Week 52: Finally got inked in 'Gratitude'

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

Last week of my adventure challenge and I wanted to make it BIG! After contemplating for almost a year now, finally finally I got inked. For me a tattoo is more than a style statement, it is a way of life. Something I want permanently etched on my body because it means a lot to me.  What else would I have got tattooed than 'Gratitude'?

After a year of continuous pondering and 6 months of 'tattoo fever' (which means asking anyone with a good tattoo anywhere "From where did you get your tattoo done and did it pain?"), I finally made up my mind early this month that I am going to do this!!

So began the real quest for a good and hygienic tattoo parlour. During my 'tattoo fever' days, to all the people I asked this question - 6 out of 10 said Aces High Tattoo Shop. So I checked out their website and social media handles and decided that I will get my tattoo done at their Jupiter outlet. I must say, the shop is extra clean and you feel confident as you enter the place.

Next big quest was for the design. 4 months of incessant google search led me to a rough idea of how I want my tattoo. I wanted a tree with 'Gratitude' written at the roots of the tree. I had selected a design from the internet which was close to the kind of tree I wanted.

A small and simple tree with the change that 'Gratitude' will be at the roots

I sent my tattoo idea to my tattoo artist at Aces High Jupiter named Branden and oh boy, he transformed my tattoo idea into a charming beauty. The first version which he sent did not have clarity in the words 'Gratitude' and hence I asked him to rework on it. The later version just hit the bull's eye and I was so very excited about materializing that design on me.

I wasn't happy with the lettering in this version

The second version - Perfect!

Now the next part was the placement of the tattoo. I wanted my tattoo to be in such a place that it is not visible all the time and I could have the freedom to chose when to show it. Actually, no. I wanted it on my wrist, but my wrist is too tiny to fit even 2 letters forget about an entire tattoo design! I did not want the tattoo on my ankle, so I was left with either back shoulder or below the neck. I didn't want to play around with my spinal cord, so I chose my right shoulder back. This was a tough call!

Further it came to enduring the pain. I was told by everyone that since I am bony (with less or no flesh at all), it is going to hurt a lot. I was jittery as I entered the tattoo studio with no idea how much pain to expect. The stencil was placed on the shoulder back and after confirming the place is perfect, I lied down on my face to get my first ever tattoo done!

Branden working on the beauty he created!

Did it pain? Definitely yes! But not as much as I expected. Or maybe I expected much more pain and hence was kind of relieved with lesser amount of pain. Branden even commented, "By the way, you are doing extremely well for your first tattoo". It pains when the needle scratches the skin ruthlessly, but it is bearable.

After an hour or so, Branden declared that the tattoo is done. Sujoy looked at it and was talking with Branden saying, "The brown color in the leaves is not very eminent, can we use a darker shade?" Branden on this explaining that he used a caramel color and maybe dark brown color would look better. All this while I was still lying down with my head down and then I blurted out, "Guys can I see my tattoo please, then we can decide on the brown shade". Then Sujoy took a picture of my tattoo and showed me.

It was scintillating! Yes, the brown was a little faint but the overall tattoo looked gorgeous! I was extremely delighted with the outcome.

The caramel brown was hard to see against my skin tone

So we chose a darker brown to fill the leaves and it took some 5 more minutes and then I was done!

This brown looks better

I was a happy customer when I came out of the tattoo parlour that day! Thanks to Branden who made my first tattoo experience such a pleasant one. I now understand why people get hooked after their first tattoo, it is addictive. I have already started thinking about my second tattoo idea.

Branden, the skillful tattoo artist. And he is just an apprentice currently, beat that!

My tattoo is healing now and the colors look much brighter. You need to take very good care of the tattoo in order to avoid any infections and accelerate the healing process. 

Yayy, yayy....I am inked finally! :)

An eventful year comes to an end, 2015 has definitely been a BIG year in terms of new learnings and growing as a person. And I continue to live with my motto - 'I simply live gratitude'.

