So it's been awhile since I've written because I've been savoring the last few weeks of summer before heading back to school next Monday. Since I came home from India a little sooner than anticipated, I used the extra time to spend a weekend visiting some friends in New York! I arrived on Friday afternoon and visited Alex at the UN! We heard Beyonce singing through the walls of the General Assembly room, no big deal. On Friday evening I met Jackie (who I hadn't seen since I left India!) at the Natural History Museum and we went out for a delicious dinner (highlights were a watermelon/feta salad and a barbeque buffalo slider). After that we went to a club and danced the night away! It was so nice to see her for the first time in the US :D.
On Saturday morning I took the subway (no mistakes!) from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn to meet Sandra for a bagel brunch (delish)! We then took a long walk through Prospect Park and went to Williamsburg to sight-see (aka watch all the hipsters). We went out for some wine and a late dinner, ending in ice cream just before midnight when the dude at the counter gave us all of the leftover baked goods that he was going to throw away (nice). On Sunday morning I met up with Alex and her aunt and uncle for brunch. Basically the weekend involved lots of eating, lots of subway-ing, and lots of friends, so it was delightful.
This past week I was with the fam + Sara in Rehoboth Beach, where we go every August. We had some nice sunny weather and again more delicious food so it was wonderful as well. Being in Rehoboth always makes me feel so at peace, I think because of my proximity to the ocean (there were some sweet waves this trip). Thinking about the ocean and the beach makes me think about other random things that have struck my fancy recently, so I thought I'd share a few. Maybe they make you happy too! Or at least remind you of things that make you happy. These are not in any particular order of preference, just written down as they come to my mind.
~Water. I just can't get enough. Drinking it, submersing myself in it, throwing it at people, it's just all so good.
~Hindi devotional music: bhajans, qawwali. I recommend Jagjit Singh, especially his version of Dama Dum Mast Kalander (on iTunes). Listening to this always calms me down. I like listening to it when I first wake up, or when I'm doing yoga. I feel like I can always smell a hint of daal and incense when I play it...
~This song when I'm feeling reflective.
~This song to bump to (@1:10). Also this one (yeah).
~This song when I'm just happy!
~Talking to foreigners in their native language. Along with this, surprising foreigners when I can actually say something in their native language (even if I can't understand their response...).
~AVOCADOS.
~Watercolor painting, even though I struggle.
~Trying new recipes. Just tried to replicate this butternut squash/goat cheese terrine the fam had at a restaurant at the beach. It was somewhat successful? I mean, it's hard to go completely wrong with something that involves squash, goat cheese, and butter...
~Green things, especially dark green things. Or this new dune sage-scented candle that I just got which makes my room smell like an evergreen forest and which also happens to be green.
~Crunching leaves! I'm so excited to have a real fall! I haven't been in the US for fall since freshman year, and that's all a blur since I was so preoccupied with starting college. Favorite season, I can't wait. Also I have a kitchen this year so I can go to the orchard and pick tons of apples and make pie and applesauce and everything else apple, hooray!
Okay well I hope this makes everyone think of some recent favorites :). I'll post some pictures soon!
On Saturday morning I took the subway (no mistakes!) from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn to meet Sandra for a bagel brunch (delish)! We then took a long walk through Prospect Park and went to Williamsburg to sight-see (aka watch all the hipsters). We went out for some wine and a late dinner, ending in ice cream just before midnight when the dude at the counter gave us all of the leftover baked goods that he was going to throw away (nice). On Sunday morning I met up with Alex and her aunt and uncle for brunch. Basically the weekend involved lots of eating, lots of subway-ing, and lots of friends, so it was delightful.
This past week I was with the fam + Sara in Rehoboth Beach, where we go every August. We had some nice sunny weather and again more delicious food so it was wonderful as well. Being in Rehoboth always makes me feel so at peace, I think because of my proximity to the ocean (there were some sweet waves this trip). Thinking about the ocean and the beach makes me think about other random things that have struck my fancy recently, so I thought I'd share a few. Maybe they make you happy too! Or at least remind you of things that make you happy. These are not in any particular order of preference, just written down as they come to my mind.
~Water. I just can't get enough. Drinking it, submersing myself in it, throwing it at people, it's just all so good.
~Hindi devotional music: bhajans, qawwali. I recommend Jagjit Singh, especially his version of Dama Dum Mast Kalander (on iTunes). Listening to this always calms me down. I like listening to it when I first wake up, or when I'm doing yoga. I feel like I can always smell a hint of daal and incense when I play it...
~This song when I'm feeling reflective.
~This song to bump to (@1:10). Also this one (yeah).
~This song when I'm just happy!
~Talking to foreigners in their native language. Along with this, surprising foreigners when I can actually say something in their native language (even if I can't understand their response...).
~AVOCADOS.
~Watercolor painting, even though I struggle.
~Trying new recipes. Just tried to replicate this butternut squash/goat cheese terrine the fam had at a restaurant at the beach. It was somewhat successful? I mean, it's hard to go completely wrong with something that involves squash, goat cheese, and butter...
~Green things, especially dark green things. Or this new dune sage-scented candle that I just got which makes my room smell like an evergreen forest and which also happens to be green.
~Crunching leaves! I'm so excited to have a real fall! I haven't been in the US for fall since freshman year, and that's all a blur since I was so preoccupied with starting college. Favorite season, I can't wait. Also I have a kitchen this year so I can go to the orchard and pick tons of apples and make pie and applesauce and everything else apple, hooray!
Okay well I hope this makes everyone think of some recent favorites :). I'll post some pictures soon!
