interested in Plays, Rangashankara has this theatre fest going on. I would love to catch some plays there.. given the time. I love plays.

Hamilton won the F1 championship…  wethinks that there was some locha at the last moment.. not possible. But anyway Jai Ho.. to him

Shioks has reopened. I loved having my drinks at Moss.. Madhu is offering 15 percent discount on weekly lunches.. Do go. I am definitely going one of these days.. Location rocks.. and the lounge is cool. Calender this if you already have not visited.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. think after this has replaced my blue berry cheese cake.

Recipe:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
6 eggs, separated
2 lemons, zested then juiced
Butter or shortening, for greasing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a 2-quart mixing bowl combine, sugar, butter, flour, salt and milk, mixing until smooth. Add egg yolks to this and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest.

In a mixer, beat egg whites until peaks are stiff. Fold the yolk mixture into whites gently and combine the 2 mixtures.

Using butter or vegetable shortening, grease 6-inch custard cups. Pour the mixture into the cups. Set the cups in 1/2 inch of hot water in a 9 by 12-inch baking pan. Bake 25 minutes or until tops have risen and turn golden brown.

And if you just want to try this.. go visit the new Herbs and Spices in 80 Ft Road, Indiranagar.

Let me revel in bliss..