Pause & Bookmark

When A 'Flop Song' Brought on a Kolaveri!!

2012-01-12T20:25:00.000+05:30

Looking at the sudden craze over Dhanush's nonsense song from the movie "3", I really want to shout, "People! Why this kolaveri?!?! It's just a song!!!"

But then, from the beginning, everything about this song has been odd to me. I just can't make up my mind on whether I like it or hate it!

First of all, I heard about this song from the most unlikely source on the planet - my husband. The man who is totally clueless about pop culture, who uses Twitter to read about world news, deleted his Facebook account because he had too many friends (more than 900!), listens to Beethovan and classical instrumental music on YouTube, and has no idea what an Internet meme is! Most importantly, I sometimes think he is oblivious to the Tamil movie industry! So imagine my surprise when he asked me "What is this new Tamil movie song that everyone is talking about? Some Dhanush song?" I would never have imagined that the words 'Tamil movie', 'Dhanush' and 'song' would come out of my husband's mouth in the same sentence, so it took me a couple of minutes to process the information. When I surfaced, he showed me a news story that NDTV was running on this new song that Dhanush had composed and sang. I saw our skinny hero, complete with headphones and nifty recording paraphernalia, belting out a 'nonsense' song. Everything made sense about the song, except that NDTV felt the need to cover this story on the morning news. Then I reasoned that it must be a really slow news day, no earthquakes, fast-unto-deaths, or pregnant celebrities.

And then I looked up the video on YouTube. Whaa??????? The song had just been released, and on YouTube no less, and already it had hits somewhere in the six-digit area. Whoa! Where was I when all this was happening? Okay, so then I sat down to listen to the song.....

The first reaction from me was one of disgust and shock - "What the...? Is this the song that everyone is making such a big deal about? It's a simple, no-need-for-creativity Tamil gana song, with words that make no sense to any one! Worse - the song is absolutely predictable!"

But I clicked 'Replay' and listened to it again....... and then I listened to it 5 more times.... and then I created a new YouTube playlist for it, and I had no heart to leave it all alone, and I added 50 more Tamil songs to the playlist, played the playlist and simply hit 'replay' everytime the "Kolaveri" song ended.....

I WAS HOOKED!

I shared it with a million friends, and also grabbed the headphones from someone else and listened, if I knew that they were listening to the "Kolaveri" song. I hate listening to songs on people's mobile phones, because I hate the tinny quality of the audio, and am totally disgusted with the audacity of the person who thinks that everyone will appreciate him and be grateful for forcing them to listen to his choice of bad music. But for the first time in my life, I listened to the "Kolaveri" song on a friend's mobile phone, in a public place!! I shocked myself!

So, if you follow a phenomenon so closely, you HAVE to Google it, amirite? So, yeah, I did a Google search, and I saw links to articles talking about what a big hit the song was, then I saw a couple of tangent videos - one was the original leaked audio of the 'kolaveri' raw version, another was the female version (not that impressive, by the way), and a kiddie version (absolutely adorable rendition by Sonu Nigam's little son... must watch!), an English R&B version (VOM!)and a thousand low quality uploads from fans of Dhanush!!! There was so much material on the Net, I was mind-blown!

Oh... and I forgot to mention the interviews! Switch on the television that week, and all you could see was mikes shoved in Dhanush's face, asking him "How did this happen?" (erm... people.... a song was composed. That is ALL! It was not the discovery of alien life on Mars, or the discovery that Dhanush himself is alien life!! Sheesh! Now THAT would have been real news!) And Dhanush blushing (if that's even possible) and saying, "It is nothing, folks. Ignore it! It is just a nonsense song. I wrote it in 20 minutes. It's not that good...really... you all should just ignore me and my media-hogging wife with the superstar Dad! Really....." But the more he said it, the more people fawned over him and his super-successful family and their super-duper hit song, and the more hits the song received on YouTube, and the more it got tweeted, and the more hashtags it spawned, and the more celebrities wrote the lyrics down on a piece of paper and tried to sing it (badly) in front of a bunch of press cameras (looking at you Abhishek!) and the more people went berserk over a self-proclaimed "FLOP SONG"!!!!!!!!

Shame on you if you can't see the irony of it all!!!

Well. If you don't, let me explain....

1. The song calls itself a 'Soup Song' - meaning it's about guys who get unceremoniously dumped by girls who failed to see their usefulness. And yet, I can just picture every guy in the country singing it to his girlfriend, and making her laugh with glee!

2. It's a 'flop song' - Dude, can the song BE any more of a hit????

3. Every one from the director to the composer to the singer is asking us to ignore the song "It took us 20 minutes to compose.....we did not even have lyrics written down.... we just sang whatever came to mind... we made this song for fun... we were just fooling around.... it was no big deal! Ignore us!" - Then what the heck are you doing topping the charts in several countries and going all kinds of mad viral on the Web!!! Explain Yourself!!

4. Dhanush, singing, popularity, international appeal - everyone of those words is paradoxical to the rest. And yet..... every one of those things happened one after the other as if they were direct and predicable results of the previous.... Twist your brain around that, if you will!

Conclusion: Well, I guess the down-to-earth nature of the song is what appeals the most to people. And most definitely the customizability (is that a word?) of the song.... you can change it to suit any situation. There is one guy who rewrote it to talk about problems that Tamilians face in Jaffna, there is this IT version that laments the plight of IT guys in India working for foreign clients, there is a version by a couple of girls that is a sort of reply to all the "accusations" leveled against them in the song (probably not tasteful enough to be featured here), a flash mob version (always my favorite versions) and, well, there are so many versions, so why don't you just see for yourself!!! (scroll down in the flash mob video's page)

Anyway, we could talk about this all day, or you could decide for yourself if this song is really that big of a deal. So here you go:

And the flash mob, because I thought it was cute:

Hehe! Check out that guy in the striped blue t-shirt!!

My First Born is Moving In!

2011-09-21T15:32:00.001+05:30

Hello readers, this is just a small announcement - I have made a relatively significant change in my blog space right here. As some of you may know, I have another blog called 'Ad Libitum' over at http://janeadlibitum.blogspot.com. This is my older weirder blog-child that just won't take form the way my second one is. She's (no clue why, but I just automatically decided it's a girl) always been a little lanky, under-nourished, and low-profile. I just cannot understand why. And when the second, more robust, blog-child came along, he (again, I just decided that) took so much of my attention that my older blog-child has been left unattended for quite a while.

As a good responsible mom of the blogosphere, I have decided that my first-born's voice, however feeble, should be heard too. So, I have imported all my content over from the 'Ad Libitum' blog to sit over here. This, though primarily a review blog, will also talk about my personal life and other interesting snippets that I would like to bring to the family dinner table.

I must sheepishly confess that the fact that this relatively newer blog was receiving more views and comments than my older child, was one of the deciding factors that drove me to scoot my older child in here, so she can share the spotlight. Also, this url comes up easier in a Google search than the other one... :P

So, before I wear this metaphor thin till you hear the logic snap, let me just alert you to the fact that as you scroll down, you will see all my posts from the other blog. If you have never visited me at Ad Libitum, well, there you go - I made sure that you are not spared! If you have, then you know that all my *air-quotes* words of wisdom *close air-quotes* are safe here, even after I have deleted the other blog. Now, please, for heaven's sake don't ask me (as I am asking myself right now) how I can use the word 'delete' when talking about a metaphorical first born. This is the Internet, and I just did. So there!

Aaaainyway, I will leave that blog up for a while, along with a redirect message. And after a while, it's gonna go. So, please continue to drop by here. I look forward to many conversations with you about stretched metaphors and tummy muscles... sorry.. tmi...

The Blind Side - John Lee Hancock

2011-06-24T22:07:00.010+05:30

The Blind Side, directed by John Lee Hancock, can be seen as one of these things - 1. a feel-good movie with a hidden agenda seeking to convince everyone that everything turns out just right in the end; 2. a feel-good movie that will definitely bring out the cynic in every person that doesn't fall for that lie; and 3. a hidden racist comment that white people are the only ones that can rehabilitate and redeem all the colored people in the world!

