Ignatius Raphael - cosmic traveller

100 Days Gratitude Challenge 2017 Day #9: Friends Friend! This word evokes extremely mixed reactions depending on our mood and who we are thinking of when this word pops up. If we are thinking of someone who was close to us but later betrayed us, it evokes disgust, anger, and revulsion. If we are thinking of someone who is dear to us and is being good to us, then we are all smiles and bask in the warmth of this beautiful friendship. But whatever our current emotions to the friend, each friend has been good to us and have made us better people. We think we chose our friends for a reason. But most times we are not aware of the reason or over a period of time, we discover more and more new reasons. We share our inner thoughts and secrets. We open our heart and home to them. They add zest, fun, and happiness in our life. Yesterday was one such day with a bunch of friends. It was the birthday of a good friend and we had organised a party for him. It was a pleasure to see him grin ...

Yesterday we had a very unique outing. A group of 50 friends and family members from my BNI chapter.went on a food walk in the Sowcarpet area. This was organised by a group of Marwari members of our club. The idea: eat only the best food item at selected shops and restaurants of that area. They made the itinerary and treated us to the best of the local foods in one fun-filled evening. We met near the Pookadai (Flower Bazaar) Police Station.... a crowded part of Chennai that we normally would avoid.like the plague. But since this was a food adventure organised by our friends, we took the risk of entering this notorious area. These are the early birds waiting for their worms... ooops ..... food. By 5:30 around 20 of us trooped into the first restaurant - Agarwal Bhavan. The bengali sweets there were mouth watering - rosogollos and another dish with yellow small mouth watering balls of delicousness. This was a great start to the evening... we crowded the small rest...