Week 51: Tropical Holiday Spectacular the Hawaiian Style!

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

Week 51 and just one more week to go. Week 51 was marked by some belly dancing and some fireworks with a live performance by the Aloha Islanders Hawaiian Entertainment at the Waterfront on West Palm Beach. It was a shining evening with some Hula dance and some really good body moves. The dancers were so graceful and elegant. It was a treat to watch them all. Take a look at the video!

Simmer your belly baby!

Elegance!

It was not just the women but even the men were pro at dancing and fireworks. Some of the stunts which they performed were eye popping and I stopped breathing a couple of times when they were playing with fire. 

The conch and the fire!

The men also set the stage on fire!

What made this event so different from a normal performance was how the crew kept the entire audience engaged. They had these small interim engagements where they invited kids first to teach them the Hula and later grown up men to do some dance moves. The guys had a great time with all the dancers up the stage ;)

Those guys are having a lovely time down there!

There was even a conch blowing contest and some hilarious moments happened during that time. There was this kid in the contest and he just blew up everyone's mind. Some of the contestants could not blow the conch properly and the noises which came out of the conch were hilarious!

There was a huge crowd which had come out even though rains were forecasted.

Look at the crowd!

I love the December lights and festive mood everywhere! It seems as if everyone is carefree and just in the mood to enjoy and be with family. It is a great time to sit back and relax. I wish December never ends!

One more week to go and trust me the last adventure is going to be BIG! Stay tuned!

Week 50: Festivities with Holiday Parade

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

Last week we went to the Delray Beach holiday parade organized by the Delray Beach Parks and Recreation. Delray beach is one of the top ten best holiday decoration places and it was a pleasure watching the Holiday Parade.

It was our first time watching a holiday parade so we were not very sure what to expect. But we were not disappointed at all. There was so much extravaganza and some extraordinary performances from talented school kids. There were a lot of participants in the parade consisting of various schools, academies, government offices, hospitals, libraries and corporate organizations. 

Here are a few photographs. Since we did not carry our camera and it was dark, I did not click many pictures.

I recorded a few performances too. There is so much talent in the young ones around. And I still cannot shake my legs in sync!

Just 2 more weeks to go and the week 52 adventure which will mark the end of an epic year is going to be BIG. So stay tuned!

Week 49: Foodgasm with Home Made Authentic Indian Chaat

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

The taste still lingers on my tongue - the tanginess of the tamarind chutney, the spicy tinge of the chole ragda, the addictive fried alu (potato) tikkis, the flavorful addition of farsaan and the crunchy onions on top! It was a day when my heart was filled with joy and my stomach over filled with the authentic indian chaat! Yummmmm....

This was simply heaven!

I never imagined I will be eating this heavenly dish from India in the US in near future and that too prepared at home with all the love and the perfect level of spice. Yes, I know I am God's blessed child and I do have such unexpected bright moments in my life which almost make my entire week :)

A visit to a friend resulted in this foodgasmic venture, the happiness of which I cannot explain in words. One satisfied soul I was that day. When I took the first bite, I literally had goosebumps. I am not at all over exaggerating! Chaat is on my no. 1 item in my list of 'What to eat on my next India trip'. So you guys can understand the bliss!

Cannot thank Neha enough for this lovely gesture! :)

Three weeks to go for the adventure ride to come to a halt for this year!!!!

Week 48: Thanksgiving Dinner and Black Friday Shopping Frenzy

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

As I mentioned last week, I am staying put on my festive mood and hence this week for the very first time we had a Thanksgiving Dinner. No, it wasn't a big affair but just me and Sujoy with some good cooked home food. We have been here in US for 2 years now, but this was our first time of celebrating Thanksgiving in the true spirit. At the dinner table, both of us detailed out all the small and big things we are really grateful in our life. Trust me, it wasn't such a serious affair as I realized the kind of things guys are thankful are sometimes may seem hilarious! Sorry, no judging! I as usual was the sentimental fool blurting out even the minutest thing which makes me feel grateful. After my speech, Sujoy almost said 'I am thankful that her speech finally got over!' :)

We had a hearty meal later laughing away at all the craziness!!