But here is where the movie shocks and stuns - The Blind Side is NONE of these things, because it is literally a true story!!! Yes, people actually did all the things that the director claims they did in the movie!

Based on the book on the same, The Blind Side is the story of the Touhys, and especially Leigh Ann Touhy, a southern lady from a very affluent family, and Michael Oher, the Afro-American boy that they lovingly take into their family. Okay, hold the cynicism, let me finish.

So, Leigh Ann spots Michael for the first time when she sees her little son fist bumping with this giant of a black kid in the school playground. She is surprised to see this (in her own words) "fly in a glass of milk" situation - where there is literally only one black kid in an ocean of white kids in the school. This was not a school that most black kids could afford. Michael was being helped by the state.

Later, the Touhys spot Michael walking by himself on a cold night, with just a garbage bag full of all his belongings in the whole world. Leigh Ann gives him a place to stay, since it is such a cold night and the boy has no place to go. Soon, she is convinced that she simply cannot turn this boy out on his own, and decides to let him stay with them. The Touhys - Dad, Mom, the little boy S.J, and the teenage daughter Collin - welcome Michael with open arms. Again, hold the cynicism!

The Touhy's Christmas portrait

Slowly, the naysayers start coming out of the woodwork. Other wealthy women start advising Leigh Ann on how she should consider the safety of her teenage daughter since this huge black boy (Michael, being 6 foot 3 inches at 17 years, was truly intimidating!) could turn on Collins at any moment. Some say that it does not look good for a wealthy church-going white family like them to be taking in stray folks like Michael. The scene where Leigh Ann tells off these society women is subdued and yet powerful enough to fully portray how it must have happened in real life.

Soon, Michael is accepted in the football team (heck, they practically salivate at the thought that he was on their team!) since he is so large, and is best suited for defense. You know, American football is where they push and shove like crazy, and a huge, intimidating mountain of a kid is just the thing they need! Interesting scenes ensue of Michael struggling to bring on the violence since he is really just a gentle giant, and then Leigh Ann stepping in to tell him that he should think of his team as his family and defend them.... Michael scored 98% in protective instincts and Leigh Ann's words appeal to that side of him. From then on, it is just Michael plowing people all the way down the field!! Some of the most humorous scenes in the story come out of Michael's plowing! :D

Leigh Ann goes on to adopt the boy, and the rest of the story is about whether Michael gets his grades up enough to join varsity football, and whether the people who step in to help him are successful, and interestingly, which college he would choose if he gets to go.

What's in it for us? Well, football fans and experts will get a kick out of watching world renowned coaches stepping in to play themselves, and also watching the famous yet very secretive home-recruitment scenes (where coaches come to talk to the much-in-demand footballer, to convince him to choose their college).

Movie buffs? This thing has Sandra Bullock in it, and won her an Oscar. What more do you want? Go watch it!

And girls? When you ask the man in your life to sit with you and watch a chickflick and he stumps you with the argument that you would never sit down and watch a football movie with him, you can just say, "Oh yeah, I can totally do that! Let's watch The Blind Side. It's a football movie." You can watch it without gagging, and even though your man might have the sneaking suspicion that he's been conned, he can't really do anything about it, because heck! the movie has real football coaches in it!! You can't disprove that!!

This movie literally just works out alright for everyone.

I just put this picture in here, because, really, what's better than Mommy reading you a story at bedtime?

I liked the movie for the pureness of it all. I saw this movie last week, and I still can't come to terms with the fact that there are people out there who would actually be so kind and caring, in this time and world, where you shouldn't be surprised if the person you love or thought was your best friend stabs you in the back without warning! The people whose story this is, are very real, and after having watched the movie, they just about said, "Yep. that's what happened." So, Yes, people can be kind and gentle, and can have that kindness, gentleness and loyalty returned. But the HUGE lesson here is: You've got to be kind, gentle and humane first.

The real Touhys and Micheal Oher. I'd say the on-screen people are dead-ringers of these folks!

You see, that is what makes this story so poignant and so necessary. We need to know that there is still some goodness out there.... and people, believe me, there IS goodness still left somewhere in mankind. You just need to know where to look for it.

Heart-warming, cynic-stumping, tear-jerking, and hope-inspiring - The Blind Side opens eyes! Watch!

Here's the trailer to give you a taste:

-------------------------

Speaking of kindness, folks, would you all be so kind as to show me some internet love?

First of all, I would be your eternal slave if you could just show me you read this post by commenting here. I know many of my friends read my blog, but it would really make my day, if you posted a comment to let me know you visited!

And secondly, there are some widgets and buttons all over the blog, where you can share the post in various places. For instance, there is a StumbleUpon button and a string of social media buttons at the end of every post.

Thirdly, there is a Facebook thingy called Networked blogs on the right side of this blog, under my profile picture. Please follow my blog on FB through that. PLeeeeeeeasse?!??!?

So guys, I'd be really grateful if you would just click through and spread the word. Thanks for all your support and the nice things you say about my posts when you see me personally. And for the people who always comment? (here's looking at you Karen and Dosslin!) THANK YOU! A Million times thank you! You guys make me want to keep writing! Thank you very very much, love to you all, and Merry Christmas! Oh sorry, that just slipped out. But hey, Merry Christmas just the same.... :P

Douchebaggery as an Art Form: V S Naipaul Excels!

2011-06-15T12:13:00.001+05:30

V.S. Naipaul has been a constant source of irritation and disgust for me for a very long time. I know these are really harsh, one-sided and disproportionate words to use on an individual, that too a literary figure like Naipaul. However, the man has no qualms shooting his mouth off, and I am just returning his favor!

So, Vee Ess Naipaul, first of all, dude, not loving your name... Hard to pronounce, and harder to type.

Second, I had to read your hot-air for a couple of Indian Writing papers in college, and I fell asleep in every class. I mean EVERY. CLASS. Man, why can't you be even a degree more interesting than you are?! Seriously, is that too much to ask? For crying out loud, you get published for this crap.. at least make an effort!!

Thirdly, dear fellow, I get it - you don't like India. You can't stand the dirty water running down streets, you detest the hypocrites, and you are sure that all Indians have 'slave mentality'. That's fine. Now move on.... You have not lived here. In fact, you don't belong here. Just because you have Indian ancestry in your blood, does not mean you get to say mean things about us. Go say something mean about someone else for a change, huh?! Get over yourself, seriously!

Fourth in a series of rants that is pure catharsis right now, is the fact that Mr.Naipaul, you, in general, are a douchebag. Wikipedia says so (dear reader, go directly to the 'Personal Life' section. That's the good (bad) stuff!), your former friend reiterates, and you sir, most certainly proved it!

Dear Reader, here is the entire text of the last article that I have mentioned. This one appeared in Guardian (a UK newspaper) and I simply couldn't believe what I was reading!

VS Naipaul finds no woman writer his literary match – not even Jane Austen

VS Naipaul, no stranger to literary spats and rows, has done it again. This time, the winner of the Nobel prize for literature has lashed out at female authors, saying there is no woman writer whom he considers his equal – and singling out Jane Austen for particular criticism.

