What would you do if money suddenly wasn’t a problem?

 I am having what we call a writer’s block. The condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. But I am back, baby! I researched a bit about what I want to write so while browsing topics to write and asking my friends, I came across a blog on writing prompts. So I really loved one of the prompts which was - Write about what you’d do if money suddenly wasn't a problem. 

So here I am pondering on what all I could do if money wasn't a problem anymore. Money is a thing which weighs your worth on earth. 

I have always seen those rich acquaintances, friends or whatever you wanna call it. I wonder if they have to think this much as i have to. I recently had a conversation with my friend. We have to always think thrice before enrolling in a course or any further studies. But these rich lads are just partying, going to expensive restaurant and enjoying international vacations. All of this at the cost of their parents. Call me envious or jealous but it is something to think about. There is a line between them and me which can be easily felt. 

 While I am struggling to make a decision about what to do and being so confused about spending every penny my mum gives me. It really frustrates me sometimes while I am looking from outside. Well the grass is always greener on the other side. I don't know what the other side is but the greener side looks better, maybe even feels better.

I spent a good amount on food. But other pleasures I think a lot. If  I use the money to buy something which turned out to be crap my whole day is ruined. I would need weeks, maybe months to buy something again. I will need constant reassurance that what I want to buy is worth it or not. Because of all this overthinking I usually end up not buying it.

Now coming to what would happen if money wasn't a problem anymore-  I would go on vacations and staycations all around the world. Go for wine tasting in Sula vineyards and Napa valley. Buy all the electronic gadgets and use them wisely. Buy expensive and better quality of makeup products. Buy trendy and fashionable clothes with the help of an image consultant. They will help  me pick up outfits which suit me and at the same time be comfortable for me to wear. I will have my own private transport with a 24/7 driver to take me anywhere I want to at any time. Go to amazing cafes and restaurants. 

As I have pondered about what all I would do if I had money, mostly we all think about ourselves. We forget the most important thing that might bridge the gap between me and those who spend money recklessly. I can use it to help others. Use the money to build a house so I can always have a home to go back to. Do silent charity i.e. anonymous donations.

So  I guess we all need to ponder over what we would do if we had all the money in the world. Well we are living in a money minded and materialistic world. It will take a lot of changes within ourselves one human at a time to make changes around us.

A Neophyte's Guide To Wine Making: The Sequel.

 

Now there was only two days left for day 21. I have filtered the wine by using a sieve. It was fun to strain. Not something I usually do. It reminded me about how I make tomato puree. After filtration, I transferred it to another container. The leftover waste was again put in the glass jar, as there was still some remaining wine to be filtered. That is what we are supposed to keep for two days as well. The pulp and the water should be kept separately.

This process for me was not as fun as I thought. It was honestly boring. I didn’t even feel like writing anything since everything was clear in my part 1of wine-making.

I filtered the wine again. I tasted it and it was bitter. But wine is supposed to be bitter. If you don’t like it bitter, you can add sugar or mix it with some cranberry juice. The wine I made turned out good.

So, I even tried the wine given by my neighbor. Since I didn’t have a wine glass, I used a teacup. Basically you are supposed to drink sip by sip with cheese or no cheese. I usually have wine at night. I poured myself some in a teacup and just when I was about to drink, my friend messaged me to play pubg and I ended up having the wine in one go. As soon as I sipped it I could feel the burning sensation in my throat. A wave of warmth I felt in my body just like someone snuggling me. I also felt something unusual a while later. After researching online I got to know the effects of wine in our body.

I realized I was feeling funny and I kept laughing for a while. Then I went to sleep and woke up late. Usually in my house there is always noise, lights switched on and fan switched off in the morning but I slept through it all.

Something weird happened; my mother was shocked to learn that wine is an alcoholic beverage. LOL. Because my mother asked my brother to try it, my brother replied jokingly, that he has stopped having alcoholic drinks. That same night we were on a group video call with my Cousin’s family. We all were having a gala time. My mom mentioned about what happened to me. They all were just making fun and laughing. It was something unexpected for me. They were curious about the process and wanted to know more. So now I am going to have to make a huge batch of wine, the next time I am visiting them. 

My brother took some wine for his friends and one of them has given me a review on it.

“Smells like Rum Cake, which makes you want to taste it.Tastes like really good, after taste is also pretty decent and you can feel the alcohol at the back of your throat.”

