The Virtual Messengers!

Living in a country far away from your homeland brings along a bunch of emotions. At the outset, you are very excited, want to explore the place around and on the other hand you miss your home country, your old life. And when the distance between the two countries is 13,289 km, it's even more complicated. You try to find things which will help you get adjusted in the new place and yet be connected to the old. That's when the  awesome saucesome messengers/networking sites come to rescue! Whoever coined the name messengers to these connectors, needs to take a bow!

Before being married, i use to have a Yahoo! messenger id but i would hardly use it. I used to live with my parents and siblings, so wouldn't need that to talk to them, though i see it happening now in some homes and it's gonna go up in the future!! Kill me if i'm wrong! To talk to my friends/cousins/neighbors, i had my mouth which would personally be present with me and i had my cell. More than enough. Way more than enough. Yahoo! would be used to chat/talk with folks who were geographically far, in the sense that i would need to travel at least few hours to talk to them personally. Adding to that i had an account on Orkut (Rest in Peace), Hi-5! (Don't even know why i had that), Hotmail Messenger ( I guess it was called that earlier) and other sidey sites whose names i don't even remember now.

And then i got engaged. Yahoo recovered its money.

We used Yahoo! Messenger (YM) to chat. Initially, Once a day, then multiple times a day. Oh Yeah, I should give credit to Gmail, for that was used to 'correspond' first. Gtalk was used rarely too. But Yahoo! Messenger takes the trophy. Firstly chats, then video chats. The emoticons were soooo cool and we would have so much fun using them in our chats. Aaah, what a beautiful phase that was. I always tell the 'Engaged-madly-in-love-couples' to enjoy the time from their engagement to the wedding, because that is seriously the best time of one's lives! Trust me on that! So yeah, there we were enjoying that phase and taking full advantage of the virtual messenger, Yahoo! The offline messages feature was used to its full capacity too, thanks to the distance between NY and India.

We got married. Enjoyed one month together until Darling Hubby (DH) was back in NY. And then Yahoo! was back in action too on our comps & smartphones. We were very happy with YM. The video quality was not that great but we were happy. Truly, Love is blind! LOL! 10 months passed by, i was finally in NY. Alhumdulillah! Yahoo! was again being used but to a different audience now. Audience, because now i added  family, friends, neighbors and everyone else whom i missed. Until one day Skype was downloaded.

A lot of my family/friends used to always tell me to use Skype but i was kinda loyal to YM and so i would say i'm happy with YM and don't see the need for Skype. But Alas! Kisi ki nazar lag gayi ( I actually think it was done by one of Skype's employee, Hmmn) that my YM was hacked and i couldn't log in. I was sad, i was furious. And i downloaded Skype. I guess it was the 'Let's-try-it-once' thing that made me do it.

Since that day to this, i have been using Skype. I asked my family to download it as well and they loved it too. Video quality was much better and i realized later as to how bad YM video quality was! LOL! No offence YM, i still have a soft corner for you, after all you were the one who was with me in the most beautiful phase. (i guess that's the reason i am still logged in to it through my phone, tablet and comp though i hardly ever use it).. So now we started 'skyping' daily.

And then came the mother of all. Whatsapp! Amazing, mind blowing app, which i know everyone who uses it ,will join me in giving three cheers to it. Hip hip hurray.. Hip hip hurray.. Hip hip Hurray! That changed so many things. Of course there was Facebook to be in touch with my friends but WA was so cool, so easy and so very convenient! Best part, i didn't have to search for anyone on it because the people who mattered to me were in my phone's contact list and so automatically i saw them on WA if they were on it too. I was so excited to be using WA. No one in my house back in India, had WA on their cells back then and so i told my younger brother to install it since he had a smartphone. And he did.