In an interview at the Royal Geographic Society on Tuesday about his career, Naipaul, who has been described as the "greatest living writer of English prose", was asked if he considered any woman writer his literary match. He replied: "I don't think so." Of Austen he said he "couldn't possibly share her sentimental ambitions, her sentimental sense of the world".
He felt that women writers were "quite different". He said: "I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me."
The author, who was born in Trinidad, said this was because of women's "sentimentality, the narrow view of the world". "And inevitably for a woman, she is not a complete master of a house, so that comes over in her writing too," he said.
He added: "My publisher, who was so good as a taster and editor, when she became a writer, lo and behold, it was all this feminine tosh. I don't mean this in any unkind way."
The criticism from the author is unsurprising. Naipaul is no stranger to criticism. In the past Naipaul has criticised India's top female authors for their "banality" on the topic he is best known for writing about, the legacy of British colonialism.
He also had a long-running feud with US travel writer and author Paul Theroux.
Their 30-year friendship came to a sudden end, after Theroux discovered that a book he gave Naipaul had been put on sale for £916. The comments were dismissed by the Writers Guild of Great Britain, which said it would not "waste its breath on them". Literary journalist Alex Clark said: "Is he really saying that writers such as Hilary Mantel, AS Byatt, Iris Murdoch are sentimental or write feminine tosh?"
Literary critic Helen Brown described them as "arrogant, attention-seeking".He should heed the words of George Eliot – a female writer – whose works have had a far more profound impact on world culture than his."

Mr.Naipaul, women are awesome writers too! Just because you can't control your envy, and can't fade off gracefully, does not mean you belittle others. In your own words, "Take it on the chin, and move on."

Yep. He does have a general air of douche-ness around him!

You Searched for THAT and found ME???

2011-06-09T20:02:00.000+05:30

So, I was looking at my blog stats just now, and found this:

Wait...what?!

oh yeahhh.... that's me. 'Tirunelveli tamil teen girl blogger profiles'. Yep. That would be an exact description of me.
Uh! 'teen' it seems. Thanks a lot. Now I feel the youth coming back to my bones....

On a side note, what the hell sort of search term is 'and where i usually would'?? ! Someone dissect that for me please?

Poem: Street food...

2011-06-03T22:00:00.000+05:30

Written on 27 April 2011

Street food...

"... Is unhygienic, uncovered, and unappetizing",
Said mother, piling a mountain of rice
Onto a plate already sagging
Under the weight of healthily boring home-cooked food.
Grumbling, sniffing, dipping fingers in gingerly
I question...
"Why can't I have a snack instead?"

Crisp samosas are the best.
Waiting near the familiar heat of food
Sizzling in hot oil,
Eying the one that you will choose
If you had a choice,
Peering into the cart
At sauces and spices,
Making a mental note -
'Remember to ask for
The sweet and sour sauce.'

Jaws clench at the tangy thought
Of salted gooseberries
That bring back memories of
Dead-broke college days,
When a rupee earned you a bag of those sour gems
That set the saliva flowing 10 years later!

Corn on the cob
Luscious, spicy and crunchy
Satisfy the sharp hunger that comes
From trudging up the lanes
Of little towns on hill stations
In search of the perfect bargain
On a thick woolen sweater.

Ice cream in a park -
Dripping water and icicles that takes the place
Of real cream and flavor,
Cold chunks breaking off
Onto tongues,
Causing brain-freeze
And the rush of guilty pleasures
That mother would scorn at.

Vadais are good too.
Crisp exterior giving way
To warm dough and stray chilli bits,
The accompaniments as beckoning and cozy
As the kitchen at home...

The kitchen. Where mother
Would always have food on the table,
A soothing word
A listening ear
A tearing eye
A smiling face
For me, the wayward child,
Who ate too much street food...

No One Killed Jessica - Raj Kumar Gupta

2011-06-03T20:00:00.000+05:30

"No One Killed Jessica" read the headlines of The Times of India newspaper, on 22 February 2006. The entire nation did a double-take when it realized that what should have been an open-shut case was now one of the most shocking testimonies to corruption and double-standards in politics and the justice system.

The case in question was the murder of Jessica Lall, an aspiring model and part-time bartender in New Delhi. One a particular night, 3 men had walked into the bar she worked in. One of them was Manu Sharma, the son of Venod Sharma (a wealthy Congress politician in Haryana). He demanded for a drink at 2:00am when the bar was all out of liquor. When Jessica refused to give him a drink saying that they were all out, in a fit of rage and as a foolish dare, Manu Sharma shot Jessica Lall point blank in the temple. Jessica's sister Sabrina Lall fought for justice for almost a decade, and was sure that the three eye witnesses (one of whom was her sister's close friend) would definitely testify favorably. Instead, tables were turned unexpectedly when all three eye witnesses said they did not see a thing! It later became apparent that the aforementioned politician had bribed all three witnesses to lie in court.

Following the trial, the newspaper headlines read "No One Killed Jessica", and the accused were acquitted based on insufficient evidence. You can read the full story and details of the trial in this Wikipedia entry. It was only through the inquisitive reporting of Tehelka that the real story emerged and Manu Sharma was later sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2006 by the High Court. He has tried to appeal further but with no avail.

Rani Mukherji as Meera Gaity in No One Killed Jessica

The movie No One Killed Jessica is a thrilling and close-to-truth portrayal of this true story. It is the story of the fight for justice of the brave sister Sabrina Lall and the daring reporters who unearthed the true story and released damning evidence. Vidya Balan does a great job as Sabrina Lall. It is nice to see the actress minus her seductive temptress makeup and body language. Frankly, I was beginning to suspect that that was all Vidya Balan could do! I think she looks better in the down-played ponytail, the cute t-shirts and ubiquitous glasses than in the over-the-top wardrobe choices that usually mar her performances in other movies. She looks nice in 'simple'.

Rani Mukherji, as Meera Gaity the journalist, delivers whatever was asked of her, I think. Someone told her to be an obnoxious, foul-mouthed journalist who doesn't follow the rules, and she is being that. I think they could have taken the 'I'm-a-badass-journalist' a notch down and made her into a more realistic character that the audience can relate to.

Vidya Balan as Sabrina Lall in No One Killed Jessica

I loved the scene where Meera confronts Sabrina about fighting one more battle for 'Justice for Jessica'. Sabrina has given up on things, and is all cynical about the law and the justice system. It is at this point that Meera approaches her saying that there is a chance for justice since the public is involved and now the courts have to do something. When Sabrina refuses to cooperate, Meera berates her. The scene is powerful and really brings home the strength of well-played journalism.

The movie is a brave attempt. Dissing politicians is not a new thing in Bollywood, whereas relying on a an entirely female main cast is another risk altogether! Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji take up the challenge well, and do justice to their roles. The story is fast paced enough to keep interest going, and deliberate enough to place all the key points of the story where they should be.

A good watch if you're into political and crime thrillers or a fan of Rani Mukherji.

Watch the official trailer of No One Killed Jessica:

My Trip Back Home to Beautiful Kerala - April 2011

2011-05-03T22:35:00.000+05:30

As you all already know, Debbie was with my mom for the past week and half. So, last weekend we took a quick trip back to my home town to bring Debbie back. I would have loved to have spent longer in Kerala, but all we could squeeze in was the weekend. So, I just want to tell you all how it felt to go back home after more than a year...

If someone asks me where I'm from, I usually find it very hard to answer. My mom's and dad's forefathers are from various parts of Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari district. However, my dad was born in Chennai, and lived there all his life. My mom was born in Kerala in the Idukki district, and called it home. I lived almost all of my life in Dubai, and that is the only place that finds a place in 90% of my childhood memories. So when I finally came to India and people would ask me where I'm from, I just couldn't answer. I couldn't very well say that my hometown is Dubai, because I am not a citizen, and I no longer live there. I also could not mention any of the four places I have already mentioned in this paragraph, because I was not really familiar with them.

It's only since graduating college have I started telling people that my hometown is Idukki district in Kerala, because I have family there that I love and my family home is situated there since it is where my father preferred to settle down. Also, now the place is even more special because that is where my father has been laid to rest.

So, after more than a year, I went back to this little town called Vandiperiyar in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is a beautiful, cool, green and breathtaking hill station on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. It takes us around 10 hours, traveling in a very badly furnished bus to get to this little paradise, but the sore back and the sleepless night in a bus is totally worth it. Allow me to show you why... (this is going to be a little long-winded so brace yourself...)

