Back from Bangalore

I had a wonderful time attending my cousin's wedding. We're basically South Indian, Konkani to be specific, and the guy she married is a Sindhi so it was a nice mix of cultures.

Day 1 - The Cocktail Party: I had an absolute blast! Everybody in the family hit the dance floor, and I mean EVERYBODY. Old uncles, aunts, kid cousins, young moms... everybody was grooving. All the guests were in high spirits, no thanks to the bartender who was serving these MASSIVE drinks. I'm telling you, I must've downed like 4 drinks (I think!), but it felt like 8! Anyway, everything seemed nice, happy and jolly. I helped random old men get their drinks, danced with uncles and aunts, said cheers to practically anyone who had a drink, laughed with and at folks and generally had fun. An evening well spent! :)

Day 2 - Mehendi: Honestly, I can't stand the smell of the stuff so it got to me a little. Besides, I think there was a fair bit of alcohol still going through my system which made it a bit worse for me. The evening was fun though. Sitting and chatting with family at my grand-aunt's place and then a yummy biryani dinner at my aunt's.

Day 3 - Wedding & Reception: The wedding was nice. More or less traditional. The couple looked great together and I'm really happy for them. The sideshows here are the most fun. Everyone bitching about everyone else's clothes! :) It's amazing how clothes are the most talked about things at weddings. You'll see groups of men and women sitting in a huddle and discussing what people are wearing, why something is ghastly, pretty, shiny, sombre... whatever. Everyone has something to say about clothes I think. Then there's kids running around making a racket, young ladies preening and young men trying to get their attention... it's always a beautiful tamasha.

Apart from the wedding, I got a chance to walk around M.G. Road, St. Mark's Road and Church Street. Bangalore breakfasts are my absolute faves! I love the idli-vada-dosa breakfasts down south. And the best part is, the sambar isn't sweet like it is here in Mumbai (thanks to the Gujarati influence). The weather was cool, rainy sometimes and sitting there taking in the Bangalore morning at Kaycee's on Church Street wolfing down a set dosa was blissful.

Walking up and down Church Street reminded me of the time my friends and I went to Bangalore for the Aerosmith concert and stayed at, hold your breath, Dhanlakshmi Tiffin Rooms!!! :) It was pretty nice btw, DLTR. Happy times! :)

I'll leave you with an interesting message on a wall outside Bowring Institute. Enjoy! :)

Never mind the corrupt politicians, we'll get 'em Bill Sticks! Yee haw!

Running # 18

Today's Run:
Distance: 8 km
Time: 48 min 32 sec

Today's run was beautiful. Outdoor and in the rain. I was able to take a couple of minutes off my last time because it was cooler.

It felt great to have the rain hit my face on Marine Drive. Cool, refreshing and a welcome change from the sultry summer. The streets look washed, the air has that yummy rainy smell and you stick your tongue out to catch a few raindrops. If the monsoons were a woman...

Anyway, I followed-up the run with a monster breakfast. Here's what I pounded after it:

1. 3 boiled egg whites
2. A big glass of watermelon juice
   
3. A slice of whole-wheat bread
4. 3 of those small yellow bananas
5. 3 chickoos
6. A bigger glass of mango milkshake
7. 6 almonds

Holy shit! I just realised... that's a lot of food!!! There must be an orchard growing in stomach right about now.

I love breakfasts! :)