Humbled and Honored!

It has been a year that I set foot in the world of blogging, a bit too late, now that I think of it. I had been coaxed into it by my brother-in-law to give it a try. I was not very sure this was my cup of tea, and never understood why blogging was necessary when I had already been writing for years, using a pen and paper or for that matter, just writing on Microsoft Word. That ways, I am a little old school, I think. And I still am. I am not very good at marketing and am not out there, networking with other bloggers. But, all of this changed when I joined blogging forums and started getting comments and feedback. See, this is what is different between blogging and writing for newspapers. Though, I had been freelancing for many years, I had received true feedback only in the form of a few "Letter to the Editor" pieces. But, blogging really brought me more comments and opened up debatable topics for discussion. All such stimulating sessions set the wheels in your mind rolling. 

And I am really thankful to have been deemed worthy of the title "Versatile Blogger", by a fellow blogger. Thank you so much Vajra for the Versatile Blogger Award, which motivates me to write better and keep trying to write about different topics. It was the technical writing on my Science Blog BioMilieu (which is still taking baby steps) that got me the tag of 'versatile' and I really appreciate Vajra's gesture of recognizing it. He is a perfect example of someone who started blogging about his passion: cricket, and then moved onto more challenging themes. A big thank you to him and all the readers, who inspire me to write everyday. Your comments and feedback truly humble me and make writing so much more fun!

Now, to the rules that need to followed, once you are awarded there are certain rules to be followed:
1. Create a new post
2. Thank the lovely person who nominated you for the award
3. Pass it on to your fellow bloggers
4. State 7 random facts about you
5. Claim and post the award pic

So some random, but not very quirky facts about me:

1. I am very very passionate about teaching; brings me some strange pleasure and a smile that refuses to leave my face, when I am with my students. To read more, about what teaching means to me, you could check this post.
2. I simply love the smell of coffee beans, and I love chewing on the beans, to get the creative juices flowing. Coffee is my substitute for chocolate, when in a formal setting. If you share my love for chocolate, you might like to take a peek.

3. Flowers are my drug, give me a garden to play with, and see my fears, apprehensions scamper away.
4. I crib a lot about the harsh winter in Minnesota, but I secretly kind of love it, especially the first snow of the season. There is nothing more serene than pure, white, blanket of fresh, soft snow around (I know people close to me are going to be shocked, reading this, since I am always cold)
5. Italian food is my comfort food, I can rely on the breads, the salads and the soups to get my spirits up.
6. Demure I may look, but I manage to get really fierce; the issue or person just has to be close enough to my heart to put up a fight.
7. I am quite indecisive, to the extent that I visit a store to survey clothes, am not sure which ones to get, go back to get the ones I couldn't get out of my mind, and yet return most of them the day after :) 

Well, that is a little bit about me. And now to pass on the honor! In my short time exploring the blogosphere, I have discovered lots of wonderful blogs pertinent to specific niche areas. Here are some of the bloggers, I think deserve to be awarded for their insight of the subject they are passionate about!

1. Arun for his insightful movie reviews on his blog Passion for Movies

2. Radhika for the peppy, girly feel of her blog and blogging about all things cool on her blog Rads Blog-A-Zine 

3. Debajyoti for the quirkiness of his blog Some Facts Some Nonsense 

4. Sandeep for discussing all things close to the hearts of NRIs, and yet more interesting issues on his blog The NRI 

5. Viju for bringing together all A R Rahman lovers and creating such a great forum for eclectic music  on his blog Rahmania

6. Debdatta for her amazing capacity to read so many books and produce interesting book reviews on her blog Book Reviews by D.D.S 

7. Tomichan Matheikal for the heart-felt posts and in-depth analysis of issues on his blog Matheikal's Blog

Although there are many other blogs that make my day, and count for great reads, but most of them are well established and must have been showered with multitudes of such awards! To name a few, Nabanita (Random thoughts - Naba), Saru Singhal (Words), Purnendu (Shadows Galore) and Umashankar Pandey (One grain amongst the Storm).  There are so many perspectives to be heard and so many lessons to be learnt, and blogging just makes it a little experience. Taking a bow to blogging and all bloggers whose words provoke discussion, thought and action!

Confessions of a Chocoholic!

It is raining, the beautiful drops of water glistening on the fresh green leaves just starting to bud. The wind has a cool, serene flow to it. And the fragrance of dew drenched soil just fills your heart with joy. I am gazing out the window and trying to soak in this pleasure, when my mind grazes away and starts thinking about things that make me happy: the first drops of rain, the fragrance of a flower garden, the sight of a cuddly little squirrel or a rabbit, a good book, some soul-stimulating coffee, and, anything CHOCOLATE! The pleasure derived from chocolate is the one that adds on to any of the other joys mentioned above. And it does not actually have to be chocolate. Anything slightly resembling the taste of chocolate, strikes a chord with that part of the brain called the pleasure center. It could be a chocolate flavored coffee, chocolate shake, chocolate cake, choco pie, chocolate croissant, chocolate icecream, and the list is never-ending.

