Monday, November 12, 2012

When the Quotidian Coffee Beckons

So it was one of THOSE weekends: you get pulled down by a cold, thanks to the changing weather, but you get pulled up with a good movie, good food and stimulating conversation and then again, you get pulled down by other circumstances, like Diwali. I can never understand the nation’s enthusiasm over unaffordable air tickets, polluted air, noise and wastage of power, but then again, it’s probably just me…

So Argo was a good watch, notwithstanding its severely demented Bollywood climax. I know Hollywood churns out similar real-life-fake stories, and this one is again a chip off the old block. But somehow I can never get tired it. And realistically speaking, what were my other choices? As it is, I get this nauseating feeling every time I see a Student of the Year poster or a Jab Tak Hai Jaan trailer, and don’t even get me started on Sons of Sardar, so yes, despite the chilling cold chamber in the name of a theatre, I chose to be frozen to sickness.

The good thing is lately I have been experimenting a lot with food, especially the brunch and breakfast types, because, it has ALWAYS been the most important meal for me, and I simply love the whiff of freshly baked croissants and muffins to go with the Hazelnut cappuccino. Add to it a bit of scrambled eggs and salmon, along with the homely feel of a leisurely Saturday morning and the ambience of a chic Italian café along the bylanes of the Trevi Fountain, you get Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ, as we call it here) right here by the Gateway of India! And trust me, there is nothing quotidian about the place.

But that was just a part of a good weekend, overshadowed by the gloom of Diwali. As a child, Diwali meant traveling to Asansol in a local train at a godforsaken hour, dragging heavy suitcases with gifts for twenty minutes, Diwali meant bursting crackers with equally enthusiastic cousins, Diwali meant spending the entire afternoon in the sun, diligently building the diwali ghar, Diwali meant bhaifota, Diwali meant fun.

Diwali meant family

Today, as I type away furiously in a sparsely populated office, dreading the next couple of days, all that Diwali means is memories.

Today, Diwali means loneliness…

Today, Diwali means a novel, a cellphone and a cup of Hazelnut cappuccino

8 comments:

xibi said...

:-( Potte sarilla..

the.orchestra.of.life said...

I like the movies Ben Affleck make and act in. He is quite brilliant at his job. I liked Argo as I was watching it. Very well made but after the movie when I thought of the story once again, somehow I felt there was not much in it.

Nefertiti said...

@xibi
someone told me it's malayalam for "it happens. don't worry"? am I right, at least approximately?

@the.orchestra.of.life
oh totally agree. been a fan of Ben Affleck since his Good Will Hunting days. and he looks soo different in Argo! yea, there was really nothing new/different in terms of storyline, but it did keep me hooked till the end, though the climax sort of ruined it.

survivingbrain said...

it is "let it go, never mind."
:P:P


Happy Diwali anyways..
So what is your new regular reader count after the update??:P:P

Pesto Sauce said...

Last two Diwalis I watched movies instead of blowing crackers but strangely I don't miss Diwali in India

Nefertiti said...

@sb
thanks for the correction. and no more reader count, since I have discovered that my blog has tocuhed a lot of mallu lives without my knowledge :)

@pesto sauce
I would like to believe that diwali is more than bursting crackers, and I still miss being with family...

Anonymous said...

For me Diwali is all about memories. Memories of mum, food, rangoli, the torture of cleaning the house, visiting relatives and spending insane amounts of time cycling in the sun with cousins. Diwali means childhood memories. But now its all about overzealous relatives wanting to know when I will be married. Man, I hate the head tilt.

Nefertiti said...

@childwoman

ahhh, which is why I choose to spend diwali alone reminiscing about the good old days...