Voila! That began the series of sending pictures and videos of Zidaan, which wasn't so convenient earlier. Now, it was just click, Whatsapp and send. So very cool! Best part he would check it instantly and show it to my parents and other siblings. We started loving it so much. I would chat with my other contacts too and my love for WA grew every day. One day a friend of mine created a group on WA. Our BBM batch group. That brought in so much of fun!! Initially we were just a couple of us and now we are 27. Imagine the fun we all have together. The 27 of us are in different countries, different time zones  all living different lifestyles but one thing common is Whatsapp! It has made us close friends even closer now. The chat is on almost the whole day with someone or the other posting something. Of course we all have kept our notifications on mute, otherwise our phones would be buzzing the entire day and night! But believe me, this is the best way i have ever been connected to my friends.

Whatsapp has made us do things which we would have otherwise never done. The biggest of all, it made my dad change his phone!!!!!! My mom who was so fascinated by WA, started pestering my dad to get a smartphone too so that she could get access to her grand kid's pics and videos more often, sine my brother would be away most of the day at the office. And he did oblige! LOL! My dad was so loyal to his phone but   he didn't think twice when he had to change it. All because of Whatsapp! Now my dad, my bro and my sister all have WA enabled phones. Yes, i gifted my sister a smartphone last month while i was in India for her birthday! I couldn't have given a better gift as nothing beats the fun of having conversation with your sister ;)

As of now i have 86 contacts on Whatsapp who are all dear to me and with whom i chat regularly. I am part of 4 groups too ;) The fun we had on BBM group inspired me to start two other groups. Both close to my heart. It's the MBA group where i have my best buddies from my MBA class together sharing happiness and creating fun and the AAA group, which stands for Andaz Apna Apna. People who know me very well know my craziness for the movie AAA and i have my friends who are equally crazy about AAA in that group. Actually i met these friends on a AAA forum on orkut and we have been such awesome friends since then.
( I have a post due from so long about AAA, will write about it soon Insha'Allah) ;)

Whatsapp has made me close to so many friends and family like i have never been before. Of course being together personally, talking, having fun is the best, but this is no less! It's all thanks to technology which has made the world so small and life so much fun and easy. Being away from family makes one feel lonely at times but these app's and sites help us in living a happy life, keeping us close with our loved ones. I never imagined being so close to so many people in spite of me living so far away, but it has happened. And it is awesome.

From this day until the next, when some other masterminds create even more unimaginable app's that will make our world tiny, Let's all create happiness and spread love & peace around.

The 16 hour challenge..err..Journey!

Yaaaaaaaaayy! We are going to India!! It's my first trip back home after moving to NY, Zidaan's first EVER trip to his homeland, 70 days of fun, laughter, yumm food, family, friends!!! Boy! It couldn't get any better.

La..la ..la .. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go,
I'm standing here outside your door,
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye..

Hey! Hey! What?! Zu, You sleeping?

 Aw, shucks! You ain't coming with us to India!! Nahiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....

*OMG, Why? How? Where? When? Who? WHAT??*

*Bhurrrrrrrrr.. You can do it, Naaz*

Yes, I'm gonna travel with my 7 month old brat.. I mean Baby, on a 16 hour flight to India, without my husband or anyone known to us! Woot! Cool! Super cool!

*Man, It's giving me the heebie jeebies already! How am i gonna handle this kid on such a LONG journey, ALONE?!*

Now the possible explanations to the WH questions!

Why? Cause my DH was so loving to have used up his vacation days during my delivery, when i needed him the most.. And of course, the vacation to Canada! When are we going back there! *Hugs*

How? How am i gonna manage with the static baggage and the mobile baggage (read Zidaan).How am i gonna entertain him throughout? How am i gonna make his food while having him on lap? How am i gonna get done with the airport formalities without having to run around behind Zid. How am i gonna eat? (Just Being human  here) , How am i gonna pacify him when he cries?!? *Pacifier Naaz, Dont forget to pack the pacifier*

HOW AM I GONNA MAKE HIM SIT IN ONE PLACE FOR 16 HOURS?!

Where? Where am i gonna feed him? Where am i gonna keep my luggage while i feed him, change him at the airport?

When? November 25, 2012 . NY- Dubai- Bangalore- Mangalore! 3 Flights.. Duration : Total time until i see my brother's waving hand at the Bangalore airport : 20 hours!!!

