Caked!

There are people in this world who prefer savory, rich or spicy dishes. And then, there are the people who have a sweet tooth the size of Manhattan.

The holiday season maybe over, but mine just got extended when I received a box full of home baked delicacies from Baking Pleasures. Shruti provides dozens of variations to the bite sized mini treats – from customized cakes to home-made chocolates to tarts and cake pops. The box I received had a chocolate tart, a cake pop and a couple of cookies. The crusty chocolate tart was filled with smooth chocolate at the centre, perfectly substituting the cheesecake. The cake pop was rich, creamy and fresh making it a very smart choice for the consumer. As far as the cookies are concerned, here’s the thing: You think a plain cookie folded into the mixture, would be a simple matter…well, it’s not! What I’ve learnt from baking all these years is that it’s not difficult to make a cookie, but to get it right. The crusty texture of the cookies was just about right, making it probably a nice addition to my morning coffee.

I don’t know about you, but I would prefer eating dessert over cooking lunch, any day. I hope you’re with me, because resolutions aren’t worth keeping if they don’t let you appreciate the sweet things in life.

Shruti Agarwal is responsible for managing the home run bakery, and is a skilled confectioner and cake decorator. Don’t know where to start? Check out Baking Pleasures – you will be glad you did!

 

You can now order your box of happiness at:

There Is A Light In Me

There is a light in me,

Now buried,

That was once so bright,

It made even the darkest of colors

Look like the first dew of spring

In bright sunlight.

Crafted with the finest

Strokes of honesty and bravery…

The light sparkling so bright

Held onto others with naive optimism;

Believing that the light in others was also

Made of the very same qualities.

But, oh! The felony of nature:

That what we desire is not necessarily

That which we need.

And thus, the light of others,

Overshadowed the light in me.

Making it look like the dullest

Of monsoon skies that could ever be.

The light of others painfully

Drained out the light in me,

And in this process

I forgot that,

There is a light in me

That was once so bright…

It made even the darkest of colors

Look like the first dew of spring

In bright sunlight.

 

Copyright, Sevenstarhalo 2016.

Take Some Liberties

The Double Decker Living Root Bridge

Crossed this wobbly and shaking bridge, too.

The Blue Water Side

The view mid way.

I took the road less traveled.

The Double Decker Living Root Bridge

They call it the Living Root Bridge because it never stops growing. With time, it keeps getting stronger with firm roots digging deeper into Earth. It is over 500 years old and you have to trek some 3,500 steps , cross a village, eat at a shack which has local chips and coca cola (besides lemon juice and pure honey) for sale just to reach this bridge. The water is blue, and I saw the sun set and the stars take over. Sitting on the edge of this huge rock, beside the blue water , it dawned upon me how very liberating travelling can be. I wish I could travel all my life, because with travelling you just keep moving forward – there is no looking back, you know?

This was my first trip with the money I had been saving for a while now, and I wish I could explore the places nearby.

This was my first step to actually living my dream. I actually went trekking, did the thing I have always loved and wanted to do.

I was on my own, ready to take on anything that came my way. I felt that way after a very long time. I actually felt that.

 As long as the tree they are formed from remains healthy, they naturally self-renew and self-strengthen as their component roots grow thicker.

Hope Floats

Let me take you back…

To yesterday,

Where a bunch of kids were running around

in circles, with nowhere to be.

In a place where

the autumn leaves,

detached themselves of the commitment

and embraced freedom.

Where the clouds parted ways

so the clear skies could bleed blue;

There was a man with a red cap

happy just to be able to

hold hands and walk.

And here was I,

amidst the melancholy,

waiting for a miracle.

Copyright, Sevenstarhalo 2015.

Never More

I have lost my gift,

Like the night sky

Losing its stars.

Hope looks ahead

and sees new solutions…

But, fear takes over

Like a warrior of demons.

Fall, after fall

I pretend to rise;

Fall, after fall, I

Fail to disguise:

Why should the past be charming?

Copyright, Sevenstarhalo, 2015

Live Inspired.

You will one day experience joy that matches this pain. You will cry euphoric tears at the Beach Boys, you will stare down at a baby’s face as she lies asleep in your lap, you will make great friends, you will eat delicious foods you haven’t tried yet, you will be able to look at a view from a high place and not assess the likelihood of dying from falling. There are books you haven’t read yet that will enrich you, films you will watch while eating extra-large buckets of popcorn, and you will dance and laugh and have sex and go for runs by the river and have late-night conversations and laugh until it hurts. Life is waiting for you. You might be stuck here for a while, but the world isn’t going anywhere. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.