Life Unpacked

After an overwhelming September, every inch of my existence demanded a getaway from the monotony prevalent in my days currently. Hence, when this weekend presented me with an opportunity to explore the art of eating for wellness, amidst a setting straight out of a storybook through the Life Enhancing Cooking Workshop at Hilton Shillim, I simply couldn't say no. The Scenic Drive See? I wasn't boasting about the wildflowers! Nestled in the Sahyadris, the 320 acres-wide Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa is a wellness space with a focus on environmental sustainability. Merely a 3 hours long drive away from the madness that is Mumbai, this place was all that my battered batteries needed. One can actually sense the serenity setting in en-route to the property itself as the car whizzes on narrow winding roads with the Pawana Lake in the backdrop. And as I happened to be visiting right after the finale of monsoon, I was greeted with greens of varying shades and w...

March was when college campuses across Mumbai were filled with nervous teenagers trying to cram in a last minute revision before their semester-end examinations. Well, I braved that March; mostly by clinging on to the hopes of a blissful summer vacation. It has been almost one and a half month of the holidays now, and I have officially declared myself 'bored'. Mostly due to the facts that the weather is too darn dreadful to even warrant a foot outside the house, and that all I prayed for in March were mangoes and long journeys, both of which haven't materialized until now! All I do to while away my days is scroll through a bottomless pit, that is, Instagram. It was on one such scrolling-away session that I paid attention to the abundance of 'skywatch' pictures I've put up, and the thought of collecting them in one post occurred to me (Oh, vacations, what do you do to me!). Thus, without further ado, 'skywatch'... Skywatch #1 Skywa...

(Please Note: I undertook this trip in Mid-November 2015. This article was written soon after, although it is being published now.) Two weeks back, when I looked at the calendar, I couldn't be mad enough at myself. One whole month of holidays had slipped like sand through my hands, with merely a weekend left before having to plunge back into the whole ho-hum, and, I did not do that one single thing which I desperately needed to; travel!  After being completely worn out by endless deadlines, stifling weather and maddening crowd, I was hoping to travel to the serene Himalayas. But as luck would have it, I was utterly broke, with barely a dime to spare for a rejuvenating trip to the mighty mountains. Precisely then, the Universe decided to show some mercy on me and magically a friend messaged me with the same cry, hoping I would accompany her on a broke-women's camping trip to Bhandardara Lake that very weekend. Undoubtedly, I agreed. However, the day before the weeke...

Wow, it has been long, eh? I know, I promised that I'd be writing regularly but no points for guessing that it never materialized. I have a lot to say, yet again; from some shattering revelations to a lovely camping experience at the start of the year itself. I shall save the revelations for the next time and tell you more about the camping part. Well, it was a first; first time camping, first time being away from home for seven days (starting from the first day of February)! Honestly, before the trip I was skeptical that I might get home-sick in a few days (well, that's what happened on my last trip away from home which was for a few days) but surprisingly I didn't feel like coming back home this time! My time there at the camp was crazy, right from the day one. For this, all the credit must go to our former NSS leaders; it were their out-of-the-box ideas and go-for-it attitude that helped the campers break out of their shell and embrace whatever the seven days brough...

I have been experimenting lately, with street photography. And as I just shoot with a point and shoot camera (Canon SX150 IS) on Aperture priority or Shutter priority, and without any device to achieve a blurred background, I am trying to incorporate other moving things to give the background a slight blur. You must have seen that in the previous blog post's picture "Anticipation". Here is an extension of that concept with more objects in the frame. Feedback and criticism would be appreciated. Thanks. "Frozen" taken at Fort, Mumbai. ***** Disclaimer: The picture used here is the copyrighted property of Aditi Pathak. Use of this picture anywhere else for any purpose demands permission to be taken by Aditi Pathak. Failure to do so will involve a legal action against the defaulting party. 

I had been itching to go on a photowalk and do some street photography as soon as summer hit Mumbai. But honestly, my love-hate relationship with street photography paired with the soaring temperature (harsh enough to give a friend of mine a sunstroke!) kept me pushing the plan to another day. Finally I managed it last Monday.  As I said, I have a love-hate relationship with street-photography, mostly because I think people will dismiss me as a freak or a media student and I don't want to offend anyone by clicking their pictures discreetly. On my Monday's photowalk, I did coax myself into taking some pictures with human element in it but frankly, it was hard! Primarily because women wouldn't stop staring at my camera (might be concerned).    About the final edits part; I actually didn't find any picture good except these two, basically because they lacked that drawing in factor. Also, this is the first time I've used photoshop to edit the pictures. So yeah...

Italian food has always been a synonym for good food. Remember the movie Eat, Love and Pray? Wherein Julia Roberts travels to Italy to attain gastronomic nirvana. Think Italian and the first thing that comes to mind is the humble Pizza. California Pizza Kitchen -a pioneer in Californian-style pizzas- has been serving delicious pizzas from quite a long time. I myself am a lover of their thin-crusts, so when I got the opportunity to try out their new star-studded "Hollywood on Your table" menu especially designed for this award season (available only till 16th March!) at their Phoenix Mills outlet located in Lower Parel, I didn't let the opportunity pass by. The first thing one's eyes look for in the menu are the drinks and the "Hollywood on Your table" menu doesn't disappoint in that regard. The menu comprise of three cocktails and two mocktails. As usual I sided with the mocktails and tried both the available options, namely, the Pineapple twister a...

When deciding on a place to chill at with friends over some good food and drinks, honestly, there aren't many options available in Mumbai and out of the ones to choose from, the damage they inflict on the pocket is pretty huge (especially, a student's). Enter Trader Vic's Mai Tai, a chilled out Polynesian themed lounge. A lively casual place perfect for almost anything; be it a brunch with family (yes, this lounge is family friendly!) or hanging out with friends over some fun drinks. The open air seating paired with tropics-inspired tracks being played in the background adds to the already festive ambiance. And the best part? The food is excellent and decently priced! I discovered this lounge after receiving an invitation to try out their new "Sensational Sliders" which are on the menu till 24th March across all its outlets. I decided to check them out at the one at Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel. Tucked away in a breezy corner, away from the frenzy of the mall a...

I went there...not once, not even twice, but thrice. Each time with a different set of people but the experience of the exhibition remained almost the same; a sea of people flowing in a direction and carrying everyone along with it as a tide does. The scenario was the same on every visit; people hanging on the exhibition, trying to capture a perfect shot for their next "profile picture". The vibe was less "art festival" than it was of a "fair". The only thing that made the festival worth it for me was  the classical music concert about which I wrote some days back. Maybe the fault lay in the days I chose to visit the exhibition, still, the way most of the public treated the art installations was pathetic!  Nevertheless, I did take pictures of some art installations (and not of all, thanks to the crowds of people swarming around them like bees). The bottom-line is, although Kala Ghoda Art Festival is worth goi...