Traveling to Vandiperiyar

Taking a route through Theni, Rajapalayam, Kumbum, you reach the Kumily hills, which is a 15 minute slow and deliberate ride along a winding and precarious path that hugs the hill... On the way, you will see a deep forest with exotic trees, lots of monkeys, and beautiful streams and water falls that fill the air with the smell of a healthy and well-balanced environment. There is no place for pollution of any kind or buildings of any shape, save the two little temples at various points on the road - one for Hindus and another for Christians.

What you see below is the rise of a grand mountain that abounds with greenery of all kinds.

These are not the most professional shots, but then we had bright sunlight and a very shaky bus ride to deal with...

Dense forest with really old trees

Going uphill, you suddenly come across these huge pipes. At the very top is a water turbine in a power plant. Kumily houses the MullaiPeriyar dam, a great reservoir that is the primary source of most of the electricity generated in the plains below. Kumily also has the famous Thekady dam. I wish I could show you pictures, but we didn't get to go there this weekend. We will in the future, and when we do, I will show you pictures of the beautiful lake.

They don't look that large here, but they are really huge and imposing!

Along the way, you will see really old bamboo trees that stand in clusters. If you were to venture into this patch of bamboo I really doubt you would be able to get back out again without your limbs getting hopelessly tangled in this!

The road is narrow and winding, with many hairpin bends. When there is another vehicle coming in the opposite direction, usually one has to come to a complete standstill to let the other pass. Many times, large vehicles have to back up all the way to a wider part of the road to let the other vehicle pass. If you look down the side of the mountain, your head will spin from the sheer drop down!

This winding action is seen pretty much throughout the journey, all the way to my home, in fact!

Yes, we had to stop to let this bus go by...

Finally, after 15 minutes of something that resembles spinning around (a trip not for the light-headed, I must add!), we finally reach Kumily bus stand. This is the very border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The road we saw till now actually belongs to the Tamil Nadu jurisdiction, but the town on the hill belongs to Kerala. So, who has dibs on the mountain?! Heh! I have no idea! Anyway, Kumily bus stand is filled with the chatter of beautiful Malayalam (which I am no good at speaking, since my mother tongue is Tamil), and the whiff of banana chips fried in coconut oil, cardamom and black pepper... Kumily is a popular tourist spot and is most famous for the spices sold everywhere. You can buy the best quality of cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. But the area is most famous for its top quality tea. I don't buy any brand of tea since I get mine from here all the time.

The bus stand bordered with shops and hotels for tourists

The KSRTC - primary transport of almost all Keralites in this part of the world!

Just look at the red blossoms on that tree!

Here, we've got to take another bus that takes us to Vandiperiyar, where we have to take another bus, and then walk up approximately 150 steps, or spare ourself the heart attack, and take an auto all the way home. On the way, all you see is large expanses of tea fields (the main source of income for most everyone here), and trees with pepper climbers entwined around them... Like this...

It was a misty morning, the day we went. It was around 8am and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon. The thick rolls of leave that you see on these trees are the pepper plant climbers. The trees are usually used for firewood (which obviously people need a lot of!)

Looking up into the mist, over a carpet of tea bushes

The road you see here (another winding one) will take me to a higher hill where my home is situated!

These are women on their way to work. If you stick around, you will see them donning plastic capes and carrying huge gunny sacks, trudging up tea plantation hills, to pluck tea leaves.

This is a tea bush up close, but much prettier in person, I assure you! :)

Finally, I reach this beautiful house that I call home...

Who is that little girl? I'll tell you soon...

I have a lump in my throat every time I look at my house. My dad had it built a couple of years ago, and he did it with extreme love and concern for my mother. He made sure that the house was not too high above the road, since my mother can't walk up too many steps or a very steep pathway. He made sure that clay tiles were used on the floor, because marble or ceramic tiles get cold and my mom could get achy knees from walking on them. He made sure that the master bedroom, the bathrooms and the kitchen were all constructed in the way that would be most convenient for my mom... Even though my dad planned to spend his retirement relaxing in this nice home, my mom was worried that he never put in anything that he would particularly like. Little did we know that my dad would, in fact, not get to spend his days here.

Sorry guys, I know I am not supposed to be getting all weepy and maudlin here. But looking at my home always makes me miss my dad, and I was just sharing my feelings with you. Anyway, Vandiperiyar is a beautiful quaint town, and my home is comfy. You are all welcome to come visit our little corner of the earth when you have the time... Just let me know first ok? :D

Okay, I promise, I'll be more bearable in the next post... where I tell you about that little girl in the picture, and all the lovely precious people I spent my weekend with.

Food for the brain and feast for the eyes - Internet fodder for You

2011-05-02T20:26:00.000+05:30

So, Internet crawling should be called a legitimate hobby, because the gems we unearth sometimes are truly priceless! I came across some things that I simply have to share with you guys. Touching, thought-provoking and down-right weird, these stories and posts are Internet gold!

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind : This article is a list of questions, some familiar and some new, but all questions that will get you thinking. Asking you about the most important things in life, questioning the direction of your life, and the very need to slave at that job that you so hate!

Some questions that really got me thinking:

1. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

2. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

3. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

4. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

5. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

6. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

7. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

I can't say I have an answer, but when I'm old with lots of gray hair, and a dozen grandchildren milling around me, I hope I have a clue... :) I do have the answer to question 6, though. It is quite evident in the sudden shortness of breath that I am now experiencing - a sure effect of trying to be aware of your breathing. Try it! The minute you become aware of your breathing, you can't breath... we homosapiens are weird, no?

Speaking of breathing, here are 7 Things You Won't Believe You're All Doing Wrong. Don't read this article if you are also eating, because apparently the first and foremost thing we have no clue how to do correctly, is orchestrate our bowel movements!! There. I have said it as euphemistically as possible without making you barf! So, after you're done with that sandwich or the slushie, gander into this link and read how we adults have no idea how to do things right! By the way, you'll soon find out that babies are ninjas when compared to us lesser mortals!

Even if you have never said a prayer in your entire life, no matter what God you pray to, or whether you believe that there is no such thing as the big Gee Oh Dee, the minute you have a child, you feel like you really need someone stronger on your side, helping you look after that infant when you can, and watching out for that rampant teenager when you can't. Even uproarious comics like Tina Fey feel the need to pray for the little person put into their care. Here is A Mother's Prayer for Her Child, by Tina Fey. Although I would definitely skip some of the church-unfriendly language when I talk to God, I think the sentiment of that prayer is my feelings exactly. The few hours I am away from Debbie are the most worry-filled hours of the day. When she went to stay at my mom's last week, I lay awake a couple of nights wondering whether she was eating well, having her bowel movements (Sigh....as you grow older or have kids, bowel movements seem to become more and more of a top priority!!), falling down too often and scraping her knee, being safe when she travels with my family...etc etc. The worry list, my friends, is endless. Fact of LIFE! This prayer, in the article, is one I could repeat everyday till I have grandkids.... Then, it's Debbie's turn.

Okay, enough with the heavy sentiments and the teary eyes! Now for some awesome Internet fodder that are totally deserving of a thousand email forwards!

Here is a story of how clever people can be! Hiding the Lockheed Plant during World War II. This is a story of how soldiers, during World War II, hid an entire geographical area (an aircraft plant) from the eyes of the enemy through an ingenious method. You won't believe what you are seeing, when you look at the pictures. I had to go back and read the article a second time to actually grasp the magic and genius of it all! Take a look.

Finally, I love pencil drawings. My brother ans sister do a mean drawing, and I have always envied their ability to create beauty with a pencil and paper. Me? I need water colors, brushes and high quality paper to create my art. I am high maintenance, I guess...sigh. Anyway, my husband is really good with a camera. He takes the most breathtaking pictures I have ever seen. His specialty is nature. Put him behind a camera lens, and I don't even think you need to feed him! Hence the clash of the high and low maintenance groups! So, when I found this article that merges pencil drawings and photography, I was enamored. This is some really clever stuff - Incredibly Creative Pencil Drawings vs. Photography. Enjoy!

