a memoir of etchings and wanderings
The blog has increasingly become a very important part of who I am. Sometimes when I get to work, the first thing I do after opening Microsoft Outlook is log into Blogger.com to see whether there are new posts on my reader, and then I proceed to cheer myself with the fact that someone from Sweden visited The Orange Tree. Wonder what he/she was looking for. My blog is my … Continue reading “3 | 12: Twelve Favourite Blog Posts” →
Glorious food. I eat when I’m happy. I eat when I’m not. Food is my panacea. Hence the immediate need to join a gymnasium. I’ve experienced a lot of interesting cuisines this year. Here’s the roundup! Hummus. The original version. Essentially a Middle Eastern food dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Absolutely must-have accompaniment with fresh shawarma. Slurrrp. Panna cotta. … Continue reading “2 | 12: Twelve Epicurean Delights” →
To flag off my “12 for 12” posts, I was thinking of the first-time experiences I had this year. Although I had scuba diving and watching a movie by myself in my last year’s list, 2012 has been different in a lot of ways – and here are my firsts: Witnessed my first ballet performance. I have always been enthralled by the lithe and precision of this dance form and … Continue reading “1 | 12: Twelve Firsts” →
So we’re at the end of 2012. I have almost nothing to do at work, as most of the clients are expatriates and have already departed to said homelands for the holidays. As has half the team. I’ve hence decided to constructively use my time writing twelve posts for each of the twelve days leading to the last day of the year. A look back at twenty-twelve. This has me … Continue reading “12 for 12” →
Hardly anything makes me more happy than rains. I had been thinking that the year’s hundredth post should be about something happy. Somehow, the message got through, and after weeks of the Met Department predicting unstable weather, it finally poured this evening. And I found my subject. It always rains in Muscat on Fridays. I wonder why. Maybe its Mother Nature’s way of saying that this week too, shall pass 🙂 … Continue reading “November Rains” →
The spotlight is on the coolest little film-making capital in the world as the scene is set for the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on the coming Wednesday. Take a look at the venue – the Embassy Hotel in Wellington. Anyone well acquainted with Peter Jackson and his films will have absolutely no doubt as to the magic that will be spun. I’ve been following this movie very … Continue reading “There & Back Again” →
“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” – Og Mandino Diwali. The festival of lights. Probably the only one I could actually celebrate over my childhood. Although I must agree that it all seemed to be more fun when I was younger, Diwali is, and always will be special. Because there is something hopeful … Continue reading “Lumos!” →
Can you envision a plush open water-filled reservoir lake in the middle of the Arabian desert? I couldn’t too. Until I visited one last weekend. In the wilayat of Quriyat, nestled into the eastern Hajar mountains, is a crescent shaped lake filled with crystal blue waters and shapely rocks rising from the bottom. Having being constructed in 2009, the project was under wraps, while it was being tested. Finally opened … Continue reading “Muscat Travelogue | Wadi Dayqah” →
So when a seven-day long holiday is declared by the Government, one’s natural reaction is – “Lets get the hell out of here!” I was no different. Having researched in detail about budget trips with the family, created excel sheets, pored over the maps of Istanbul, Tehran and Amman with great enthusiasm – I am now equipped to be your certified Middle East tour guide. As what usually happens to … Continue reading “Muscat Travelogue | As Sifah” →
Isn’t it almost magical when something you least expect comes to life? It was an identical emotion when dark clouds appeared out of the blue and there were raindrops on my head this Thursday. Like I have told many, seeing a cloud cover used to prompt us to ask for a ‘free period’ in school. The magnitude of actual precipitation can be imagined. Rumbling thunder, cracks of lightning, subtle showers. Makes for any … Continue reading “Mirage” →