The next big mission was the Black Friday shopping. Actually no, it wasn't a big mission this year as we had decided not to fall prey to all the sale frenzy and buy just what is really needed. But guess what? We started with placing our orders online on Amazon and then headed out on Thursday night to Macy's. We bought 2 things which were not listed in our wish list at Macy's that day. That is not all. We went to City Place the next day where we were supposed to go to just one shop. And we ended up going to 3 instead and buying stuff at these 3 outlets. If you thought we stopped at this, then you really underestimate us! We went for lunch at Indus Herbal and then realized the big mall called Palm Beach Outlets is just opposite to this restaurant. By now, you know us! So yes, we went to this mall too and fortunately shopped at just one shop in the entire mall. After that we decided, it was too much of spending now and we need to return back to the safety of our home where no discount deals can lure us! 

Yes, people in US also stand in queue in front of shopping malls. It is Black Friday, no mercy while shopping!

Everything is crowded like crazy. I wonder how parents dare to get their kids here!

I don't have to tell you that my stuff outnumbered Sujoy's stuff by many folds. I don't shop much actually but it seems the Black Friday bug bit me hard this time!

That is all my stuff. I am not saying anymore now.

I have told Sujoy, I am done with my shopping quota and I won't be shopping for a year now! Let's see how true I stick to my words :P

I hope you also had a wonderful time this holiday season :)

Week 47: Spreading Gratitude and Friendsgiving!

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

This week I had one new experience in my kitty plus one new tradition started. Thanksgiving is round the corner and I thought let me blend a little in the American culture too! To be frank, I just did not want the festive mood of Diwali to fade off and hence I thought let's continue with the festive mood with Thanksgiving now and then Christmas :)

I gave a speech on 'My Gratitude Tree' last week in one of the Advanced Toastmasters Club called Palm Beach Advanced Toastmasters. It was my first time that I was a guest speaker in some another club. The theme was Thanksgiving and there was a great spread of food available. I spoke about how a decision I made early this year has changed my entire perspective towards life! Inculcating gratitude in my life has been the greatest virtues in my life, undoubtedly the redifining moment of my life. 

I mentioned how this year gratitude has helped me at all fronts - I am happy always, my health is great, my relationships are blooming and my career is flourishing. What else do I need in my life? All of it only because I decided to be thankful each single day and not just during Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

The best part I liked about this club was that after my speech and the normal evaluation of my speech, the dias was opened for feedback from everyone in the audience. I got such thoughtful insights and some constructive feedback from the audience which has helped me to improve myself. What touched my heart was people saying they could connect with my story and were motivated enough now to include Gratitude in their life every single day from now on. I think I accomplished my goal of spreading gratitude that day!

The other tradition which we started this year was 'Friendsgiving'. So 3 of us - Gauri, Neha and me decided to have a Friendsgiving lunch together on Friday. The food spread consisted of hot fulkas, pointed gourd vegetable (potol in Bengali, parwal in Hindi), spicy Mutter Paneer (This was on Gauri's demand who eats too spicy food) and mix dal. All of this was prepared by Neha who was our host. The food was later followed by the dessert of gulab jabun! 

The photo is not that great because we just wanted to dive into the good food!

Neha is an awesome cook and this food spread was just delightful. It reminded us of our home and mom. The taste of the food still lingers on my tongue :)

After lunch we did a fun thing. We mentioned 2 things about each other which we adore the most. Here is the gist:

For Neha, it was unanimously called upon that she is very caring just like a mother. She will scold you like a mother, instruct you like a mother and even love you like a mother! The second thing mentioned was her talkative nature which livens up any social gathering. Another virtue which came up was that she is a smart woman, finding solutions to many problems. You give her any topic, she will contribute in an intelligent manner and not just superfluous participation.