Who? Who will my co-passengers be? Will they be able to handle a hyper baby and a crying mom? *What a sight would that be*

Can i really pull this stunt off? Will i be able to reach home with my senses intact? Will the pilot, staff and passengers tell us to get off the plane mid way.. Oops! worse, mid air?!

Thank god for the airport at Mangalore, otherwise you would see breaking news on TV - "Baby lifts mother and runs around the airport"!!! Watch it LIVE!!

No joke this. Travelling alone with an infant is really a challenge people!

Faith in Allah (SWT) , A motivational talk by Zu, experiences by mothers who have traveled with their infants before and the Emirates website, awakened the challenging spirit within me, to take this up!

I MUST say, I was blessed. The prayers and the good wishes worked. The staff and people at JFK were so loving and caring. I didn't have to even touch my luggage, they looked after everything so well , plus they were so good with the Baby, playing with him, trying to make him laugh, while i got done with the formalities.

A special thanks to William Kent. William Kent who? The guy who invented baby strollers!!! How could i possibly achieved success in my challenge without his support? Okay, the stroller's support? On behalf of all the parents in the world whom you have kept sane, A big Thanks! We all love you! :D

Woot! Gate checked in the stroller! Entered the flight.

''Hello Ma'am. Ohhh.. Soooo cute he is"

Beginning.Of.Every.Conversation.I.Had.In.My.Entire.Trip.

25K - *Hope i get to see some old lady next to me who has a dozen kids and 3 dozen ULTRA HYPER grandkids*

Voila!!! Am i dreaming? Old lady it is!! A south Indian!!  Extra points!! *A silent prayer thanking God*

I get in to the row annnnddd 25K - Oops! Not a window seat! I get the middle seat! Awesome!!

Who is the other passenger?! OMG, Please take my test some other day!

I settle down in my seat after 5 minutes, Yeah, 5 minutes! I leave that to your imagination how i kept the bags, had Zid and me both sit comfortably, without giving the lady a trailor of our craziness.

It worked. A smile from the lady and a cheek-pull at Zidaan! An awesome start! And it got better.. Zid smiled back!Initially, I couldn't figure it out whether it was the 'Hello Lady, I'll make sure you enjoy the flight' smile or the 'Hey, I'll make sure you never sit next to a baby again' smile!

"Excuse me, Hi! I'm the window seat guy"

"Hi"!

*A guy in his mid twenties, looks like he tied up with his work & college, has absolutely no experience with the kids and must be looking forward to a peaceful sleep after ages* Damn!

Fun fact : Zidaan was more happy to see this guy than the lady. Again, for better or worse?!

Little conversations were held and it looked like we are kinda good to go. He was a Gujarati guy going to India for a wedding and Yes, He loves Kids! *Bonus points*

Alhumdulillah! We got going. And I can very proudly say, They were the best ever co-passengers i could, anyone could, ever ever ever ask for. I wish i could somehow tag them, to let them know they were so good to us. Ofcourse,  i did tell them at the end of the flight, but you know its something i cant stop thanking them for.

Thank you Lata Aunty & Snehal.

Now the person whom i owe my biggest Thanks to - My baby. Zidaan.

I could never have even imagined Zidaan behaving soooo well. He was calm, he was comfortable and more importantly, he was happy and so was I. It was like Allah had angels at work full swing to keep Zidaan happy and playful throughout. We had booked a bassinet seat for him and he so peacefully slept in it, allowing me to grab some 'me time'. Lata Aunty & Snehal played with Zidaan, and we kept having small conversations throughout the flight. Fed him on time and he wasnt fussy about anything! Changing time was so peaceful too thanks to the staff of Emirates who offered to help me with it and take care of Zid while i made his food or had to use the washroom etc. Of course, most of the flight time everyone spent, was by sleeping.

I chose not to sleep because Zidaan could wake up anytime and i surely didn't want him to disturb the others. Thanks to ICE at Emirates - Information, Communication & Entertainment  i spent my time happily! Prayers, News, movies.. Bliss! I was so happy to be on such a wonderful journey! Alhumdulillah!

