Thirsty Thursday.... Salud ~

It was 2006, no wait was it 2007? The year is fuzzy.. but i do remember it was Oct 1st week and I was in Delhi with friends. We had just returned from our whirlwind trip to Ajmer- Pushkar and Jaipur and were staying at a lawyer friend's house, and were all headed to another friend's place for lunch and drinks. 

And I must mention that I was meeting most of them for the 1st time. I knew them all through Ryze, but hadn't met most of them [for obvious reasons, I lived in Chennai, they in Delhi] . 

Anyways, without digressing further. We reached Paddy's apartment complex, managed to find his apartment and were welcomed by quite a few early birds. Soon, the space was filled with chatter, there was some singing, lots of laughing and a few empty and full glasses on the table. We were not drunk, but getting there. There was beer sitting in a tub of ice, vodka, whiskey and just about everything else you can dream of. 

Suddenly, R came out screaming that she had found a bottle of Tequila [ unopened] and announced that we were going to do shooters. I was new to this whole shooting concept [not shot ducks, people, or tequila] and so approached R and shared this with her. She took me under her wing and taught me  how to shoot a tequila.

Shot glasses came out, arranged in a row, and she poured tequila in all of them, continuously without pulling back even once. And suddenly out of nowhere emerged a tray of sliced lemon and some salt.  This is when I knew it was bound to get interesting. 

And then we were told [ who am I kidding, not "we", but "I"] to "Lick the salt off your hand, drink the entire shot of tequila, and suck the juice from the lemon wedge"... Tried practicing it before the actual moment, and before I knew it, I had downed not 1 but 3 shots of Tequila. I was still standing, head was not buzzing and I was steady~!! From that day on, R became my guruji ....  hic hic

A few years down the road, Jan 2009, after a friend's wedding, we landed at her parent's house after a night show and pulled out this Sierra Tequila bottle and gulped it down shot by shot till we reached the bottom of the empty bottle... I had become a pro!

Both these apart, I remember an evening at TGIF in Bangalore with a friend. There was this guy in full Mexican attire, down to the sombrero ringing the bell and asking people if they wanted a Tequila Shot. He would ring the bell, ask the people in the table, take a small gulp and move on.... wondered how drunk he must have been by the end of the night... 

But it has been a while since I had tequila... even though the mere mention brings fond memories and a smile.. 

Submitting this for the Thirsty Thursday theme by Chennai Bloggers Club.. :-) 

Celebrating Chennai..Wordless Wednesday... Life

Putting this post a day early. Why? Because it seems apt for the Wordless Wednesday theme from Chennai Bloggers Club.

This photograph was taken during the Chindatripet Photowalk..

Serene Sunday... Fluffy clouds

If there is one thing that gets me smiling and happy, it has to be the sight of the white fluffy clouds up in the sky. I can sit and stare at them for hours together. I just stare, no thoughts, nothing in my head. And whenever i am travelling, I am always looking up to see if there are some interesting movements, or formations. I remember how when I was small I used to try to guess the shape, it could be a bear, or a heart, or a man holding a stick and walking along.

These clouds seem to calm me down, helping me deal with whatever it is that bugs me, my mind gets cleared  and worries disappear...  

Here are some skies shot in Chennai and around.. :-) 

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky~ Rabindranath Tagore

I'm a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds.~ Mike Tyson

I know that I shall meet my fate somewhere among the clouds above; those that I fight I do not hate, those that I guard I do not love.~ William Butler Yeats

Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water.~Christopher Morley

Submitting this post for the Serene Sunday theme by Chennai Bloggers Club

Skywatch Friday.. Flower Friday.... Roses Galore

We were in the Blue hills, the Nilgiris and this trip was with my dear darling friend and her family [who are as good as mine]. Since it was my friend's 1st time in Ooty, we decided to do all the touristy things. One of them was a visit to the Rose gardens[also called Centenary Rose Park], situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram area. Luring the kids with a promise of a park, we piled into the car and drove down to the place. Upon parking the car, I ran ahead with the kids only to stop stumped. The Rose gardens seemed never ending. My friend's son and I tried to see far ahead and all we saw was mist and a hill hiding behind the sheet. Wow... We wondered how large the garden was and if we would be able to explore the entire space. The other interesting thing about this place is that the tiles you walk on have rose image engraved on them. :-) 

Jumping down the staircase one at a time, we kept pointing out to the largest rose in the garden. He would point to one, and I would rush over to see it; pretty soon his sister would point to one and we would tumble across. This went on till my friend and her hubby joined us and knocked some sense into our heads [atleast we let them think they did..] My friend had knee pain, and could not walk long. We asked them to rest in the gazebo while the brat and moi went ahead. The girlie wanted to join, but I knew both would be more than  a handful. I made a pact, 2 rounds with her brother and then it would be her turn to walk with me. :-) 

The roses we saw were beautiful, some were huge, bigger than my palm [yes, I have big hands]. It was such a burst of colour- pale pink, bright pink, white, red, burgundy, yellow, orange, peach, orange and red, yellow and red, the colours were just amazing. Some were small, some were large, some with pretty petals while others had small petals. Some stood tall, while others seemed to be searching for something on the ground below. 

The skies were clear and blue, the roses such a stark contrast to the soothing skies, as if they were telling the visitors "this is how life is, good and bad, bright and dull, learn to accept & move on"... 

Phew, not sure how long we were there, but we were exhausted and had managed to see about 3/4th of the place. Would need a day, but we dint have that kind of time. Suddenly, I heard my name being called out. It was time to scoot, we headed out but not before taking a few group photographs. 

PS: This garden has received the as "Garden of Excellence" by the World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) in 2006.. There are only 4 other gardens to have received this award. 

For more beautiful skies, visit skywatch Friday. Am also submitting this for Flower Friday, the theme set by Chennai Bloggers Club for today!