These links are courtesy Stumbleupon - another really clever thingy on the WWW!

Of Homemade Music Videos and Home-cooked Food

2011-04-27T23:23:00.000+05:30

It's vacation time right now, and where I usually would be sitting at my computer, trying to get a view of the monitor through my daughter's flailing arms, and trying to coax my thoughts to surface above the din of Debbie's voice and her noisy toys, I sit here right now in utter peace and quiet, with no one switching off the computer mid-post, no buzzing voice in my ears, and no baby fingers trying to get at the keyboard... Just me, my thoughts, and you readers.... and I HATE IT! No. Sorry. I didn't mean you, my readers! I love you guys! I meant sitting at home alone, without Debbie, just me and this empty house...sigh...

Debbie's gone to her grandma's (my mom) for a week...wait, actually it is now been more than a week. She is having the time of my life (I mean Debbie, not my mom! God only knows how my mom is handling it there, because along with Debbie are 6 other boisterous cousins filling the house, and toppling down God knows how many flower pots! Enjoy mommy...hhehe!). So anyway, Debbie gets to play with all those kids ranging between the age of 6 to 16. And they are not even her cousins...their mine!! That's what happens when your grandmother is your grandfather's second wife, and is just around 6 years older than your mother...and she (your grandmother) had 8 kids! I think they took the whole "the more the merrier" thing too seriously! Whew!

Anywho, Debbie is playing with kids ranging from 6 to 16 years old, who are all her aunts and uncles!! And she has not missed me yet... :( That doesn't mean I can't miss her... I do, I do... I miss her sooo much...

I miss this little girl...

and her lovely smile...

and her crazy-awesome singing...

Boohooo! I want my babyyyy!

*sniff* *wiping eyes, blowing nose*...

And in a funny tangent way, I want my mommy.... and her food...
Actually I've been feeling that for quite a while, so I wrote something for her...

Mom, this is for you... (pssst, can you please consider this as your advanced birthday present? Kidding. Totally getting you a real present on your birthday... :D)

----------------------------
Street food...

"... Is unhygienic, uncovered, and unappetizing",
Said mother, piling a mountain of rice
Onto my plate already sagging
Under the weight of healthily boring home-cooked food.
Grumbling, sniffing, dipping fingers in gingerly
I question...
"Why can't I have a snack instead?"

Crisp samosas are the best.
Waiting near the familiar heat of food
Sizzling in hot oil,
Eying the one that you will choose
If you had a choice,
Peering into the cart
At sauces and spices,
I make a mental note -
'Remember to ask for
The sweet and sour sauce.'

Jaws clench at the tangy thought
Of salted gooseberries
That bring back memories of
Dead-broke college days,
When a rupee earned you a bag of those sour gems
That set the saliva flowing 10 years later!

Corn on the cob
Luscious, spicy and crunchy
Satisfy the sharp hunger that comes
From trudging up the lanes
Of little towns on hill stations
In search of the perfect bargain
On a thick woolen sweater.

Ice cream in a park -
Dripping water and icicles that take the place
Of real cream and flavor,
Cold chunks breaking off
Onto tongues,
Causing brain-freeze
And the rush of guilty pleasures
That mother would scorn at.

Vadais are good too.
Crisp exterior giving way
To warm dough and stray chilli bits,
The accompaniments as beckoning and cozy
As the kitchen at home...

The kitchen. Where mother
Would always have food on the table,
A soothing word
A listening ear
A tearing eye
A smiling face
For me, the wayward child,
Who ate too much street food...

The Men in Blue Bring It Home!

2011-04-04T20:45:00.000+05:30

YAAAAAAAY! India won the Cricket World Cup after more than 20 years. I am truly happy! It was a wonderful moment, when every Indian on the planet felt one with their Indian counterparts, regardless of the religion, state, caste or social status they belonged to!

Let me stop the gushing to tell you that you would never have heard me rave about cricket ever before on my blog, and, I solemnly promise you that you will never again hear another word about cricket in the future! I am no cricket fan...when it's IPL time, I flee a mile away from the general vicinity of the television and my cricket-maniac husband. I still hold on to those ideals. As a matter of principle, I never watch cricket, because here I am slaving over a desk all day, and coming home and slaving over a stove, and some boy-man hitting a ball around gets paid a gazillion times more than me!! I take exception to that. And what do we get sitting in front of a television watching said boy-men romping around? NOTHING! Those are just my views, and you are free to disagree - in fact, please do disagree. That's what a free country is all about. Anyway, point is, I "dislike" cricket, to put it ever so lightly.

BUT, c'mon winning the WORLD CUP is a whole new deal altogether!! I actually invested a good 3-4 hours of my weekend on Saturday night, sitting and watching the latter half of the match. All because I truly began to admire the grit and determination of our boys out there on the field. I have developed a sense of deep respect for MS Dhoni, captain of the Indian cricket team. The way he carried himself throughout the game was simply awe-inspiring. Even after he hit the winning sixer, his obvious happiness was so understated and so balanced that you had to admire his maturity and his ability to keep his head, no matter how low the 'downs' or high the 'ups'! He let Sachin take center stage during the celebrations and he walked a good two-paces behind, just enjoying watching his team mates celebrate. The whole country is cheering for this man who has led the Indian cricket team to so many victories in such a short time. I think he is truly an inspiration to the youth of our nation!

And then there was the game itself. Though I wasn't exactly gnawing my way through my nails in anticipation, it was an exciting game, all said and done! The moment when Sachin got out was a real shock. Even the celebrities in the stadium lost their photogenic smiles when Sachin walked off the pitch. I think that was the one time I saw Rajnikanth actually look defeated!! :) I also felt really sorry for Gautam Gambhir, after he failed to hit a century. The look on his face when he walked back the stands, was nothing short of heart-breaking... :(

But the fact that Dhoni and Yuvraj were able to bring the team back to pace, and win the game for us was really thrilling! At the end of the game, when Dhoni hit that fabulous sixer, my husband had just one thing to say, "Now Sachin can retire in peace!" And I had to agree. It was so moving, how the entire team was playing for just one man! One man who had inspired them, made India the force to reckon with in cricket, and took so many risks for his team! What Virat Kohli said about Sachin was amazing! After he had walked around the whole ground carrying Sachin on his shoulders, he was asked why he had done that. His response: "Sachin has carried the burden of the country on his shoulders for 28 years. So, I don't mind carrying him on my shoulders!" Awwww! that is so adorable! :)

So, there it is - India won the CRICKET WORLD CUP! I think we will be riding this wave for a long, long, long time! And hey, I don't even feel furious that these guys are getting a crore each!But, it stops there. IPL is next week, and you won't hear a word about it from me..NO SIR!

The Boys in Blue lift the Cricket World Cup!!

Check out Sreesanth's expression! :D

The Indian skipper reaching out for his keep-sake stump from the winning match

The great Sachin deserved the parade on the shoulders of his teammates

Awww! Isn't this adorable?!

Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos

2011-04-01T22:51:00.000+05:30

There are many different reasons why we like a book. Sometimes, it's because the story is so gripping. Sometimes, it's because the author is our favorite and we just like his/her style, sometimes we love a book because one of the characters reminds us of someone we know (sometimes even ourselves), or we love a book because we wish we had that sort of romance/thrill/happy ending in our lives. But sometimes...sometimes... we love a book because it is pure poetry. As cliche as that sounds, I am saying it from the depth of my book-loving soul!

It is not so much as the story itself, or the plot that carries the beauty. Instead, the beauty lies in the place that it should - the words, the diction, the thoughts, the expression, and the heart of the writer. I experienced this poetry in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Pure poetry! I also remember feeling the same sense of upliftment, of being taken to a different plane when I read Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie". And now, I felt the same beauty flowering inside of me when I read Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos.