13 hours later, We reached Dubai airport. Just one word. AMAZING. The airport and the people.

We bid goodbye to each other, I, thanking them profusely for helping me have a happy journey. Snehal offered to help me with my cabin luggage till i got the stroller. Another flight awaited us, waiting time was about an hour, which was spent in getting the formalities done for the next flight. It was a 3 hr 40 mins flight and i wasn't worried much about this one, but just was a little concerned about the co-passengers. It was time to board the aircraft. This time 52K. Again. the middle seat.

Fortunately, it was a family, with, hold your breath, an infant! Yessss!! *Fist pump*

The mother was with her infant and Father was with the other kid at the back seat.

Hello, hi, exchange of smiles. The 'Oh-so-cute' line, Of course!!

She: "Travelling alone with an infant?"

Me: Yeah!

She: "How could you even dare to take this trip alone? Please tell me! My hubby & i almost ended bruising each other when he asked if i could travel alone with the baby"

Me (Proudly) : Well, I guess it's the thought of going home which made me do it! ( The truth, that i didn't have any other option was duly kept hidden) Hehe!

Well, we had another wonderful flight, except that the other baby didn't sleep for a second and was trying to wake up Zid. In my mind, i shoo-ed and asked him not to do it while in reality i had to just smile and go 'Awwwwwwwwwwwwww'!!

Destination Bengaluru. I don't really want to recall the time i spent at my homeland airport. All i can say that is wasn't friendly. If i could, i would have requested the JFK and Dubai airport officials to demonstrate a 'how to be humane by offering help to mothers with infants'. They so need to learn that.

Anyway, after i got done with all the craziness, the moment arrived! I saw my brother waving that hand at me, which, if my imaginations would turn real, would have got fractured with the number of times it had waved at me in full swing, from the time i had booked my ticket, to this day.

We did it. We reached India. Safe and Sound. The latter was more important with respect to me.

We had to catch another flight, but well, I am not alone!!! Bhayya is with me! Ek se bhale do ;) Just an hour flight and we reached Mangalore!! OMG! I'm gonna be seeing my parents , my siblings! I'm gonna reach home, EAT and sleep!! I very well, deserved it! After all, i pulled it off in style ;) Didnt I?

None of this could have ever been possible without the Blessings that Allah (SWT) showered on us, the kind co-passengers we got and for the amazingly wonderful baby that made the journey so happy and peaceful. It is definitely not easy to travel with a baby on such a long flight but i guess we just have to have faith in God and have the confidence in ourselves. Babies will be happy as long as they are given attention and love and of course food. Forget about yourself and just concentrate on keeping them comfortable, Trust me, it will go well. Having had such a fantastic experience, when the thought of having to fly back to NY came to my mind, all i said was... 'Bring it on!!!!'

The Resurrection

A hobby is defined as a regular activity or interest that is typically done during one's leisure time. It can be collecting stamps, coins, singing, dancing, travelling, reading, writing.. oh wait, writing?! That sounds familiar!! Jaana pehchaana sa lagta hai.. 

*Sudden realisation*

OMG OMG!! That is supposed to be MY hobby!!! 

If you are in the search for a person who is lazy to pursue her hobby, look no further, Tada! It's me! 

Seriously, how can one forget one's hobby! Heights of laziness that is. One tight slap to myself and Yes, I am back to blogging! Hopefully! :D 

My last post was on July 2011. I can't believe I forgot writing for 16 months!! I probably need more than one tight slap! *I know Zuhair, you are ever ready to do the honors* 

So where was I all this time, what was I doing, I ask myself.

'Busy?'

'Everyone's busy, nothing new there.'

'Living life, maybe?'

'Everyone does that too. Any solid reason?'

Zidaan Zuhair Kapadia.

*Bow down* You win!

