Friday 4 October 2013

The Quarter Life Crisis

My mom used to always tell me, ever since I was a child, I had a plan. I ALWAYS had a plan. I had a plan about who I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, how I plan to get what I want, I had a plan for everything. And if that didn't work I'd either have Plan B or freak the f**k out.

It hasn't been till the past five months that I reached a state that was so new to me. I was confused. I was insecure about where I wanted to be in the next 2-3 years and then got scared because I was not sure of what I'm doing now.  This is not normal. I hit my quarter life crisis. 

Study says that two-thirds of young adults between the ages of 25-30 usually tend to go through this. They too have no idea what they're doing with their lives.

I came across a beautiful article that would describe what I feel perfectly. Unfortunately the writer is unknown but he/she couldn't have expressed it any better and had to be shared.

'You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.
You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.
You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.
One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.
You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.'

Wednesday 17 July 2013

My Love-Hate Relationship

Today marks 5 years of me living in India. And like the title of this blog suggests I do have a love hate relationship with this country. Here are my reason’s why. Let’s start with my hate.

1)  I hate the way men in this country stare and humiliate women. I've seen tons of non-sense on television and in real life and no matter what there’s apparently no stopping them. As disappointing as it sounds, I've started to get accustomed to this so called ‘tradition’ and it’s changed me in ways that’s a little too personal to mention. Every day in this city/country is a struggle for women.  Possibly the biggest hatred I have for this country.

2) I hate seeing people run for buses here. My mom would back me up on this one. Don’t get me wrong I have had my fair share of running for trains and buses in other countries but the possibility of getting knocked by a car or tripping on a pot-hole or slipping in this nasty weather is so much higher than in other countries.  A couple of days ago here I am sitting in my car I saw an old man run, stumble and fall close to the wheels of a moving  bus. My heart stopped and luckily he was helped by another and nothing happened. He smiled and continued running. This broke my heart really. Everyday it makes me count my blessings. I jokingly say I sometimes live a struggling life or my friends do, this put me to shame.

3) I have an unconditional love for dogs and it saddens me that there are so many dying strays here. I barely do my share of helping. On the flip side, I know so many people who give strays so much love here it’s unbelievable.

4)  I hate the way work done here is so ‘for-the-sake-of doing-it’ kind of work. Pot holes are re-filled with temporary tar which will become a pot-hole again in a few months. Thanks to the condition of the roads, at the age of 25 I have a serious back problem. People don’t appreciate doing work here or getting work done here.  They’ll find a short cut to everything.

5)  Punishment for the bad takes forever to be ruled in favor. How is this normal I do not understand till today? From experience, the police I've met here are not what they seem and I have stories of 5 years to back this. Who do you go for help here?  In Switzerland, I was caught by a police for plucking a tulip because it was against the law. Simple example of how serious they take their job.

6) My dad once said to me that he hopes he never has to take an ambulance here for an emergency. Chances of a person making it on time to the hospital with the sad state of the roads and traffic here are slim. Not only people here are least bothered of an ambulance behind them to move, but if they want to, there’s no place for them to go.  God please be kind and never let a day like this come.

Flip side of the coin, here’s my love for this country....

1) I've never learned to appreciate music as much as I have in the past 5 years here. I've been introduced to new sounds, variations and my life, at-least in the music sense has never been better.  

2) The energy in this country is beyond me. There’s so much competition it makes me try harder every single day to stand out and kick ass cause if I drop the buck, I know I’ll easily be replaced. I love it, it gives me a high, and it gives me a sense of living. And you’ll only find it here.

3) I love how this city has so many options. There’s never a day in the past 5 years that I can say there’s nothing to do, no new place to go to. There’s a constant evolvement and it just makes living here a little more enjoyable and less monotonous.

4)  The people in this city are the warmest I've ever met. I've found a few assholes along the way, but the warmth from strangers is a little over-whelming sometimes.


Love-hate is a mind fucking thing. Happy 5 years to me!

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Restaurant Review: Suzette Creperie & Cafe

I have heard so much about this cafe, it's a pity it took me so long to get there. Suzette Cafe welcomed us with it's cosy French cafe ambiance. Their menu is extremely extensive,it took me a while to decide what I wanted to have, but since they are principally known for their crepes we ordered for the 'Pays' (oh so yummy) and 'Estragon' (definitely the winning crepe that night). The crepes were indeed super delicious and even though we were full after, we still felt light and not stuffed. I also had a mango smoothie since it is the season to indulge in the fruit which was a perfect compliment to my crepe.
Their sweet crepes sounded so nice and I was dying to try them however there is always a next time. I'll probably only go there for dessert.