I would recommend to whoever reading this, to make wine at home rather than buying it. After this experience I realized it’s much more feasible to make it at home than buying it for an expensive price.

Wine should be consumed in moderation like one glass a day. I was quite dehydrated after drinking it, so drank water to re-hydrate myself.

The picture shows how much wine I got after filtration. I had the wine with some cube of cheese, fryums and chocolates. I reused a milkshake glass jar to store my wine.

A Neophyte's Guide To Wine Making.

 

Wine making is something I wanted to try for a long time. I am fascinated by the role that alcohol plays on our mind. Wine for me is a guilty pleasure. Recently, I have accepted that I like drinking wine more than any other alcoholic beverage that I have tried. Some say wine is not an alcoholic beverage whereas some say it is. Well that debate is for you….I do not care. I wasn’t a fan of wine before, I hated the bitter taste. As I grew up, I realized I loved that bittersweet taste. I haven’t tried it all but I would love to explore more. I am damn sure when I am more independent, I am going to take a wine-making class. Where they teach you all about making wine and tasting wine. I just realized I haven’t been to any wine-tasting.

I got a recipe of wine from my neighbor who makes wine at home, since you cannot buy it outside. Ever since I heard she makes wine at home, I just wanted to make it. I already wanted to learn. I annoyed my mother to ask the neighbor for the recipe, after the millionth time she finally asked and I got this recipe.

Now I am going to tell you how I made this wine. I wanted to try a recipe which someone has already tried. I guess there might be different recipe online.

. . .

First you need grapes (any color), I used green grapes; it was the only grape available.

For half kg grapes, you need 3 tablespoon Wheat, 2 tablespoon Sugar, 1 tablespoon Yeast, 1 Cardamom, 1 Clove and 1 inch Cinnamon.

I crushed the grapes with my bare hands. Each and every grape was crushed so much that the skin flattens. Even the pulp of the grapes was crushed well. While crushing it I kept thinking about the fact that in olden times huge amount of grapes were crushed with people’s bare feet. I couldn’t stop smiling at that time. The process of crushing the grapes was a little therapeutic for me. I was focused on the mixture of the grapes. As I was crushing the grapes I kept thinking about all the things that soothe me like applying moisturizer after a nice bath, peanut butter and jam sandwich, and my best friend’s hug. These things were running on my mind.

After crushing it well...it turns out like this. I then added the dry ingredients.

After adding it, I kept mixing and crushing the grapes that weren’t crushed properly. You have to keep mixing till the sugar is completely melted.

It turned out to be something like the picture above. And then I went to boil some water. You need to pour some warm water in the jar along with the crushed grapes brew.

I filled the brew in this glass jar. You have to only use a glass jar. Any glass jar would be fine.

I added the warm water according to the length and size of the glass jar. You have to take an approximate measurement going with your instinct. Making sure the water is not filled too much. We need to keep some space for the fermentation.

Then we have to close the jar, I placed a cloth on top and then closed it, to make sure it is air tight. After few minutes, keeping it aside…it looked something like the above picture. Slowly it started to ferment. There were bubbles rising up.

I am mixing it once daily for 21 days. On the 21st day, you have to filter it and then keep it back in the same jar for 2 days. In those two days you don’t have to mix it. Then after two days, you must filter it again. The wine is ready to drink.

I am on day 12, so far it is looking like this and on the next day i.e. day after I poured it in the jar it started to smell a bit like wine. So, you count day 1 as the day you poured it in. I was told to put caramelized sugar after the second filtration to turn it red. This is optional. But I am planning to add it.

Now I am just waiting for my precious wine. I cannot wait to consume it. If it turns out good I might make more. Honestly I found this more interesting than buying an expensive glass or bottle of wine.

Will soon post about how the wine turned out...stay tuned for the sequel of the wine making.

The Value of a Simple Goodbye... Is it too much to ask for?

Only Quote: rebloggy.com

Have you ever come across a movie, where you just don’t want the movie to get over so you keep pausing and don’t watch it continuously? Currently, I am watching the movie, Julie and Julia. I have been watching it a little by little for three days. I just don’t want the movie to end. Some movies while watching, you know it’s going to be remarkable; you try hard to watch it slowly. Feeling the character’s emotions and their experiences.  Making scenarios in your head wishing you could be like that person. Someone who has an interesting personality that is unique, quirky and cool.

