hula hooping

how do you get inspiration to hula hoop?

It might be because you are visiting your cousin who is an avid hula hooper and has a nice bright hula hoop at her house. On one empty lazy afternoon, you decide to try to learn how to hula hoop.

Or it might be because you want to impress someone.

To lose weight.

Just for fun.

Whatever your reason might be, I took up the challenge to learn how to hula hoop. My cousin is an avid hula hooper and has a nice bright hula hoop, I want to impress someone, lose weight and I happen to think its pure fun. Many years ago, I had a dismantle-able hula hoop which was rather small for my height. I could hula hoop around my legs for many minutes. Though I'm not completely out of touch, I cannot manage hula hooping at waist level yet.

Being homeless.

I turned eighteen years old, having never lived in one place for more than two years. Even less, in one house. Those were barracks, small rooms, apartments or bungalows but never homes I could call my own. Even though I lived there, I was in a perpetual state of preparedness to leave. My parents had their rightful homes to go back to at Mumbai and Pune. I never got a chance to stay there for more than three weeks at a stretch. Those were still houses to visit during vacations. Not homes. After school, I stated studying architecture in Pune staying with my grandparents, where I knew that although that was rightfully my own house, it was never my home. I lived in Surya and Vasanti's house for a few months in Auroville. It was called House sitting, not home sitting. And for a good reason – Its supposed to be a house for me, not a home.

As I left Pondicherry, when everyone was going back to their respective hometowns, I was not. I was just returning to Pune. Everyone has a home they call their own. A home to go back to after a hard days work. A town they grew up in. A town they call their own. I never had that. Probably never will. Wherever I go from here, will not be my home either.

Last night at my uncle's place, I stayed up for a long time, thinking about this. And when I finally did... I slept rather well.

I am truly- a homeless woman.

Time flies.

And loss becomes easier to cope up with. Lately, I have come to realise That time does heal if you let it.

That fateful St. Valentines day five years back changed my life forever. But its only after he passed away could I understand what my father really meant to me. He left me with a sound mind, a strong will and a spirit I never knew I had. He was instilling it in me gradually while I was blissfully unaware of his ways.

I was a daddy's girl. And men who have that kind of a relationship with their daughters raise them up to become Independent, strong and spirited women. I cannot say the same for Mammas and their boys, but that is another subject.

When I saw him alive for the last time, the thought that we might never see each again did cross my mind. But it was not supposed to be him, it was me. Even as I bid him farewell forever, I knew he had had no regrets ever and he lived fully the kind of life would always have liked to.

And now five years later, I can write about it without feeling bitter or despondent. Maybe just slightly nostalgic.

And after two long years of not using my watch, I got it fixed today. I instinctively wore it on my right wrist as I always had. I smiled and realised that all the pain and betrayal had gone. I was back to being what I was instead of being what I was becoming for my erstwhile flame.

Time heals.

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time...
Originally uploaded by DraconianRain

When I was seven years old, my father took me with him to test ride a premier padmini. A breezy light greenish blue. It was a unique colour.
But we bought a white one eventually. It was our first car, and then came the first road trip - Jabalpur to Suratgarh in 4 days. Through the dry, dusty landscapes of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
We sold it off in Srinagar five years later.

The 5 minute banana cake in a cup!

Not my birthday yet! - Ttv
Originally uploaded by DraconianRain

Ingredients:

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup maida

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 nicely whisked egg

1/3rd cup butter

1/4th cup milk (might need less, its just for the right consistency )

Mix all the ingredients together in one direction only!!!

pour the milk slowly till you get the right consistency of the cake batter.

Pour it in the cup making sure its only half filled.

Set your microwave on approx 700 W, and bake the cake in the cup for 2 minutes and 30 seconds only. Anything more than that will make it rock hard :P

The cake will rise after a minute. it might seem to spill out of the cup, but that will not happen. it'll settle well.

Let it cool in the cup. You can remove it later, or eat it out of the cup itself. Ideally, you can eat it with ice cream for a quick dessert.

If you don't like bananas, make it a chocolate or vanilla cake by adding 1/4th cup cocoa powder or some vanilla essence. Or make a carrot cake by adding grated carrots in it :P