The way the book starts - the very first line that the author decided to write on the very first empty page - is itself breathtaking: "My life - my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and, yes, I know how that sounds."

And YES, I know how this sounds! You're going to say, "Pfft! there she goes again! Raving about some soppy romance novel!" But my dear friend, that's where you are terrible mistaken. This is not a soppy romance. Yes it is a romance, but there is a beauty in there that appeals to every woman. The beauty of love and motherhood, and the pain of having a beloved child plucked out of your hands and handed over to someone else, the reassuring warmth of family, and the wonder of life itself.

The plot is actually quite simple. Cornelia Brown (a most unlikely pairing of first and last name, if there ever was one), the manager of Cafe Dora, a little warm coffee house in Philadelphia, has a good, strong college education but prefers to work in a restaurant. She is a die-hard romantic and believes that every girl's life should be like The Philadelphia Story, where she finds the right dashing, tall-dark-handsome, smooth and suave man for a soul mate! And she truly believes it will happen to her!! (Yes, double exclamation marks right there, because, seriously, who is she kidding?! That stuff doesn't happen in real life. In fact, it doesn't even happen in reel life nowadays - anybody watch Knocked Up??)

But find him she does, and his name is Martin. She is head over heels in love with this man who can do no wrong, who will listen calmly to her without saying a word, and who will take her on the most starlit romantic dates. Suddenly, one day, Cornelia's world is turned upside down when a little 11 year old girl walks into the coffee house with Martin, and he introduces her as Clare, his daughter....

The book consists of two stories told alternately, from the point of view of the central characters - Clare and Cornelia. Finally, their lives dovetail, Clare finds the family she longs for, and Cornelia finds the love of her life. As usual, I am not going to give you anything more on the plot. It is actually quite simple, and comes to the most logical conclusions.

However, there is a huge advantage in the plot being so forehead-slapping simple. Instead of filling the book with twisted plots, the author uses her space to flesh out the characters, to create a clear picture of each scene, each interaction, each incident, and each reaction of each character. She does this so well that at we easily begin to think like the characters in any given situation in the plot! It's like listening to your best friend talk about her life - you listen with involvement, have an opinion about everything, advice your friend on the next move, and are dying to know what happened next.

Read this book to see how a modern novel should be written. Hope love walks in for you too....sigh! That is so soppy and cliche but what the heck...

The Ultimate Blog Party 2011 - Join the Fun!

2011-04-01T17:13:00.000+05:30

This is my linky post that is going to be my ticket to the Ultimate Blog Party 2011, only THE MOST sought after online blog party for mom-bloggers like me, and probably you! :) The party is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.com, a really great blog written by twin mommies (how cool is that?!) Janice and Susan. Check out this post to know more about the Ultimate Blog Party 2011, and how to enter. If you headed here from the party itself, allow me to introduce myself and my blog very briefly. I am Jane Hamilton, and I have been blogging for the past 3 years. In my blog here, "Ad Libitum", I talk about anything that interests me, including cooking, a great trip I had, a soppy romantic movie I saw, or my opinion on stuff. Nothing earth shattering, but I just like to put my two-pence out there! Also, I do what mommies love doing the most - talk about my child. My 4-yr-old girl, Debbie, is the joy of my life, and here I talk about her little skirmishes, her toys, her favorite food, and generally how she makes sure I never have to suffer from dull moments in my life. And of course, I talk about my beloved husband, the man of my dreams, my knight in shining armor, and the reason for my deep-seated hatred for watching any sport on TV!

I am neither a prolific writer, nor a regular one. I hold down a 9-6, and though it is no excuse for not posting often enough, my lazy self somehow lets it be. When I do write, I spill my heart out!

So, welcome to Ad Libitum, where, really, things are quite adlib. Hope you enjoy your stay.

If you are one of my readers, what are you doing reading this? You already know boring old me...HURRY and join me at the Ultimate Blog Party!! Go ahead and add your blog to the linky and meet more awesome bloggers like you! I'm going to do just that right now!

Watching Real Television for the First Time EVER!

2011-03-08T20:44:00.006+05:30

Did you have one of those childhoods that has been deprived of the most basic things that every other family on the planet seemed to have in plenty? Like ice cream, or play time, or best friends, or, like in my case, television?? Yes, I was television deprived in my childhood. I think it has had an adverse effect on me, and it affects the way I function as an adult.

You see, when we were kids, my parents were very skeptical as to how the "idiot box" could damage their offsprings. So, they never let us watch television. When they did, it was some stupid cartoon that, I personally think, had a far worse rotting effect on the brain than something a little more real! And for the most part of my life, I watched Arabic TV programs! I totally (and only) got Arab humor, I did not understand anything that wasn't said with Arab body language or an Arabic accent, and I was actually riveted with Arabic TV serials. In Fujairah, in the 1980s and '90s, that is all was available on TV. If you wanted to watch anything in English, you had to wait till Thursday night, when they played some English movies that were either as old as the hills, or as unfunny as Clint Eastwood! It made the wait till midnight on Thursday totally worthless. I think if my parents had just gone and booked the damn cable, we would have gotten our fix and moved on. Instead, they were busy "growing us up in the right way", and we were the most TV-deprived kids in the country!

What was the result? When we saw cable TV in someone's house, we went CRAAAAAZZZZYYY! I think anyone who has ever come within close quarters of my siblings and I will say that when the TV is on, we are dead to the world! You could detonate a bomb beside me, and I wouldn't notice if I was watching 'Remington Steele'!! That was because I rarely saw people talking in English and being dashing, let alone Pierce Brosnan being awesome!

I knew all the trivia, gossip, reviews, and the finer points of Hollywood shows and movies, and I knew the names of all the actors, and who they were dating at any point of time. And yet, I never really got to watch a proper English movie until I was in middle school!! My parents were creeped out when I spoke at length about some actor or movie, knowing that I could never have gotten to watch that movie or have known about that actor!! My dad used to let us watch movies like 'George of the Jungle', 'Jurassic Park', and 'Baby's Day Out' when our family friends (read boring adult friends of my parents) bought the CD or DVD. Kindly note that I saw these movies when I was in high school! And that was all we were allowed to see. One movie we could watch as many times as we wanted was 'The Sound of Music'. So, I keep saying to people that I have seen the movie more times than I can remember, and you'd think it's because I was a big fan, but now you know the real reason why? Heck, it was the ONLY thing we were allowed to watch!!! I remember my dad saying that he did not want us to watch 'Anaconda' because the snakes were too huge and scary!! Wha???

My TV-deprived childhood and teenage years turned to LIFE-Deprived college years, where I spent 3 years in a hostel, where the only thing we got to see was "Ozhiyum Oliyum" every Friday at 7pm. Tamilians, you know what I'm talking about. It's a show where they played Tamil movie songs with the grating violin music and the over-dressed heroines doing demented dance moves, and the heroes accompanying them with robotic movements. I watched even these shows, simply because I liked to see the light on the television!! You know, my mom used to say this about me: This girl will watch the television, even if there is only a white light on it!! And I have been known to stare at TV static for almost an hour, hoping against hope that the picture will resume! Ahem... Anyway, my parents are good, exemplary, salt-of-the-earth types, and I LOVE them, but the truth remains that they wouldn't let me watch TV. Till now, TV remains a weakness, a fatal flaw, and an obsession for me, my sister and my brother! Go shrink that!

So, time went on, and wherever I went, bad TV haunted me. Finally I landed in Nagercoil, where we had cable TV, and boy was I happy!! Little did I know that "cable TV" in Nagercoil meant 30 local channels that had the same death-inducing crappy programs hosted by the same nasal host with the cheesy clothes, the heavy make-up and the stiff body language, who played the same crappy old Tamil songs that even the actors in the songs wouldn't be proud of!! Some of the remaining channels contained local Christian programs that featured the very same people you saw in church every Sunday and then in every grocery store during the weekend! GAAAH! Finally you had BBC, CNN, StarMovies, HBO, and Star Sports in their grainiest, most teeth-chattering, nail-scraping-on-blackboard glory! So, wheee! I was happy....NOT!

