Tis' the Holiday Season ~ Around the Globe

A Christmas Tree at a friend's house in South Jersey

        The more I travel & learn about different cultures, customs every country has to offer, the more I end up appreciating my birth country India. Cultures, ethnicity, languages, customs have always fascinated me. Hence I take a keen interest in making a conversation with someone if they belong to a different country or community within or outside India. It still makes me wonder how as a nation with a strength of 1 billion + population co exists with diverse cultures, ethnicity & customs in almost perfect harmony. The best part of growing up in India was always to be able to witness this multi cultural heritage. Almost every month there is a festival in some part of the country and quite a few widely accepted and celebrated by different communities. Not to exclude the wedding season which in itself is another huge festive season. Weddings in India are indeed a get together of friends, family and long celebrations that go on pre and post weddings. So when we shifted our base to USA I felt a bit isolated from a gregarious culture which I loved to the core. Even though I celebrated Holi, Diwali which of course even my American neighbors appreciated but it still felt lonely. The celebrations were much smaller in scale and no matter how much you try the spirit of the festivity is lost to a great extent. But still that did not deter us from enjoying our traditions and living in our own small world away from home.

A block before Rockefeller Center, NYC

         This feeling of lonelines however didn't last long with the arrival of the long awaited Holiday season in US. Yes as the wintry nights got longer and colder with temperatures falling to negative degrees the warmth of festivity could be felt in the air. Tis' the season of Christmas & New Year and whole of December is one hell of a crazy festive month. The shopping malls are jam packed over weekends specially to avail holiday discounts & end of season mega sale. Most families irrespective of their nationality, religion, caste or creed start to put up their Christmas Tree. It is quite a sight to see how families who have lived here over the years adopted the traditions of this country only because it brings friends & family together, to eat together, to exchange gifts and to play Santa to their little toddlers. In fact I was a witness to adult friends waiting for their Santa to leave a gift for them for Christmas morning and the spouses doing their duties of playing Santa's role😁.

 

The Big Tree at Rockefeller Center

      We on the other hand had the opportunity to travel during this season. The airports were overcrowded, everyone seem to long to go back HOME. Some to their parents, some to children, some to siblings, some to friends or relatives. I saw many military personnel in huge groups with their backpacks. Their happy faces spoke a thousand words. I realized one common aspect of traditions in different countries. It is an occasion to bring people together,  to be thankful for things we usually take for granted, things that money can never buy, things that can only be felt, sometimes not spoken......it's the human bond which is celebrated through these traditions. So wherever you are , whoever you are , celebrate traditions and keep connecting and bonding because in the end it will be memories that you will cherish till your last breath. This year I had the privilege to visit multiple places during the Holiday season , here I bring a glimpse of celebrations around the globe, some through my eyes and some through my friends who celebrated in different parts of the world. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017!!!😍😍

 New Year in Malaga, Spain

Malaga, Spain

Park Street, Kolkata,  India

Toronto, Canada

Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi, India

Police Bazaar, Shillong, India

Bergen Town Center, Paramus, New Jersey

The Bellagio, Las Vegas

Ticket to Freedom....

     My sense of penultimate freedom was the year I graduated post which I landed with a job in a Fortune 500 company. Born and brought up in a small city of North Eastern India,it was THE DREAM come true moment.The job profile was that of an associate that started right at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder. Some of you may be thinking what made me so ecstatic then? Well I was never too ambitious though determined to be independent.And this job assured my first step towards independence...my ticket to Freedom to live a life the way I wanted to, without the guilt of spending my father's hard earned money.What followed next was a professional stint spanning almost fourteen years....and then the inevitable occurred. I got married!Of course because I found my Mr Right😉.

Moments before the bus entered Lincoln Tunnel

      Marriage has again been a whirlwind of events.Thankfully positive ones though,I will save those stories for another day. To cut a long story short, I married and within a year shifted our base to New Jersey and gave birth to the cutest lil boy on earth in Nov'15. Since then the light of my life,my joy, my soul my morning day & night was only about my baby. Like all mothers, I too wanted to be the best mom to my little one.So life became round the clock duty of a nanny-cum-cook cum-cleaner-cum scheduler-cum host because that's how life is like, in a country like USA.There was hardly any help. Even though my husband wanted to be of help but what do you do when he has little or no knowledge about babies, except for making them😂life was tough. Nevertheless he still gave his best efforts in every possible way that he could have.

Outside Port Authority Terminal

      I still survived quite gracefully, thanks to friends, family,extended family,well wishers, not to forget, the Pediatrician, my social media connect and the cheap India calling cards. Fast forward 13 months later,my baby a happy one mostly, touch wood! had a steady schedule almost everyday.Life was slowly easing out. However in those few months somewhere down the line I lost myself. No doubts, I enjoyed getting pampered by my husband, being driven around everywhere, getting gifts every now & then, and our numerous outings and vacations to East Coast. Few may wonder and even dismiss me as an ungrateful  person.Believe you, me, I have never ever been so full of gratitude for everything that I had in life. However despite leading a near perfect living, I felt a certain kind of vacuum inside. Having spent a fiercely independent life I found myself cocooned in the safety of our home for the sake of my lil angel.