Having Zidaan inside me for 9 months & outside me for 7 months, is the best way I can convince myself for not posting on my blog. The apple of my eye, the warmth of my heart, the joy of my life, my baby boy is the best gift I could ever receive from Allah. Alhumdulillah!!

How could I do anything other than basking in the glory of pregnancy, taking care of him in my womb, dream about him, listen to advices, read parenting books, search on the internet for the best baby stuffs, all leading to making plans for his arrival! And once he was born, it was just so hard to take my eyes off him. So innocent, so pure. Maasha'Allah!

In the 7 months, how the innocence turned into naughtiness is another story! :D

Being thankful to the Almighty is the least I could do for bestowing us with such a wonderful child. Being a mother is the best thing that could happen to any woman on the planet & I am proud to be one.

On that note, I am glad to say that I am back to blogging world and Insha'Allah,  I would pursue my love for writing as frequently as possible. A big 'Thank you' to my friends & family who have always supported me & motivated me to keep writing. This is for you.

A Desi's Desh Vs The Videsh!

I.N.D.I.A

I Love my India. Nah I'm not promoting the movie 'Pardes', nor its songs. I am saying this from my heart! :) I truly madly deeply love my India!

A.M.E.R.I.C.A

I Love it too! But not as much as I love my India! America is beautiful and New York is electrifying! I love everything about NY, Then why is it that I love my India more?

''The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterday's bear date with the modering antiquities for the rest of nations-the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined.''

I wish I had described India so beautifully. That was by Mark Twain.

I lived in India for 25 years. That's a lot! I am living in NY from the last 5 months. That's very less. But one thing I can assure myself is that my love for India will grow irrespective of how many more years I am gonna live in NY, Insha'Allah! I say this with due respect to both the countries.

India is where I lived, where I grew up, where I learnt everything about life, people and everything surrounding me. America, Insha'Allah, will be the place where my kids will grow up, learn everything about life, people and everything surrounding them. It was definitely the best place for me to grow up, but for my kids.. I will just have to wait and watch!

My life in India was F.U.N! My family, my friends, my neighbors, my school, college, hang out's, everything was so special to me. I have to say, it was not as organized as how my life is now, because of the surroundings, but whatever it was, I loved it! And that is important! American life on the other hand is sooo lively, organized, gives us so many options to have fun, hang out, hog, explore, travel and what not! Then why is it that I love my India more?

Indian roads are bad, Indian government is a mess, India is not clean, Indian schools, hospitals are more commercial than service oriented whereas American roads are awesome, Government is less messier, Definitely CLEAN, schools are actually schools but hospitals are more commercialized than Indian hospitals, thanks to Insurance companies! Then why is it that I love my India more?

Indian movies are so entertaining, doesn't matter if the script has more songs than dialogues, co-stars have father-daughter age gaps, makes us cry more than laugh, whereas Hollywood is sensible, rational, true and so perfect that it makes you actually believe that Godzilla, Harry Potter actually existed! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me Big bazaar, Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, M.G road shopping, Hampankatta shopping, Dadar waali shopping and NY gives me Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Macy's and so many other ''Quality'' clothing! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me South Indian food, north Indian food, this Indian food and that Indian food! It gives me all that I LOVE to eat! NY gives me American breakfast, Indian lunch, Pakistani snacks, Afghani dinner and any world cuisine, anytime I want! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me cricket, Kho-Kho, Lagori, Jubilee, Antakshari, Dumb charades and other games, NY gives me Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Arcade games and other truly awesome games to play! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me the Dhoom style auto rickshaw rides, the Gaali filled taxi rides, the never on time bus rides and no-place-to-breathe train rides. NY gives me the on-time metro train rides, the comfortable taxi rides, the posh bus rides! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me a Kannada speaking neighbor on the left, an Urdu speaking neighbor on the right, a Malayalam speaking neighbor on the opposite and Tulu, Navaiti, Tamil, Guajarati speaking neighbors in the building! NY gives me a Punjabi family on the right, a Spanish family on the left, a Chinese on the opposite, a Paki family on the far left, a Mexican family on the far right, a Bangla family downstairs, a Japanese, Korean, Guyanese families in the building! Then why is it that I love my India more?