Another movie which I loved is Jojo rabbit. The ending of the movie was what I loved the most. Proper goodbyes are very important for me; the ending of a movie, story and relationship. One of the reasons I hate cliffhangers. The start of anything- a conversation, friendship, movie, etc is always a happy one. People don’t like small talk but that is peaceful for me.

"For me goodbyes stay forever."

Beginnings and endings are precious for me. The initial curiosity, beginning of a movie which makes you wonder where it is going to lead. Some movies take you on a journey, an emotional one. When a scene makes me happy, I pause and feel it by smiling, giggling and blushing. Closing my eyes and reminiscing the happy moments I had. When an aura of sadness consumes me, I feel it deep within because this feeling is not alien to me. I stop and close my eyes, take a deep breath and carry on with the movie. Movies with sad endings make me realize that I am breathing and it is okay if things don’t go the way you wanted to end it.

Slowly, in the journey of healing and knowing myself; I have come to an insight that goodbyes are crucial. No wonder I expect them in the movies I watch. Any relationship that I enter, I need that closure if it ends.

"Before rolling the end credits to our relationship - A goodbye is all I ask..." 

 Sometimes you don’t find it from that person. But I found it in the movies and my best friends who helped me go through it. I am thankful to them, for they always listened to me rant without judgments. I remember when I didn’t get the proper goodbye I wanted when I left an organization. My best friend from school listened to my endless talks; some of the talks went on repeat. Talking to her just helped me get it out of my INTERNAL HEAD BATTLE. Honestly it would be a faster and better recovery if I had just gone to a therapist. Since those rants and talk were just temporary. I still keep on going back and living in the past, regretting. 

So now I find the goodbyes, closure that I need in these movies I watch.  I really hope I always find the ending I need, sad, beautiful and tragic. I just used a Taylor Swift song as my ending to this blog.

Only Quote: QuotesBlog.net

 

Cherished Memory.

 

While cleaning, I found this treasure hidden and forgotten by me. When I found this I was so joyful. Most of you don’t know what this is. It’s a traditional Tamilian game played by most of the kids in the South India. It’s called Pallanguzhi. I remember growing up playing this game. I guess the reason I like math might come from playing this game. 

When I found this, I forgot to use my mobile and was having the time of my life with my grandma playing it. I was introduced to this game and fell in love with it. I got it from my grandfather’s house in Tamilnadu where I usually go for vacations all summer, in my childhood.

Hours and hours playing this game and never getting bored. This wooden board is one of a kind because it is custom made by a carpenter. Most of the board we get is either in shape of a fish or just a plain rectangular box. This fold-able square box is one of a kind. I am glad to receive such a unique antique.

This is something to be cherished and passed on for generations to come.

We use shells. As it was expensive in the olden times and not all the families could afford both the box and shells. They used beads, buttons, tamarind seeds and what not innovative things they could find. As you can see in the above picture, I have used beads from my broken bracelet as I lost 5 of my shells. Sustainable I can say, as I have reused something that would have rather been thrown away by my Mom.

You can search on web for the instructions to play this game. And you can even make your own board by placing bowls instead of the 14 circles and 7 circles are for each player. This is a two player’s game.

Hope you can try this game play once in your life. It’s good for improving attention and patience.

Melancholic Heart.

 

I am up on Melancholy Hill waiting and just waiting for that special someone. That someone, who will sweep me off the ground. The one, who will finally understand, how difficult it is to live with me. Moreover, for their whole life. With someone like me, who is always anxious, panicky and sad. Always anticipating the worst of all the circumstances and even in good times feeling sorrow. Worried, always worried…Will the happiness I am experiencing go away in one snap…spoof!!! Gone.

I am scared. For life you can say or for living. Death is not scary as Living is. Living with the sadness and a constant fear of pushing away the only friends and family close to me. Making sure they don’t feel bad or upset with you because you don’t want to lose them. When will you learn? That no one is running away from you but you are pushing them away for you are scared of being hurt.

I want to heal and I am making efforts to heal myself because I am responsible for my own mental peace. My happiness and handling this sorrow inside my head are my responsibilities.

So far the journey has not been that great. Just making sure to talk to the right person is very important. Honestly it is easier to push people away then get hurt intensely.Well, this feeling won’t go away easy. 

"Some people are just born with melancholy in their hearts."

 We just have to deal with it. Live the rest of our life embracing it.