Skating ring, Central Park

       The resultant was an unhappy soul trapped inside me.Being an optimist by nature, this definitely put me in discomfort. I realized that if there was anyone who could save me from this dilemma was none other than me, myself. So the first Saturday of a cold December morning, I woke up and informed my husband to be be the dutiful father for the day and I shall step out to wander all by myself. For a moment he was worried, not because he couldn't babysit ( I trained him well in 13 months) but the fact that I had never ventured out alone in this country. I expected this and hence I had done my drill on how will I tackle the Why's and How's perfectly the night before. Having figured out that my decision won't change he started putting his act together. I gave him a list of things to do; for our baby during my absence ,which included, timings for diaper change, breakfast-lunch-snack, when and what to feed. Change of baby clothes laid in order, toys and names of the cartoon shows our heart monster was crazy about. I also made breakfast for us and started getting ready for my maiden day out to NYC. Before I said goodbye, my husband reminded that he had installed UBER app on my handset just in case I got lost or confused😀 God bless such men!! Though for a moment I wanted to snap at him because he completely forgot I had already done solo international trips to five countries much before I got married.  But then it was just his love and concern that brought a smile to my face instead of a feminist response. Moreover my excitement increased many folds by then.

Right below Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square

        I reached the bus stop at Teaneck, the town next to ours, took the express bus to Port Authority Terminal NYC which was few blocks from Times Square. As I ushered out of the Terminal to face the glitterati of one of the world's busiest, liveliest city, my confidence was already a notch higher than before. Since I wanted some quite moments of introspection,  I decided to head towards Central Park. But before that I walked the streets of New York, passed through Times Square, spotted a flea market, decided to hang out there for a while and then hired a cab to 5th Avenue. As I entered the park I started to savor the sights like never before. We have been to New York many times before with my husband but everything seemed so different for me today. I guess I could smell the fresh air just like I used to as a bachelorette. This day on a cold December afternoon for me became my day of Ultimate Freedom. I spent about 4-5 hours and made sure alls well with daddy and baby back home through my constant calls. While on my way back I packed some Lebanese food for dinner and boarded the 6pm express bus back to NJ. As the wheels slowly turned passing through New York skyline, my mind kept racing through all the sights sounds that I witnessed on my maiden outing. I got back home to an eagerly and lovingly waiting husband and baby. I hugged both of them tightly and uttered a silent little prayer of thanks. A day that will be etched in my memory forever😇

An artist finishing his pencil sketch, Central Park.

Entrance to Central Park from 5th Ave

Flea market 51st street, NYC

Chardonnay with mother of all Indian Dessert!!

Life's always unpredictable! You never know what the next day or even moment may unfold. Hence I try to make the most of the present & advise the same to people close to me. One of such beautiful but bit hilarious moment I experienced at lunch on  a sunny September afternoon.

We went to this nice Indian diner in Paramus, NJ, to enjoy their buffet spread. Since the time our little one came into our lives, dining together is a thing of the past 😁 I mean we both take turns and have our food while one keeps a constant watch on the little heart monster ( believe you me he is that cute lil' devil)!

While my husband was busy digging into one of the finest Indian food we have had so far in America, I couldn't help but notice three beautiful American ladies, in their mid or late 70's celebrating birthday of the one sitting right between the other two. They were impeccably dressed enjoying their glass of white wine while the birthday lady opened up the gifts & cards & smelled the bouquet of flowers. She looked visibly content , and why won't she be? Isn't lovely to be having those girly moments even in your 70's. Well I am sure this will resonate with all my girl friends( pure platonic ones though)....

My story almost would have ended with this heartfelt observation when suddenly the epic moment arrived. While I fondly kept peeping at them once in a while , remembering the many girl parties I have enjoyed, something I saw made me smile for the rest of the day.

 As the presents were unfolding, the conversations were inaudible, one of the ladies ordered something. When the plates arrived I was stunned. Each of the three plates had two finger licking "Gulaab Jamuns"( Indian Sweet or dessert). The ladies raised another toast & started devouring the Gulaab Jamuns with each sip of their Wine 😋

Now I honestly do not know how many of us back in India have ever tried it , Wine with Gulaab Jamuns, is definitely on my wish list now. Though mentally I am still trying to figure out how the whole concoction would feel on my taste bud but then can't miss this one though, until then....

Cheers to yummy Gulaab Jamuns & Chardonnay😀

Debut as a blogger on a cold wintery December afternoon🤗

Of Cocktails & Spices

With never ending speculations I finally decided to debut as a blogger. If you think I am extremely passionate about reading or writing, Naah!Not really. But I do read quite a variety, sometimes bit extremes too. It could be because there is seldom people or things completely black or white but with shades of Grey here & there. So to summarize I realized that there are indeed different shades in me and it can get fascinating to explore them. The other reason is to get back to churning my brain with thoughts, ideas, inspiration also some humor too post my two year long hiatus from my professional life to welcome motherhood & savoring every moment since....! On why I chose to name my blog Cocktails & Spices, well the urge to pen my thoughts became more profound when I shifted my base from India to USA with my husband. I was barely four months pregnant then. The similarities & stark differences make up for some really good stories, hence the name to identify the cultural concoction both the country has to offer in terms of Spices from India and Cocktails of a country which swears by its night life. By nature I have always been an observant individual & it certainly goes a long way in capturing  moments from everyday life into your brain. My blog primarily will feature such day to day observations, tidbits about my parenting journey and of course sometimes a journey down memory lane. After all I have survived some lowest lows and highs of life. Would love to hear from you , accolades or brick bats, I am game for all!!