That moment when you place chocolate in your mouth, and your taste buds come to life; that moment when the taste buds are singing ecstatically, that moment when it is a party inside your mouth; it is that moment which defines everything for a chocoholic. The world ceases to exist for one long interim and there is no one but the appreciator and the muse. The beauty of chocolate is that all the worries are wiped away in that single moment and the world is suddenly full of bright and beautiful things. I don't know how it feels like to be high on a drug, but I can vouch for the fact that the euphoria brought on by chocolate is equally addicting. The mood-uplifting capacity of chocolate should qualify it to being an anti-depressant. I see so many infomercials about depression and the pills you could use to tackle depression and yes, the oh-so-long list of side effects; and I wonder why don't people just eat chocolate and get rid of their depression. Believe me, if you lay your hands on rich chocolate, the moment you eat it and it melts on your tongue, it feels like it was made for you, you feel special and appreciated. This may sound crazy to most people, but chocolate lovers over the world would know what I am talking about. Eating great chocolate is like pampering yourself. It is like the chocolate speaks to you 'Go on, indulge yourself and feel special; that little bite of heaven was made for you and you deserve it'.

The chocoholic that I am, a few days back, when I entered a bakery and came across the world's most 'happy cakes', I almost had a mini collapse. Now the reason I call them 'happy cakes' is because I know even if nothing else worked, these would bring me up from one of those tough blows life hands you. They are my life savers. And now, you must be wondering why I had a mini collapse; I had been looking for great chocolate cakes since the time I had landed in America, and I was tired of eating the same old Turtle Cake, and Cheese cakes and the other usual stuff. I had been looking for custom-made cakes for chocoholics, the ones that have so much rich chocolate and such a moist layer to it that you would not know what you had done to deserve this. I am talking about the cakes that are all dark brown, with some chocolate syrup dangerously sliding down the edge of the cake, and scream "Pick me, I am the one you want". And this quest of mine had led me to try horrible, horrible things that would have a tinge of chocolate and would still dare to call themselves choco-pecan pie or something. 

This was my day, I felt like an achiever. I had finally come face to face with my muse. The one I had seen in my dreams, the one that egged on the flow of creative juices inside me, the one that made me believe in heaven. And like it always happens, when you finally stand across from that great conquest of yours, you need to be pinched, to confirm reality. And yes, my husband did it, more out of embarrassment than out of a favor to me. Embarrassment for the child-like squeals that I did not know were coming from me. You see, I was completely lost in admiring that glass display that had the most luring options ever. I behaved like a spoilt brat, acting all crazy: "I want all of them, I can't decide which one....Please get me all of them, I want them right now!" and I am not even ashamed of it. I was running end to end, luckily with my eyes and not my feet, otherwise my husband would have abandoned me in that bakery long ago.

Finally my husband had to use his stern voice and say "We are getting two for now, pick what you want". And then again my scanning process started. I kept gazing at each one and analyzed them from all angles. It was like we shared a common language and they knew what I wanted. My husband shook me twice "Please don't do that, don't look at them like it is the first time you have seen cake". I mean he was right, I was almost drooling there, with that hungry look in my eyes, but I couldn't help it. This was that moment I had been waiting for, so I was going to enjoy as much as possible. If I could only get two, I was going to take in the rest with my eyes, my 'hungry, greedy eyes', to quote my husband. But, eventually I had to decide on the two I wanted the most, the two that had been successful in selling themselves to me, not just with how chocolatey they looked, but also with how welcoming they were. 

When we walked out of the bakery, I wouldn't let my husband even touch the box, and held it so carefully as to not disturb even one edge of the pastry. These were the most beautiful cakes in the world, they even had a piece of dark chocolate on the top and some raspberries to keep me interested. There were nuts, and choco chips and chocolate syrup and by then I was losing it. I couldn't wait to get home, tear apart the box and start digging in. My husband was looking at me and said, "The way you are fondling the box, you might very well start muttering 'My Precious', with that Gollum look in your eyes". It is true, I was possessed by that cake and that mean streak I get when I can't get myself to concentrate on anything but the chocolate, had started to show. Laughing at me, my husband said "They look good, but I don't think I could eat more than one bite of each". That is when I looked up in shock. First, that somebody could actually insult those wonderful creations like that and second, replying, "What do you mean one bite? This is for me; if you wanted some, you should have gotten one for yourself"! 

By the time we reached home, I was in that ever-existing dilemma of every choco-lover: to eat or not to eat. The cake looked so beautiful that I couldn't destroy its beauty, but it was so tempting that I could not not eat it. I was playing with the forks and spoons, weighing out my options, when my husband dug his fork into the first cake, me open-mouthed, looking disbelievingly at him, and..............and he put the spoonful in my open mouth. And that was it, no longer was I faced by any dilemma, worry or tribunal. I was transported to the world of chocolates and was relishing, the rich, creamy taste, thanking God for making such wonderful pleasures in life. "How is it, how is it.....?" I was brought back from heaven with these questions from my husband, and all I could say was "When can we go back for more?".

Some of my favorite places to pick up chocolate delights are:

Panera Bread

Patrick's Bakery

Buca di Beppo

Godiva Stores

The Cheesecake Factory