When it came to Gauri, both of us said that she is a very diligent girl and she does everything with full dedication. Remember the faral spread she prepared this Diwali? The other thing is she is very energetic, oozing with vitality all throughout the day. And lastly, her friendly nature. She is almost everyone's friend in our Community. Her amiable nature makes her a good friend!

For me, they said what impresses them the most is my positive nature! They said speaking with me they get motivated and feel that life indeed is beautiful :) The second thing was that I am disciplined. I am not sure how it came up in the good things list though ;) I am not exactly disciplined but finicky about certain things to be a certain way! I can see my husband laughing loudly at this statement!! Ok, ok ... I am a little rigid and disciplined. 

An eventful week! 5 more weeks to go, I still don't believe that I have come so far on this journey of 52 weeks of adventure!

Week 46: A Homely Diwali

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

As I mentioned in my last week's adventure that this year I decided to celebrate Diwali on a grand scale and make a home away from home! So the Diwali week was super fun for us and many of our friends really made it special for us.

I decked up for 3 continuous days and it was so rejuvenating. I usually prefer western wear and wearing a saree just makes me cringe a little. But this was the firsts of many kinds, so yes I adorned a saree too! I even went in a traditional outfit for my Toastmasters this week!

You will rarely find me in dangler earrings and make up!

  

That is our patio with lights and the lantern and the brightness oozing out of me in a saree ;)

That was my Toastmasters outfit!

Our friends flew down from Colorado to make 0ur Diwali extra special. Festivals are all about being with the family and bonding. So it was a great feeling, cooking food for these friends and then talking at leisure about anything and everything!

It was fun catching up with Aditi and her husband Chinmay

We were called by one of our friends for faral. Now faral is snacks prepared during Diwali and back home all our neighbours used to invite us to have those yummy delicacies prepared by them. To be called for faral in the US is HUGE! Ask any Maharashtrian in the US and you will know how ecstatic one feels when you get such invitation in the US! We were overwhelmed with all the variety of snacks our friend prepared us to feast on. Hats off to Gauri!

Just look at all the items she prepared at home single handedly!

We also had a potluck on the main Diwali day with friends with some good food, great company and of course the customary Diwali Taash or playing cards. Everyone was decked up for the occasion and we had a nice spread of food. An evening spent in giggling, laughing, pulling each other's legs and the warmth of near ones. All of us are away from home but we vowed to not let that bother us at least on that day!

A week which was extraordinary. It was painful to remove the lights over the weekend. The festival is over but I prayed to the Almighty to let the festive fervor be with us forever!

Diwali is called festival of lights as it epitomizes the victory of light over the dark, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil and hope over despair. As we were celebrating the festival, I promised myself to stand for all the values this festival signifies! Until next Diwali, may the light shine upon everyone! :)

Week 45: Preparing for Diwali!

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

Another year when we are away from home during Diwali, one of the biggest festivals in India. But this year I decided to make it BIG during Diwali and not let homesickness take over us. It is my first time that I have done all that my mom used to do back home during Diwali, just that I have done things on a smaller scale. So here is a week which was super busy in preparing for Diwali.

Last year I had made just small lanterns for the main door. But this year, I wanted to do more. A big lantern, some door decorations and small paper lanterns too. Thus started my quest for art and craft supplies and I almost bought a shop back home ;)

My art and craft shop at home ;)

Next was making the big lantern and decorations from all the material. The big lantern was a labor intensive job and almost got me a back ache. The smaller decorations were easier and less time consuming. 

The mess called art! :)

Ya, ya! I love the bright colored lantern :)

These will go on the main door

The next task was getting rid of the clutter at home. Diwali is a festival when all the clutter goes out of the home and hence cleaning is major aspect of Diwali. I am a lousy person when it comes to cleaning. Sujoy is usually the one with 'We should have a clean home' syndrome :P. I am really laid back in that aspect. Sujoy is the one who takes care of vacuuming and dusting at our place. 