This month, my life changed into this glorious aria to television, when we got DTH at home! Yaaaay! The clear-screen-high-definition heavens sang songs of joy in surround theater clarity!! And I. Was. Home.

So, here I was, sitting on the couch, basking in the glory of watching one channel on a small box in the corner, and also being able to scroll down 100 and more channels, not being able to decide on whether I should watch that awesome reality show on one channel or this classic Oscar-winning movie on this channel, when.........

...... my husband comes in, grabs the TV remote from my hand, activates all the sports channels, and sits down to watch the IPL.

Cue: hair-tearing and gut-wrenching screams!

Commitment Issues and an Evening Class

2011-02-23T20:20:00.005+05:30

I have loyalty issues - with books. You know, that urge to ditch a book few chapters in, and run to another one, simply because the blurb on that one is too darn attractive? Yes, I think if we had psychiatrists for bibliomaniacs, they would say this was a serious ailment... Commitment issues.

I went to Chennai last month, and where people come home with loads of clothes, fashion jewellery, jeans, and more normal stuff, my family went to Chennai and came home with a cartload of books. Now, give me a "whoop" if you get what I'm talking about! Some people out there might think it would have been more clever to buy something more worthwhile, valuable, shiny... I did try, you know. I went into Spencer's in Chennai, and I DID oggle at the purses, the jewellery, the food, and the clothes (especially the Kurtis and the jeans). But then I walked into the books section, and my mind went blank. I forgot about all the awesome things I saw back there, and gave up.

So, now I have more than 5 books sitting on my shelf, and I can't decide what to read. I also borrowed two books from The American library (located inside the American Embassy compound), and I have literally picked at one chapter each, still unable to decide what I should settle down with.

What did I do finally? I decided to clear the air (and my head) with Maeve Binchy. So, I read Evening Class. It's a lovely book.

This was the first time I read Maeve Binchy - thanks Nameeta and Karen for introducing me to this lovely writer and for feeding my obsession!

So, anyway, Evening Class. The story is about how an Irish lady teaches Italian to a very diverse group of people. She runs the class along with a teacher who works in the school on whose grounds the evening classes are held. The class has around 30 students, and the entire novel tells the story of each one of these students and how they came about attending an Italian class.

So, if you're thinking, "Whups, that's a hell of a lotta characters," then you couldn't be more right! It starts with the story of Aidan, a teacher who has been waiting for the post of School Headmaster all his life, and the love affair between his 20-something daughter and the 40-yr-old teacher who actually gets the headmaster job... Oooh Harsh!

Aidan meets Signora, an Irish lady who followed her Italian lover to his hometown and settled across the street from him, and watched as he married an Italian girl his family chose for him, and had babies, started his own restaurant, and eventually died. During all of this, she keeps their love affair a secret, and finally returns to Ireland when the widow of her lover requests her to please leave the country and his memory to the grieving family. At this point, Signora also finds out that the family knew all along about the affair that had been, but had also decently refused to make an issue out of it. Poignant!

The story of Signora is really what laces the entire novel together, as she comes in contact with each character, advising here, helping there, appreciating one, learning from another, until all of them take home something beautiful and valuable from her Italian lessons and her personality.

Having said that, just you try keeping track of all the Irish names, the stories, and the back stories, and the what-not!! I really became confused at times, when two characters had similar personality traits, spoke in a similar way, or had criss-crossing story-lines.

In the end, though, it is a lovely book that you should read on a sunny Sunday afternoon, curled up on your couch, or you can read it in between watching MasterChef (like I did), or read a few pages every night, and go to sleep knowing that everything will be okay, which is my favorite way of reading a book! (So different from the sheer terror that you take to bed with you, if you read Harlan Coben! But that's a story for another post.)

I read the book, and isn't it a nice coincidence that a second book by Maeve Binchy, which another friend gave me (Thanks DazzlingRay!) was like a tangent story of Evening Class? The main characters of Quentin's are minor characters in Evening Class. So, it makes me feel happy that I know what EVERYONE is doing... :P

Anyway, I'll be back with a review of Quentin's as soon as I'm done.

Thanks for sticking around. Love ya!

Tell Me About Yourself, Please?

2011-02-22T10:39:00.000+05:30

It's a random day today ('random' since The Big V-Day was a week ago, and if I wanted to make a comeback, I really should have done it then and yet I chose today...) and I am ashamed, and am mentally crawling with my tail between my legs right now, because I have not blogged for so long. The last entry was a lame one on my Wordpress blog status update in January. Why I felt driven to put that up is anybody's guess. It makes me cringe....like, major hiney-cringe, when I look at it, but I am leaving it up there anyways, because you're my friend, and whether you like me the way I am or not, I am not going to pretend to you, this far in our relationship...," thus she spoke into total emptiness, without stopping to wonder who was listening.

Ahem...anyway, so, instead of talking about me I want you to tell me things about yourself, since I love you all, my dear second-chance-giving readers. I have a few questions for you, and I hope you will answer them in the comments section. So, here goes:

1. What do you like most about being around friends?

2. what is your favorite drink?

3. What is your idea of fun?

4. What book are you reading now?

5. Who is your favorite actor/actress?

6. What is your favorite movie of all time?

7. What time is it?

8. If you could change something about yourself, what would that be?

9. Are you in love?

10. Are you able to love peope with all your heart, mind and soul? (corny, I know, but answer it anyway, won't you?)

11. How can you describe the worst feeling that you have ever experienced? (heart break, cramps, you can talk about anything here, as long as you don't mind doing so...)

12. What is the first thing that crosses your mind when you wake up in the morning?

13. How many times do you wait for your phone to ring before you pick it up?

14. What is your favorite smell/flavor?

15. Do you cook? How much do you like your cooking?

16. What is your idea of partying?

17. You will grow up some day, won't you?

18. When you grow up (whenever that will be), what would you like to be?

Right, now that you're going to tell me all your dark secrets, we're going to be BFFs. Yaaaay!

Note: These questions are taken from SampleQuestionnaire.com. I think it's okay to borrow from them, coz I think that's what they intended. Anyway, feel free to use these questions on your own blogs, if you want. Have fun!

2011-01-04T10:53:00.000+05:30

Wordpress sent me this... Hey Wordpress Admin? You guys could have been this nice when I was on Wordpress. Anyway... good to know... Happy New Year!

Team WordPress.com + Stats Helper Monkeys
January 2nd, 2011, 07:22am

Your 2010 year in blogging

Happy New Year from WordPress.com! To kick off the year, we'd like to share with you data on how your blog has been doing. Here's a high level summary of your overall blog health:

Wow

Blog-Health-o-Meter™

We think you did great!

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,700 times in 2010. That's about 9 full 747s.
In 2010, you wrote 26 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 53 posts. You uploaded 70 pictures, taking up a total of 70mb. That's about 1 pictures per week.
Your busiest day of the year was May 9th with 478 views. The most popular post that day was Growing Pains on Mother’s Day.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, facebook.com, mail.redegginfoexpert.com, janehamilton.blogspot.com, and lovejoneslane.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for mother's day clip art, happy mothers day, happy mother's day, mothers day clip art, and happy mother's day clip art.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010. You can see all of the year's most-viewed posts and pages in your Site Stats.

Growing Pains on Mother’s DayMay 2009

About the Blogger

Top 10 Movies that Left Me Speechless!May 2010
2 comments

"Baby Einstein Made My Child Dumb"! Yeah, Right!October 2009

About the Blog
4 comments

Some of your most popular posts were written before 2010. Your writing has staying power! Consider writing about those topics again.