I've also recently read that they've added a Physique Elite/Bodybuilding.com menu after Kris Gethin and 2 others, which is perfect for those counting calories and carbs. Suzette really is moving towards catering to all types of food eaters in the city!

Price: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5

Saturday 15 June 2013

Tears and Rain...

Stuck in traffic in the pouring rain with a good friend, got to the discussion of rain. I was told that years ago people depict rain with washing away of sins. He then said, 'can you imagine all the sins being washed in our city today'. And as much as I would like to believe it, I prayed too that the rains this year would wash away the sins caused in this country. How beautiful would it be to believe to be living in a city with less (because 'no' would be an unrealistic demand) corruption, rape, murder, scams, theft, abused power, difference between the poor and rich. My dream is far away from reality but I did pray and hope for a betterment while watching the rains.

A few days ago, I lost a loving uncle, a dear friend he was indeed. So young, so smart, so much more funnier. A beautiful soul. One of my dad's best buds he was and always will be. Within 24 hours my aunt was blessed with a beautiful and healthy baby girl. I have a baby God-daughter! God works in mysterious ways, he does. As much as I hate the saying 'Time heals everything' it is true in every word and aspect. Time heals pain, hurt, break-ups, scars and mis-understandings.

And all we can do till then is hold on and be strong.

- To summer of 2010, there will never be a summer like it.Ever.

Monday 29 April 2013

Restaurant Review: Cafe Zoe, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Hidden in the middle of Todi mills is this surprisingly huge French cafe. First impression, WOW. Seriously whoever designed the place definitely did a fantastic job. It's got a very classy touch of an old French cafe, it even has a book corner!!!

Moving on to the menu, totally impressive, I was blown away. Like I personally wanted to try every damn thing on the menu. On a more realistic note, we tried their Zoe's Tenderloin (cheese) burger with bacon (which was exactly how delicious they made it sound); Roast pork belly carbonara ( a must try as it's a different type of carbonara); Salmon Wellington (the best dish EVER! Generous portion of Salmon, WIN) and lastly the Tenderloin Bolognaise (this touched the spot).

Oh and we couldn't resist trying their desserts hence we went for their New York cheesecake (by far the best cheesecake I've had in the city) and the Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse which was not bad at all.

They have a very impressive Wine & Liquor list and the over all pricing of this place is above average (Mains avg between INR 300-500). But totally worth the value and quality your paying for.

Totally love this place. I plan to go there soon on a completely empty stomach and completely destroy my waistline.

The God of Food clearly looks after this place.

For more details visit http://www.zomato.com/mumbai/cafe-zoe-lower-parel

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Sunday 21 April 2013

Easy-Quick Breakfast of Champions


Honestly, I’m not a breakfast person. I have a quick cuppa chai before I zoom out of the door. However lately since I have been working out (That’s right) I tend to get hungry in the mornings, hence breakfast has been vital for the past month.

Besides my favorite scrambled eggs, here’s another quick, easy, filling and delicious thing I do for breakfast.

All you need is:-

  • Cereal/Muesli (whichever you prefer or both)
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • Skim Milk
  • 1 banana (sliced)


So take your cereal bowl, fill it with cereal or muesli or both. Then chop up your sliced banana and drop them in the bowl.



Then take some honey and drizzle it over your cereal and banana. Lastly pour in some milk. Et Voila!



A Colombian friend used to make this for me every Sunday in university and it was so damn refreshing and delicious unlike a regular bowl of cereal. Go give it shot. I’m sure you won’t skip breakfast again.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Restaurant Review: The Daily, Bandra West


Brilliantly located is a mid-sized restaurant/bar that has a lovely ambiance of an old fashioned press house. I loved the outfits worn by the waiters who got their journalist look on with nerd glasses and suspenders just added to the touch. Once you’re inside you’ll see how they've framed ‘Positive’ real-life news and hung them all around the place. A very nice vibe, this is their first month so I am looking forward to more great news!

Food-wise we tried their Garlic bread with cheese & chicken on a stick for starters and Pasta of Love and Grilled Chicken with porcini sauce and chives mash for mains.

The food was good but they could do better. For some reason our food got cold rather fast hence we couldn't eat it towards the end.

We had a couple of drinks as well, didn't experiment much, and just went with some Gin & tonic and Sangria. However they have this really wicked concept of Molecular cocktails and the sight makes you feel you’re in a chemistry lab.

The experience was good however I think they are a wee bit over-priced on their menu. Again depends on what you order, that and also we were there really early and most places in Mumbai have this wonderful thing called ‘Happy Hours’. The Daily should probably consider having them too.

For more details on location, menu and other things visit: http://www.zomato.com/mumbai/the-daily-bandra-west

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Note To Self: Need to start taking pictures.