and the hostess is back :D

You know how much I love hosting parties and my house. I love cooking and taking care of people and in general being the little hostess. Sometimes I think I should have been born in the 1950's :D

Yesterday had Seaman, the happy couple, and small over for dinner. I was so happy to be bustling around in my kitchen listening to music while I cook away.

The house was spotless and I was exhausted :)

It was so nice to have S around. He approved of the house (phew) - gotta love younger-older brothers.

This is the first time I have officially cooked in Bangalore, I mean I have cooked in Ian's place quite a few times, but this was my house done my way.

Oh yeah the menu:

Devilled Eggs

Penne and Chicken

Garlic Bread

Fresh Mangos and Ice Cream

YUM!

It was a quiet evening, some music, great conversation and lovely company.

Shreez is a happy girl...

No photo's since S insisted I did not take out the camera (I only listen to him!)

PS - Ala-bama arrives in 10 hours wohoo:D

The fabulous life!

Presenting the fabulous life!

After a good nights sleep, wake up post 11am, because honestly which self respecting who’s who wakes up early now days. Its so passé

After a leisurely breakfast, or is it brunch? Who really cares!
Now we all know, if one eats, one must exercise. Got to look good!
No boring gymming (as the lovely Delhi’ites say!) The new and IN thing to do is Pilates.
With the right type of breathing and some well designed work out plans – Pilates is the answer to getting the new you.
It’s off to the spa then. Got to protect your body against this horrible humid weather we’ve been having. Protect those digits ladies! Don’t want chipped nail polish now do we. Gasp!

A head massage, shoulder / back rub, the nitty gritties of hair removal and pedi / mani – one is ready to go.

Oh look at the time! Luncheon with the girls awaits. A quaint Italian joint is the choice for today.
Hello darlings
And wow you look fantastic today
How was the honeymoon wink wink
Floats around the place.

After finally getting down to ordering, a couple of rounds of cocktails later, and some well deserved lunch. Its time to say tata and flounce off for a bit of shopping. Louis Vitton is having a sale. Everyone is checking it out.

Now with all the absolutely gorgeous hunks gracing the silver screen, a movie is always on the schedule. If its bad boy Bradley Cooper in Hangover or Yummy Ryan Renolds in The Proposal. Its movie time darling!

Post movie – coffee is always a good idea. But needs to be on the go, us busy girls have to get home and get ready for the night ahead.
But a quick stop at the pool before heading back home. All those calories! One needs to be careful dear.
A 10 minute shut eye in the steam, walk out looking good and feeling refreshed.

A quandary!! What to wear??
Tap freshly done nails against wardrobe.
Finally pick out that perfect piece!
Dressed and ready – its time to hit the town.

Advice – don’t always stay in one place – its all about being seen everywhere! Party till the break of dawn, difficult in Delhi where everything ‘seems’ to close at 1, but its all about breaking the rules isn’t it?

Head back home to a well deserved sleep. Advice – don’t drive drunk. You’re too pretty to die!

Wash off that make up and slip into those covers and cuddle the one next to you.
Until tomorrow..
Xoxo
Shreez!

The life of the ‘fabulous’ and since I have been in Delhi for the part 2 months, without a care in the world – my life is imitates this life kind of poorly.

Wake up post 11 – well that ones true, I am a facebook addict and end up chatting with half the world till 3am!
What to do!

Breakfast / lunch depends on what time post 11 I actually surface. *sheepish shrug*

Pilates – YES I have started that. YES its great fun. YES my body is in excruciating pain. But it’s a blast and I have blondie with me, so that’s good motivation.

Spa treatment is done every two weeks. Oh how I missed these head massages. Though my hair seriously needs a trim. Oh how I miss you hoops!!!!

Luncheon with the girls – happened once. I wanted to shoot my self. To discuss the pros and cons of a summer versus winter wedding is not really how I want to spend my afternoon. And to sum up the debate eloquently
“Who really wants to sweat at a wedding darling? Gasp!”
Shreez rolls her eyes!

