Bags and bags.....

I had great fun organizing all my bags and the relief I felt at the thought that I need not run up and down searching for that particular one I need in that last minute.....

These 2 to the left below are my first party bags I bought in Fatehpur Sikri some 25 odd years ago. love pouches of all sizes and shapes

This birdie is a class of its own. Followed a saree that I bought from Sabyasachi

This bag below to the right bought in Vietnam can be passed off as made in either kutch or in the north east

 Isn't this looking cute. Hmmm.. now I have to find a place to tuck it away :-). Would love to hear how you organize your stuff. Have a nice weekend!!

Bag O Rama

 For looooooooooooong I have been looking for a suitable solution to organize my party bags, to avoid the last minute  hotchpotch in finding a suitable one for that party :-). The usual last minute scene would be me climbing up and down the floors including the loft , into several rooms , pulling out the draws trying to get that particular bag I bought some years ago that would match my saree so perfectly. Hmmmm... many a times I have to resign myself to taking the one I can lay my hands upon. Thanks to a blog post not very long ago - introducing a shop (can't remember which blog and which shop - Sorry!) my eyes immediately fell on a corner where they have organized their bags in the shop. Lo! then I had found the solution I thought could help me - and after a few searches in different shops on my different shopping trips - I was very happy to have found this one.

Together with this I bought several 'S' hooks to finish the job. I even carried the stand from the shop to the car about 4 to 500 m. All excited, came home and started to pool the bags. Life is not that simple - isn't it? These hooks would just not go over the rod . I tried hard and twisted and turned - they only scraped the paint and made marks. 

 

The excitement to fix it was so much that it saw me out again on the hunt almost half past 7 in the evening. Almost a dozen shops and still no luck. Those found were either too small or some were so big that I too can hang from them on a jhoola (swing).  When I lost the hope of finding the right ones in Norway,  in that one last shop - came this great guy who knew exactly what I needed and took me to that shelf in the far corner of the shop that had at least a dozen packets :-). 

It's almost past mid night now and I am tired :-), stay tuned and I will fix it before the weekend.

Is there a limit to INDULGENCE?

 Recently I read a book - Blue Ocean Strategy - that advocates not competing in existing markets but finding  your own Blue Oceans - the new non-existent markets.

Isn't this a promising blue ocean - where Yatch Island Design is redefining the concept of  floating on the ocean to luxury floating in one's own luxury paradise with a beach cove of cabana's, Ocean view pool, private spa, bar and lounging areas , a helipad and water recreation activity zone . I will let the pictures sweep you away into this tropical island paradise.

do you have your own promising blue ocean strategy?

Tea time at ....

Today we were again at Ingela's place for dinner. I sent her a thank's note saying that ' Ambience - fantastic, food - healthy and excellent , music and the company - SUPERT!!!'. All these things apart - I love the Tea times at Ingela's and you will soon know, why?

 Aren't these tea cups fantastic in their varied hues and forms  and the story goes like this...

 Ingela's father Kjetil from all his travels

 brings home a tea cup as gift for his wife Penny. WOW! what a gift to bring home . Believe me they are such great conversation pieces when guests are served with tea. Isn't that a fantastic idea?  (I heard that Penny's mother got such tea cups as gifts from her friends when they visited her). Copying this superb idea shamelessly  - Sekhar and kids are commissioned to gift me tea cups from their travels and I already got my first one :-).

  These lovely milk pots are molded  by Penny.  BTW Penny does ceramics as a hobby and she paints too and I am going to bring the various facets of this talented lady to you all very soon.

And the party ended on a high note with Ingela and her friend C singing and playing guitar for a song written and composed by C.  

Linking to 

Table top Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday 

Tea party Tuesday

Wow us Wednesdays 

Tablescape Thursday

Dinner time.............

More appropriate if I say Celebrity time. In the next 10 days I am hosting back to back 3 celebrity dinners. Though I can't reveal who they are - it is exciting. If you know me - you know that I and cooking are miles apart. But I pull it off very well as most of my guests are Norwegians and they love whatever I cook and with Indians I learnt the trick of choosing little known dishes. And there too I pull off quite OK :-).

As a first step I started to Google and am still not sure what I am going to make , but here are some initial thoughts. Do send in some recipes that you may have tried and tested over the years that made your parties a great hit. 

 Oh!!! I have only come half way :-(.  Wish me good luck pals :-). Have a wonderful weekend and do send in some ideas plsssssssssss.

Pic Sources : Different food sites on the web

How things have changed....

Please bear with me for just disappearing without any warning or msg :-).  I was pretty much around just getting lots of things (resolutions) underway with the dawn of the New Year :-) But it feels so wonderful to see that friends we made in this virtual space missed me and made my days with those sweet little notes of enquiry. A big Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuug to you all for that. OK let me make up for the lost days. I just got a mail from a  friend Veena that brought a smile on my face and decided to pass it over to you all too. 

Smile and the world Smiles with you

Pic sources: from a mail from a friend

Ringing in 2012

Starting from Sydney

to Taiwan

 to Singapore

to India

To dubai

To Russia 

to Vienna 

To London 

 

To Norway

To Las Vegas

all of us ushered in a bright

Pic Sources : Various online news papers . Last picture - Shima eleven (source BBC)