India gave me Summer all the 12 months with special appearances of Rain and very rare visits of Winter. NY gives me Winter, Snow, Summer, Rain, Spring and fall. Then why is it that I love my India more?

The Answer lies in the question itself!

Because India was always mine and will always be & No matter how long I live in America , It will never be able to make me hers.

Hello From New York! :)

Alhumdulillah! I have reached NY.

I came here on the 23rd of February and it was such a longggggggggg flight. Mangalore - Bangalore - Dubai - NY. Total travelling time - around 25 hours! But thanks to Emirates, i LOVED the journey :) I had so many options to pass my time that i simply did not feel like i was having such a long flight! The food.. Aaaahh.. So yumm..Movies, flight cameras, tv shows, news, gorgeous air hostesses all kept me occupied. And i guess i was a little xtra lucky coz the other two seats in my row wernt booked and so i had the ENTIRE row to myself. Yawnnnnnn.. what a peaceful sleep i had! Hehe!

The best part was yet to come. The reception i got at the JFK airport was mind blowing! I ofcourse knew my hubby and my in-laws would come to receive me and i was looking forward to see only them. But when i got out of the airport, what do i get to see!! Zuhair - My hubby with a beautiful bouquet, my in-laws, Zuhair's uncles, aunts, cousins, Grandma! Around 15-20 people to receive me at the airport! And each one had a bouquet! My face was burried with the bouquets and all the hugs , kisses and love i was receiving, all of it made me  feel soooooooooo happy! Trust me i did not feel so important even on my wedding day! LMAO! :D

Thanks to the winter here, everyone were packed with sweaters and jackets and i was just in my abaaya ( burqa).  Though i had my sweaters and jackets with me i decided not to wear them cuz i wanted to 'feel' the cold! Hehe. Staying in Mangalore you never know what winters are, so i wanted to feel this. I got out of the airport lounge and Oh my! It was seriously real cold. All kept asking me if i wanted a sweater but i kept on saying no just enjoying the weather. But the car ws parked a little far and as i reached the car i started to shiver cuz of the cool breeze. I quickly got in to the car and sat next to Zuhair. What better warmth can i ever get ;)

I reached home and to my surprise there was another young reception committee waiting for me! Snow sprays, paper crackers, wishes, sweets and gorgeous girls (Zuhair's cousins) with a banner saying - 'Welcome to the Family Mehnaz Bhabhi ' )! I will never forget that day as i was welcomed by each and every member of the family with so much of love and open arms! Maasha'Allah! Let the love remain forever and ever! Aameen!

And since that beautiful day to this day - a week later i have been enjoying every bit of my life here. Ofcourse i do miss India and my family - Nothing can match that - But here is a different country with different people, different lifestyles, food, weather etc etc. Alhumdulillah i am loving every moment here. I pray to Allah (swt) to bless me with good health and patience to help me live a life filled with love, care, happiness and success in this world and the herafter. Aameen! :)

Best of Year 2010

The Year 2010 will remain the most special year of my life FOREVER, Alhumdulillah! :)

I say so because some of the most important developments in and around me and the best of the things happened to me this year. Waise i am a person who would love to live life in the best way possible and would never miss a chance to celebrate each moment! But this year has been exceptionally great and i loooooooooved every bit of it! Now lemme take a recap of the year 2010 and say what was so great about this year that i regard it ' The Best year' of my life till date.

January : I got married! :D So you know the main reason for me to love this year. * wink wink*  The month was spent in shopping, shopping and more shopping! My wedding was on January 31st, so i had this whole month to indulge myself in the best. A south Indian family girl going to be a part of a North Indian family!! Such awesome times i had.