Shopping – ZILCH / NADA / NOPE / NAY
I know does not sound like me, but hey even this girl needs to keep her purse strings tied.

Movies – ok that’s my guilty pleasure. I love watching movies! Hangover - hilarious. Can I get Bradley Cooper sent to India?

Coffee is usually done with Blondie – or I stroll down to the local barista with a good book and feel happy.

Swimming another one of my favourite things to do. Up to 70 laps a day baby!

I have gone out a total of 2 times since I have been in Delhi. And honestly give me CNSVC, monitor gin, fried eggs, henna, permanent marker, laughter, memories, jokes and great conversation anyday!

And to last bit of the fabulous life – cuddling next to that someone special, I spend every other night getting attacked by my dog, trying to get onto my bed. But then again I have been away for 4 years, so now he thinks the bed is his.
Oh life!

And that my friends, is the fabulous life of shreez.
xoxo

Of course New Zealand has electricity, I saw it on the world map… at night!

So the past two weeks have been fun! Hanging out with friends and enjoying the last few days we have together. It always happens .. get to know people really well at the end of semester and wishing we were this close at the beginning of semester.

We have been planning to make pizza since Friday. We were going to do it at Benderloch. So we arrive there at 6 ready to make some pizza. In walks SuperMario – our chef and goes so where are the ingredients?
Me: Uuumm dint you guys go buy them this afternoon?
SM: Yeah they are at Mehendi’s house.
Me: Dang!
SM: Ok, so we will just walk down and get it.
Me: What about the vegetables?
SM: Oh wiggles is getting it
Cue entrance – wiggles
SM: where are the veggies
W: what veggies?
Oh shit!
So there goes the plan of making pizza. We stick to tibbs instead.

Sunday after Frisbee, we decided to have another go at making pizza and head out to Kiwi’s place. (which btw is a gorgeous house!)
Plan was to be there at 6, start cooking and eat dinner by half past 7.
In walks in SM at 7!
Okay so we are a bit off on time, but hey no issues…lets get this pizza going.

So we chop and we dice and we grate, and its all ready to go.
Unfortunately the oven does not work!
Slight problem right… anyhoo… we will just ask the dorm if we can use their oven.
No such luck – they don’t have an oven!
Strike one

We’ll just call on the neighbours says Kiwi.
They are not at home
Strike two

Frustration rises!
Lets call Margaret and being the lovely lady that she is, calls us down to bake the pizza.
Remember that we are walking through a campus, which is known for bison roaming around, oh and let us not forget Bison Bob (he was attacked by bison!)
Make it to M’s safe, the oven is on… lets get this show on the road!

Step 1: open oven door
Step 2: put tray in
Step 3: scream in frustration because the tray does not fit

Can you say strike 3!

After laughing out of sheer exhaustion. We become creative. Lets just say hunger pangs make you think way out of the box.
So tray one is put in at an angle – yes! At least one pizza will cook.
Now what about tray 2? Too big to put in.

Just fold it in half and make a calzone !
Not as easy as it sounds.
After some clever manoeuvring, its pushed into the oven and now we just wait.

Well to cut a long story short, 20 min later, we have one pizza and one…I really don’t know what to call it.
Let the picture speak for it self.

Walk back up… hoping no bison were around.

