What a weird title for a post, you might think. Ha! Let me explain.
‘Monthly Ketchup’ is a fun post where I catch up with you through some standard questions and prompts. It is written (mostly) on the last day of every month. Ketchup because I want that good ol’ Tomato days to stay with me. (New to my blog? This blog was called ‘Tale of Two Tomatoes’ in the initial days before it was revamped into Kohl Eyed Me).
The last Monthly Ketchup was posted in 2018, so yes, it has been a while.
Feel free to use this template every month to let me know what you’ve been doing.
If you haven’t realized already, this is a chit-chat post where I will be rambling on things I loved, hated, what’s new with me, etc. If you are interested, stay with me.
The month of May was very special to me. Read on to know why.
Let’s begin.
May Ketchup With Me
Read…
Only three books because I am still taking in all the good things that have happened to me this month.
The first book was ‘Set on You by Amy Lea‘, a romcom, featuring curvy biracial fitness influencer and personal trainer Chrystal Chen who uses social media to promote a healthy life and a positive body image. I had huge expectations of this book but it disappointed me.
I then picked up a children’s book ‘Munni Monster by Madhurima Vidyarthi‘ which was deeply moving and enlightening at the same time. It is about a child learning about the genetic disorder called Cerebral Palsy. A must-read for children and adults alike.
I also took up a light read named ‘Make Yourself Cozy’ by Katie Vaz. It is a topic I have started to be passionate about, on how to practice self-care, and make our home cozy and inviting, among others. I felt that the book was like a warm hug with all its illustrations, prompts to work on, quotes, and inspirations.
Played…
Not much! I even deleted a few games from the phone because I have run out of the 256GB that my iPhone came with. I do not know how to transfer my files or clear them. If you are an Apple user, could you please help? I will be forever grateful.
Watched…
Masterchef Australia! I love the show to bits and to know that we have lost such an amazing chef and human being like Jock is heartbreaking. I cannot watch an episode without shedding a tear. He was so full of life and when he screams ‘Give it up for……’ when they get eliminated, I am shattered. What a man!
Felt… Grateful! 🙂
Listened (to)…
Backstreet Boys! LIVE! Yes, I attended the Backstreet Boys DNA tour in Delhi and oh Boy, it was everything I had hoped for. They were my teen crush and I cried and cried while singing along the many many popular songs of theirs. A total dream come true!
Tried…
Nothing new, sadly. Neither did I cook anything new, eat a new food, or tried my hands on a new hobby or activity. I must add it to my to-do list for June. What say?
Cooked…
Regular home food, nothing exotic. Oh, I made some traditional Kerala recipes like Avial and Appams from scratch after a long long time. It tasted great and the husband approved! 🙂
Ate…
Red Sauce Pasta, Grilled Veggies, Creamy Spinach and Corn, and Mashed Potatoes made by a dear friend. It has been a while since I had continental food and it was a welcome change.
Drank… Coffee, coffee, and more coffee!
Called… Dad every single day without fail 🙂 It is a daily ritual for us to share how our day went.
Texted… a lot! Cos’ work!
Thought…
so much about the recent Andaman trip I took. It was absolute fun and a much-needed break. I have been writing about it and you can expect more posts in the near future.
Read | An Evening in Cellular Jail
Also, Read | Exploring Ross Island
Hoped… for a beautiful month and it was! 🙂
Pinned… Nothing! I am so off my Pinterest game. Another thing to add to my to-do list.
Tweeted… in a fun #Blogchatter Twitter chat on foods, yesterday evening. We shared a lot of food pics and needless to say, everyone was left hungry after seeing all the lip-smacking food images.
Went…
for the Doctor’s! Long Covid has been troubling me for almost a year now and I needed to get this over with. So, went for a detailed checkup, and turns out, there is nothing much to worry about. Phew! What a relief!
Loved…
My new job! Yes! I am now part of the A-Team of Blogchatter and I can’t be any more ecstatic. After leaving my corporate job of 7 years, I enjoyed my freelance job for the last couple of years. But I knew I needed a change and there you go! It feels surreal and I am grateful. Content is the actual word I am looking for to express what I feel.
Hated…
to find out Mufasa aka Muffy, my Golden retriever had tick fever. It was the scariest I had ever been in a while because as you know, tick fever if left undetected for long, results in death. Thankfully, all is well and my boy is much much better! 🧿
Discovered…
that I owned a couple of books written by the author I was about to interview. When I got the opportunity to moderate one of the #BlogchatterWritFest sessions, obviously, I had to look up the author’s work. That was when I discovered that I had read books from the Discover India series written by where Sonia Mehta and Sohini Mitra, publisher of Penguin Randomhouse. It was indeed a surprise!
Celebrated…
Landing a job! My darling husband of mine gifted me a pair of beautiful Swarovski evil earrings and a classic Cross pen. Incredibly sweet of him! I also received a surprise gift from a dear blogger friend, Mayuri at Sirimiri. It was a thoughtful gift because she knows my love for coffee mugs and of the owlets in my backyard that I am obsessed about.
Smelt (of)… of fresh blackcurrant, orange, and grapefruit rose from my Carlton Desire perfume.
Ordered… many kitchen items from organizers to chopping boards
Thanked… my lucky stars for giving me an absolutely wonderful month with tons of blessings!🧿
Considered… getting back to Yoga but the Delhi weather is unbearable, day and night. Insufferable!