February : My honeymoon trip to Malaysia and Singapore! No doubt it was my best holiday ever. My hubby dearest showered me with everything that i wished and dreamt of! How can i NOT be happy then ;) Thank you soo much darling! :)

March : My hubby left to New York and my visa processing started - The only pain i experienced this year which is still going on!! But all is well and i would be leaving to NY soon, Insha'Allah :)

April : Tra la laaaaaaaa!! My hubby comes back to India to stay with me for one whole month! :D More reasons to celebrate! We enjoyed in my hometown - Mangalore for a week. We spent a week in his hometown - Gujarat for a week. We went on a fun trip with my family to Munnar, kerala for a week. The rest of the days were spent in post wedding parties ! ;) A fun filled month!

May: My birthday AND my hubby's birthday too! Since it was our first birthdays after marriage, we wanted to make it more special. We did celebrate it in the best ways possible showering each other with love, care and a whole lot of gifts! But unfortunately we could not be together for my birthday because he had to leave at the start of the month and my birthday was at the end of May! But nonetheless, he made sure he made my birthday reely special :) And now the tragic part of the month! :( I lost my dear friend in the Mangalore Plane crash :( She used to live next door and i had the keys of her apartment which i was waiting to give her on that fateful day. I will never forget that day :( May her soul rest in peace, that is all i can pray for now.

June : My visa processing was going on and i started my experiences in the kitchen full time! Yeah, till now i was busy with college and friends so i used to just be the assistant cook in my kitchen. But now i started taking the main jobs ;) I have a passion for writing and i wanted a platform to record events of my life and my thoughts! So yeah, started blogging - http://naazuk.blogspot.com/.

July : This month was spent in missing my hubby and my in-laws but i was enjoying being with my family even after my wedding ;) I know i was one of the lucky few who gets the opportunity to live with parents and siblings even after marriage, so i was making the most of it ;) My cooking sessions were going full on and my blogging too.My cousins flew down from Dubai and we had some of the most memorable weekends ;) 

August : I started baking cakes! One thing which i always wanted to do. I baked so many cakes in August and September that i got tired of baking them but my siblings were not tired of eating! So i went on and on!

September : Weddings, parties and get togethers. Caught up with school friends, college friends, MBA friends!

October : A very important month for me this year! My parents left for the 40 day pilgrimage to Mecca also called Hajj. So i was handed over the position of the 'Top chef' at home as my mum was on the 40 day leave from the kitchen! I knew it was a big responsibility for me as i had two working brothers and 3 college going siblings, an aunt and my grandma! I had to please their taste buds throughout the 40 days! And Alhumdulillah, it turned out one super splendid month for all of at home! We all gained weight! LOL! Not that while my parents were around we were skinny creatures, but the amount of chicken, paneer, cheese, cakes, desserts,  sandwiches and chaats that went into our tummies this month, we all bloated up! :p And not to forget my elder bro's birthday meal preparations! Just fabulous!

November : My younger bro's birthday! Again a special menu for all of us. I had such a good time cooking these 40 days! And guess what, i started this food blog ;) Chef Naaz - The Mistress of Spices!. My parents got back on Nov 21st and i prepared a special meal on their return which everybody feasted on! :)

December : My visa processing is in the last stage and once all is well, Insha'allah i would be leaving to NY asap. My blog turned one month old and i hosted the 'Trifle Event' on my blog :) I participated in various events in this month and i got to know so many amazing bloggers and their delicious recipes. I was so very happy to be getting followers, awards and such  lovely comments from fellow bloggers! It was such a good motivation. I also had a reunion with my MBA friends and we had a gala time.The year ended on a superb note with a family outing! :)

I would love to thank my hubby, my family, friends - both on and off the blogging world, for giving me so much of love, care and motivation everyday, to help me do the things that i love the most! :) Hope you all had a good time reading this post just like how i had a good time doing the recap! I wish you all a very happy New year 2011. May all your wishes, dreams and aspirations come true. May all that we cook be loved by all and may all of us stay good friends, help one another and spread peace and happiness around :)

My 40 days as the Top chef!

Top chef - The title itself makes one proud, Doesn't  it?

Since i am no exception in the list i too felt proud when i got to know that i would be the top chef at my place in my parents absence. They were leaving to the Holy pilgrimage - Hajj. Being a top chef anywhere is a great honor according to me, be it your own house, a restaurant or a reality show!! For me at this point of time, my own house was my target market, my kitchen was my playground and my siblings, my granny and my aunt were the target audience! And trust me that was no joke!

