ambrosia :)

jai gurudev!

just recovering from one of the most satisfying meals ever.. :) i have always looked at european cuisine as something that can just be pecked at ..a snack ,not really a meal .. but this concept was totally shattered today.. was lucky to witness bau cooking again ..jeetu was assistant chef and i was in-charge of some veggie cutting and dishwashing.. :)

then bawa started cooking ..what followed was nothing short of watching a rostropovich concert.. one ingredient after another ..tossed in ..precise yet effortless..a maestro in action..

and after about twenty mins (and countless vessels) .. it was done! .. he then gathered everyone and we sat down to eat a meal i wont forget in a hurry ..:) everything looked like a million bucks.. (will upload some pics soon)

i began with the salad .. it was like walking into a rainforest.. the sight , the smell , the taste of the dressing .. the juices of the tomatoes, the feta cheese and mushrooms .. the crunch of the lettuce and the cabbage.. like a sensory explosion

i pulled myself away from the salad to land on pasta territory only to realize that i could eat this for the rest of my life.. it was soo aromatic.. basil, ginger, fresh garlic..

and finally the dark horse of the meal - caramelized mushrooms - my sceptic conservative tongue advised me to take a teenie tiny serving.. but the first bite and i was in love.. it was soo smooth ..warm and mellow like soft sunshine :) bau had used jaggery and balsamic vinegar to coat the sauteyed mushrooms..wonder how he thinks of these combinations ..it was like my taste buds had died and gone to heaven ..

all the lucky souls who shared the meal know what im talking about and the rest should pray that they are there the next time the maestro performs ..

annadata sukhi bhavah !

lots of love
tanu

security

jai gurudev!

i just realized something very nice today :) ..when i was doing my MS and later when i worked for a while .. i was earning quite a bit in terms of the green stuff and had that so called financial security; but i remember i was ever so concerned about having enough money ..i used to keep checking my account.. how much there is ..is it enough .. calculating..assuring myself ..

then i made the most intelligent decision of my life.. decided to do what i really want to do.. got into the TTC ..and out in a piece :) life as a teacher started with 2 fab courses in 2 weeks.. it was awesome to say the least..lots of travelling .. and then found out that i was lucky enough to come to bombay to work for the mega yes!+ .. just today i realized that in the past one and half odd months it had never struck me to think about finances .. i then remembered one of the knowledge sheets -

Weekly Knowledge #138 Santa Monica, California 28 Jan 1998 USA False Security False securities do not allow your faith to grow. When you have dropped your securities, then your faith grows. When you buffer your life with securities, you keep the faith away. It is the faith that brings perfection in you. Faith is the greatest security. If you have all the material securities and not have faith, you will still reel in fear. You have to let go of all possessions in the mind. False security is keeping things where they don't belong. It is an illusion of security because of having a job, a house, friends. Keep the house where it belongs, not in the mind. Keep the money in the bank or in the pocket, not in the mind. Keep friends and family where they belong, not in the mind. The Divine is your only security. Faith is realizing that you always get what you need. Faith is giving the Divine a chance to act. Your body belongs to the world. Your spirit belongs to the Divine.

this was one of those sheets which always sounded very good to me but i didnt quite get it.. until today .. safety is really not in the money or the house or the car.. its in the mind .. im so secure now.. a feeling of being totally taken care of .. i have nothing against luxury infact i quite enjoy it ;) .. but that feverishness is gone :)

lots of love
tanu