Started… a new bookstagram account. Well, @muffytales was getting too crowded and messy with Muffy’s pictures and books. I wasn’t able to do justice to either one. So, with a heavy heart, I decided to leave behind my already established and much-loved Bookstagram to begin another. Hoping to be consistent there. If you love books, give me a follow at @kohleyedreads.
Finished…
almost nothing. Not even my laundry! I can see my to-do list expanding. Phew!
June,
Please be kind ❤️
So, how have you been? How was the month of May for you?
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Zariya Healings.
You sure did have a great month! Congratulations on your new job! Wish you all the best!
And I hope you are completely closing down @muffytales and we will see muffy around!
For me, May was a very meh. Spending my days craving for vacation!
This was a post which I read but could hear you talking, Shalini. What a wonderful way to sum up a month. It gives you a good amount of time to sit and think about what you’ve done, missed, make to-do lists and feel grateful. I loved it!! Best wishes to Muffy for a quick recovery. Hope he is doing good now.
That’s truly a long list of things you did in May. I think, my ketchup bottle wasn’t that filled. I ate very less and enjoyed lesser, have been primarily at home. And congrats on joining Blogchatter. I look forward to more mash-ups on your blog.
“Monthly Ketchup” is a brilliant acronym that captures the essence of summarizing your monthly activities. It’s great to see you return to writing after a hiatus, and your account of May indicates that it was quite an eventful month for you. The mention of the Backstreet Boys brings a wave of nostalgia, and it’s fantastic that you had the opportunity to witness their live performance. Good luck with all your future ketchups!
That was quite an introspective post, you actually looked back on everything from Pinterest to what you cooked. And you do it every month … I am in awe of you and the level of organized thinking or jotting you did. Backstreet Boys live was surely a big highlight of May’23.
This is something different that I have come across. Its such a good way to keep track of your monthly activity actually gives you a sense which zone of ur life is getting wasted 🤣
You had an interesting month, the Andaman posts have been interesting. For the iPhone, it’s the latest discovery for me too you can connect the charging cord directly to the laptop and transfer pictures and video.
Manisha Garg recently posted…Mutual Funds – A secure key for mother’s financial dilemma!
What a nice n creative way to look back at a month Shalini… the thinker that I am, I can totally see myself doing something like this too.
Congratulations on your new job… I’m sure it’s gonna be exciting n interesting… n all the best.
That was a fun catch-up post, Shalini. Loved reading it. I will check out your reads. I do miss your bookstagram posts. The #readwithmuffy challenge was among the first ones I participated in.
May was indeed an exciting month for you Shalini.. Your title had me doing a double-take, thinking I was reading it all wrong! 😅😅😅 Phew, glad you clarified it right off the bat! When I read about your experience attending a Backstreet Boys concert, I couldn’t help but go “awwww”! I can feel you dear… Well, I guess I’ll have to give that kids’ book you recommended, ‘Munni Monster’ by Madhurima Vidyarthi, a go. It sounds like a delightful read!
I didn’t know your blog was originally named Tale of Two Tomatoes. I am wondering what is the story behind that. I enjoyed reading the Ketchup post and getting to know more about you.
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After reading this whole post I can say that I found it quite interesting and to me it looks like a new style of journaling to capture the months activities in one place in a creative way. Congratulations for being the member of A-Team of Blogchatter and its indeed an achievement. I just head to your Mufftales account and read an interesting thing – Certified Sock Thief. What’ s that honey!!!!!! please let me know
watched, read, played and felt gratitude that is a well-written post. loved reading. hope you do more of everything you love.
You had such a wonderful May! I loved the discovered part the most! It must have been so wonderful knowing that you already owned their books!
May for me passed by in a blink! It’s the Mother’s Day month and it’s usually my busiest month for my blogging as a mommy blogger!
You sure had an action packed month that was more of chapata chaat than Tomato Ketchup. Haha!
I love the idea of how you have done a synopsis of the whole month. It is brief, interesting and also lets you glance in one go the things one has accomplished and the way forward. I am glad that Muffy is on his way to recovery. Also, I need all the Kerala recipes to the dishes you mentioned. They sound yummilicious. Finally, Congratulation on your new job at Blogchatter. Way to go! Success and best wishes always. 🙂
haha..you made me read your title thrice before I get that! haha..Call me slow but since having my urticaria which made me stay away from tomatoes to tame my hives, I’ve tried my best to stay away from anything that deals with it. I guess it’s the psychological effect on me that makes me crave tomatoes (which I love). Anyways, I love the way how you ketchup with us! Amazing month indeed! I look forward to more of your June ketchup!
I have read your Monthly ketchup post for the first time. You have done so much in a month. Many congratulations Shalini on your new job you are going to make blogchatter more fun. I have also read Munni Monster recently and totally recommend it.
Really enjoyed reading this post Shalini, even though it is now many months later! I’m totally going to take the template and attempt it myself at the end of this month! As for Apple storage – I highly recommend paying for the Cloud – it is so easy and I never have to worry about storage anymore as all pictures and unused apps are automatically updated to the cloud leaving your space free!
I also loved your reading recommendations. “Munni Monster” sounds like an important book, and I’m definitely adding it to my reading list. And Backstreet Boys in concert? What a dream come true!