Having my grandma at home and making her love my cooking was the biggest challenge to me, considering her own experiences in this wide area of cooking! Plus she knows how exactly her daughter, i.e my mum excels in the kitchen. So i had this BIG BIG responsibility of pleasing her taste buds. Next comes ' The gang' - Yeah, my siblings! My motivators, my critics. Every child, including myself thinks their own mothers are the worlds best cook. So you see how difficult a task it would be for me to make these 'mom-cooking-freaks' to love my cooking. But i took up the challenge. Yes, it was a Challenge for me! A tuff one!

My parents left for Hajj on Oct 14th, the same day my sis was to be back from her school excursion. So my first task was to make this ' mummy's pet' be comfortable in my mum's absence.  It was not as difficult as i thought it would be. Alhumdulillah! :) Staying away from parents is so hard for every child but its such a good feeling to know that your younger siblings don't mind being away from parents when their elder sister is around! :) And to me it was the vice versa. Alhumdulillah, the 40 days went by smoothly just because i had my granny and my siblings around.

Although i had several other responsibilities, cooking was my top priority. Until two years back i was not as much a  great fan of cooking like how i am now. Alhumdulillah! I used to be occupied with college, friends, studies etc etc. But once i was out of college AND that i got married this year, the chef in me began to rise. Since then i used to always assist Ammi in the kitchen but never got an opportunity to do it solely. But now i did get one such opportunity and i wanted to use it optimally ( yeah yeah MBA effect) :p

So once i started my 40 days journey into cooking, i had to start with waking up early!! A thing which i wouldn't normally do. My sis used to leave to school early in the morn so i had to get up to give her breakfast and pack her off to school along with her tiffin. Next it would be the college going bro and sis's turn to get ready. By 9 a.m they both would be off too. And then i would think of having a short nap. But.. my hubby lives in NY!! It would be night for him and yippeee time to chat. Sleep can take a backseat :p Once he would be off to sleep, i would start my daily chores and then off to the kitchen.

Like every muslim family, we too literally live on non-veg food. :p Chicken, mutton, beef, fish, prawns,clams! And a veg side dish too ;) Friday and sunday specials would always be there. I got so involved in cooking and i developed real interest in it. Now i can proudly say i looooooooooooove cooking. :D And guess what, i started a recipe blog too :) Cook and post! Cook and post! LOL! That is what i started doing. Hehe

I sometimes would cook the dishes ammi used to cook but mostly i tried new ones! In these 40 days both my brothers had their birthdays and so i had to cook some extra special dishes on their days. And it turned out exceptionally well :D Alhumdulillah! Everyone loved the food that i made and i used to get so happy each time anyone would compliment my food. Quite normal rite? :p

Oh yeah the link to my food blog - http://chefnaaz.blogspot.com/

Its just in the starting phase but i am enjoying it already. Cooking has become a passion to me now and i would love to keep it as one of my top priority. The only person complaining about this is my hubby! Everyone other than him has tasted the dishes i have made. And he is soooooo badly waiting me to join him in NY. Alhumdulillah, it'l happen soon Insha'Allah! I will be moving to NY insha'Allah in the month of December or Jan. :)

It was the first Eid we celebrated without our parents being around and we missed them terribly! And to top the boredom , it rained on Eid, so we could not go out too! But now its all fine.My parents are back from hajj :D They had a marvelous time during their pilgrimage, Alhumdulillah! :) I pray to Allah (s.w.t) to give all of us a chance to do hajj soon too, Aameen.

So at the end of 40 days, i can say i have fulfilled my responsibility well because yesterday  i heard  my siblings telling my parents about how i cooked and how they all feasted on it. My happiness knew no bounds! LOL! I am elated to know my cooking has been highly appreciated and i look forward to making more people and their stomachs happy!

And to you my darling hubby- Insha'Allah soon :)