Made it back safe, ended up sitting on the kitchen floor eating the ‘pizza’
Playing with left over dough
Just another Sunday at Kodai
“No honestly, looking at it – I don’t feel hungry” – Margaret

Just trust, give it time, no matter how long it takes

Have not blogged for ages, tho I have been lugging my laptop with me every where I go. So what is happening 7000 feet above sea level you ask?
Quick update:
* Back in Kodai, last year here now (or atleast I hope) Not to seem negative but its time to move on. Move on to bigger and better things - where shall I be next year this time and like the title suggests - just trust, give it time, no matter how long it takes (in every aspect of life!)
*Back in Kodai, getting back to the usual grind of things, been pretty busy and am enjoying the feeling of having a constant stream of things to do. Work hard and party harder.
Talking about partying harder - Kodai saw its first ever lungi party and I must say it was quite a success! Every one came in a lungi and the boys took to the whole folded in half lungi quite well. American style barbeque with an indian flavor of fashion. Being multi cultural is quite nice.
*New semester mean new people. The good and bad of Kodai - people come and people leave. Like I was telling hoops one afternoon while we had coffee in my house - the situation is the same but the faces keep changing.
*Hoops now has an even bigger pair of hoops (found them in turkey in the summer)
*Alabama might be coming to India in Sept. Cant wait to see her! Its amazing how even just 6 months can make you so close to some one.
*Beavis sent me a link to his post - to the women he loved. Miss him like crazy! Constant texting to meeting up at cup of tea for the first time. A great friend.
* Back to frisbee and volleyball. Good fun as usual! No major injuries till date - well apart from Aaron running into me.
*Talking about injuries I managed to fall in the office. Was walking in J's office and managed to slip on absolutely nothing (like i said shreez does not need any external forces to injure her self) while I lose my footing I twist my body to grab on to some thing to stop my fall, only to end up bumping into a table of pottery - breaking quite a few items in the botique. In this process I bruise the bone on my left foot and then fall into J's office on my bum and knock on my head on the edge of the chair. Solid bump on the head and a swollen foot is what I end up with. (lovely to have friends around, they will always be there to help you up but also be there to laugh at your clumsiness)
While I sat in the doctors office I have hoops laughing at me, while my foot has an ice pack around it and I hold another ice pack to my head. Talk about being injured from head to toe.
*My TV has not been working for 2 weeks now. IG you will be happy to know I have not watched TV for 14 days now and instead spend my time reading.
*JP leaves this monday for Kolkatta. Every one seems to be leaving.
*Lynea and her hubbie have now joined the ranks in Kodai. It is absolutely great to have her back. And K seems to be absorbed in to the group quite seamlessly.
*Wiggles is absolutely hilarious. And hoops and I now have some one to tease relentlessly. Check out his blog. A good read.
*Had a relaxful saturday. Woke up at 9 completely refreshed. Chatted with wiggles over a cup of coffee, lunch, coffee with the gang in my place and then pedicures for hoops and dreads (I find it so relaxing to give pedicures) and then dinner with some people. Found a place for great tandoori chicken in Kodai. And I even ate chicken on the bone!
*Sat in the same room with a Bombay earth snake. Freaked out every time small chap brought it near me. Yeah I am petrified of snakes. My heart races and tears instantly form. I will get over this fear. some time...
Well thats pretty much the end of the random post. Will update you more on the turkey trip and the turkish bath in my next post.

Listening to: You can call me Al by Simon and Garfunkel
Last movie watched: Chicken run (right after Runaway Bride..two movies in one day!)
Laughed pretty much thru out dinner
Baked whole wheat raspberry oatmeal muffins
and to end it off, wishing Blondie a very happy birthday (love you sweetheart!)

mmmm yummy !

I love the fact, that when I walked into my house yesterday - it smelt of warm cookies... cinnamon, blueberries and dates. It felt good to be home.

Blueberries

Been in the mood to cook lately... blueberry season - therefore the main ingrediant in all my recipes.

These are the ladies who go to the forest and find blueberrie. They remind me of Prof Sprout from Harry Potter.



Blueberry cake with lemon glaze
Blueberry and oatmeal muffins
Oatmeal cookies
Blueberry spread
Blueberry liquor (vodka and blueberries - mmmm yummy, a new demontini maybe?)





Been thinking of starting like a catering business... well basically just deserts and snacks.. ne ideas people?