So it was a herculean task for me to get the house cleaned sans Sujoy's syndrome ;). I started with getting rid of all the clutter which was there in the store rooms, then wardrobe cleaning which made me realize that I need to give away a lot of clothes which I haven't worn for a year now and lastly the kitchen. Phew! I did all the cleaning in phases and hence was sane at the end of it :P Of course, Sujoy was there to help!

Wardrobe Cleaning Alert!

Lastly was the Diwali faral or Diwali snacks. Back home, there is an array of food items prepared. But I stuck to just 4 items. 2 sweet and 2 savory. I made besan ladoos, kaju katli (cashew nut sweet) , puffed rice chiwda and a new avatar chiwda i.e. cornflakes chiwda. 

Besan ladoo made in shudha desi ghee i.e. clarified butter

The Kaju Katlis!

Puffed Rice Savory Chiwda

Trust me, this is the tastiest version of corn flakes :)

I am excited for Diwali week and have some great plans lined up. I hope Diwali brings happiness and prosperity to everyone! :)

Week 44: 1677 Miles Roadtrip to Fall Colors Fiesta!

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

After the thrilling Zipline story last week, this week is the time for the enchanting fall colors we immersed ourselves at Smoky Mountains! We took a road trip from Florida to Tennessee, covering 1677 miles and making our way through 5 states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. It was a fun road trip with some very talkative friends ;)

We started seeing the fall colors in Atlanta itself and it was just mesmerizing! If you stay in a place where there is summer all round the year (also known as Florida), you will understand how magical we felt after looking at the outstanding fall colors. The pinks, reds, oranges, yellows and few greens painted the perfect canvas! We started clicking pictures from Atlanta itself!

Look at the hints of colors in the background!

It was starting to get cold too and hence we could use all our warm clothing which usually is stacked in the store room in Florida. It was the right time to flaunt the beanie and scarf crocheted by me :)

The scarf took a while to complete. But I am so happy with the end products :)

The moment we reached the Smoky Mountains National Park, the landscapes started getting prettier with water bodies in between and curvy roads towards the top. We went to the highest point on the Smoky Mountains called the Clingmans Dome. It was chilling up there, but the view was breathtaking. Clouds were floating around and the view below gave me goosebumps. Nature never fails to surprise me! :)

Mystical clouds all around!

We did some really weird stuff too! We took pictures in between roads where cars were commuting on full throttle. We kept watchers on both sides of the road to warn the photographer and the muse to let them know when the car was coming. It was funny sometimes, when all was set and suddenly everyone was running berserk on the advent of an incoming car! Nevertheless we managed to click some lovely photos on the roads!

My favorite picture, I am getting it framed :)

Another one from the road diaries.

One of the nights we went to Gatlinburg Downtown and had some fun strolling on the busy streets and eating some yumm food. The Downtown as expected was bustling with tourists and had some real fun stuff to keep anyone engaged.

The colorful and bright Downtown

The cabin in which we were put up was pretty cool with a fireplace in the hall, a pool table and an awesome view outside. It was also on the mountains and the serene silence up there was eerie at nights. We had fun in the cabin with incessant talks and of course game of Uno and Judgement. So many stories to take back home :)

The Judgement Game Stories

The guys couldn't keep their hands off the pool table

Random Clicks

As the day of our departure arrived, all of us were heavy hearted and we didn't want to let go off this nature's heaven. I kept on going back to all the colors and dwelled on the harmony I experienced at the Smoky Mountains! It was the best trip ever for me so far from all the places we have seen in the US in the past 2 years. The second best being Niagara Falls!

Here are some breathtaking pictures to gladden the mind and soul - 

An entire mountain filled with these colors!

The colors just mellow me down!

Look at the fiery reds

On the roads less traversed!

Can't wait to for our next road trip now! Need to plan soon :)