Inspirational Stories Series - People Who Make a Difference

2010-11-27T10:42:00.000+05:30

I was really bad at history, so I have no idea what Aurangzeb did, or whom Subhash Chandra Bose fought. Heck! To this day, I can't accurately say who really built the Taj Mahal (it's a tie between Shah Jahan and Jehangir! I know. Shameful.), but I do know it was built for love! I'm basically not one to follow the lives of powerful, inspirational people from the annals of history. And so, when you ask me, "Who's your role model?" don't expect me to say any names you may recognize.... That's why I felt this little inspirational passage holds a lot of truth. Read on!

Take this quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

Now, let me tell you, that if you were to ask me who my role model is, you might just be surprised to know - it could be You!

Inspirational Tales Series - The Parable of the Pencil

2010-11-26T10:12:00.000+05:30

This parable of a pencil is so simple, yet it carries so much truth in it. When my husband first shared this story with me (he was preparing for a motivational talk for his students) I was stunned by the simplicity and poignancy of this little parable... Hope you find this as enlightening as I did...

The Pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. "There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replace the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

- Author Unknown -

Inspirational Tales Series - Don't We All?

2010-11-25T11:03:00.000+05:30

Hope you liked the first story I posted in this series. Here is the second one:

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum (homeless or poor man). From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened, something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say 'yes', but I held true to my inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for the bus fare or a place to sleep, but I need help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?

- Author Unknown -

Inspirational Tales Series - The Gift

2010-11-24T10:24:00.000+05:30

I never read inspirational stories. That is 'read' in the past tense. I had become such a cynic that I used to find them tacky and silly, and a waste of time. I felt that these preachy stories where from someone who just sat in the comfort of their homes and didn't know anything about how horrid the world, and people in general, have become. Having a child shifts your opinion of a lot of things - for their sake you need to be optimistic, noble, courageous, and believing. Now every inspiration story I read (present tense) I remember so that, one day, I can pass these values and thoughts to my daughter. I will post a few stories that inspired me or struck a chord deep in my heart. And another important point I need to make - I am a Christian, and I don't hide it. So I'm taking things one step further in this blog, and talking about spiritual things. I hope you, my reader and friend, will stay with me on this. Enjoy...

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As graduation day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you gave me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search for his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Blondie Jokes!

2010-11-23T12:16:00.000+05:30

Saw this in the Blondie archives on my Google Reader (yes, I totally subscribe to this stuff, and I adore it!) [And yes, I read the archives! Why? Wouldn't you? C'mon, it's Blondie!!]

HAHHA! :D

This image is taken from the Blondie comics strip featured on ArcaMax Publishing. So, please don't sue me!

Someone Will Be With You Shortly - Lisa Kogan (excerpt)

2010-11-23T09:47:00.000+05:30

I'm reading Lisa Kogan's Someone Will Be With You Shortly, and I'm trying not to ROFL, so that I don't do further damage to my already creaky and achy bones!! Let me tell you, she is seriously funny!

Note: I'm reading it for free - yes! Absolutely for FREE! - on Daily Lit.

After I'm done with the book, I'll tell you about how good it was. Right now, I just want to share this gem with you...

"Chapter 5. What to Expect When You're Not Expecting

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AFTER my daughter, Julia, was born, I was standing in line at Russ & Daughters, a lovely little shoebox of a shop that's been serving the most exquisite Jewish delicacies ever since Mr. Russ loaded up his pushcart and headed for the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1908. I was ordering smoked butterfish and nova, sliced thinner than angel wings, as the guys behind the counter plied me with samples of apricot strudel and raspberry rugelach. It was spring, my baby was healthy, Russ & Daughters had just put out their marble nut halvah, and all was right with the world.

I was experiencing what the late, great Spalding Gray used to call “a perfect moment.” Please note, Mr. Gray didn't talk about perfect days, he didn't even refer to a perfect half-hour stretch. Nope, he only suggested that there are moments when life is inexorably sweet, but those moments are few and far between—and generally over before you can capture them on the teeny camera in your ridiculously tricked-out cell phone.

The little old lady to my left decided to strike up a conversation. “So, how long have you been coming here, dear?” She smelled like Pond's cold cream and cinnamon, and I liked her immediately. “Well, ma'am, my aunt Bernice first brought me here when I was just a kid,” I answered between bites. She smiled warmly and told me she grew up right around the corner, on Orchard Street, and had shopped here since the 1920s. “I raised five children on this food,” she said, pointing to the baked blueberry farmer's cheese. We were soul mates in sable, partners in pickled herring; we spoke the language of lox. And that's when it happened.

My new buddy suddenly reached out her bony little liver-spotted hand, patted my baby-free middle, and asked the one question nobody should ever ask: “When are you due?”

I toyed with the possibility that she had some sort of death wish. Perhaps the question was actually a thinly veiled plea. I mean, isn't it plausible that what she was really saying was “I want to go out on a high note, so I'll just have a taste of chopped liver, and then do something so heinous that it drives this perfectly reasonable woman to club me to death with a side of salmon”?

You see, there are certain questions that must never be asked:

1. Has your surprise party happened yet?

2. How did you first learn that your husband is cheating?

And, above all:

3. When are you due?

I don't care if the woman you're asking is wearing a T-shirt with a giant rhinestone-encrusted arrow that points to her belly and reads BABY ON BOARD. I don't care if she's writhing on a gurney in the birthing room of Mount Sinai Hospital, screaming for an epidural as an obstetrician announces, “One more push and the baby will be out!” You never, let me repeat, never, ever, under any circumstances, ask a woman when she's due.

“June,” I replied.

Some people collect coins, some prowl the Internet for vintage guitars; I know a woman with a closet full of antique Kewpie-doll heads. I'm not totally clear what turned her against everything from the neck down—she may have been frightened by a Barbie breast as a child. But I'm nobody to judge, because I, too, am a collector. What I collect are slights, digs, withering remarks, and the occasional mean-girl glare. I examine a good when-are-you-due story from every angle, I trade them with friends, I commit them to memory, I savor them for eternity.

Here are a few of my favorite insults:

    * My old friend Alison remembers the first time she had her Hungarian husband's family over. She cooked for three straight days. The woman goulashed and paprikashed and even put her tomato sauce through a food mill, for God's sake. At the end of the meal, her new mother-in-law took Ali's hands in hers, looked her straight in the eye, and said: “I'm so glad you feel you can practice on us.” Ouch.
    * My former roommate Laurie came home with an A+ on her test and proudly handed the paper to her father. “Jesus,” he said. “I always thought you had to be really smart to get this kind of grade.” Kaboom.
    * My pal Faye tells the story of spending an entire evening with a guy she met when they both reached for the same stuffed zucchini blossom at a fancy fundraiser. He suggested they get together the very next day for a picnic in Central Park, and she was delighted to take charge of the fried chicken and potato salad. The next day she waited and waited. Nearly two hours, one drumstick, half a pound of red bliss potatoes, and five weeks of dieting down the drain later, Faye picked up the phone: “What happened?” His reply: “Well, I honked ... but you didn't come out.” Yikes.
    * I bring Jules to the pediatrician for her annual checkup. “Would you say she's unusually tall?” I ask, hoping that she'll someday be able to reach all the stuff her five-foot two-inch mother cannot. “No, she's average,” he replies, quick and to the point. “Are you sure?” I persist. “My friends all tell me that she's really quite tall.” The good doctor peers down his bifocals. “Maybe your friends don't want to tell you that she's really quite average.” Touché.

Forget about kids; grown-ups say the darnedest things. Sometimes they mean well, sometimes they mean to lacerate, sometimes they're just clueless. The challenge (at least for me) is not to take any of it personally ... even when it's meant to be taken personally. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, unless of course I decide to let them.

I've decided to stop letting them. I don't want to lock and load when a nasty comment comes my way, but I also refuse to duck and cover. Instead, I am going to answer clumsiness with equanimity, bitchiness with compassion, and verbal violence with disengagement."

Blogging Gems I Need to Share

2010-11-22T18:13:00.000+05:30

Every day I read a lot of interesting stuff on my Google Reader, Twitter feed, and Facebook wall. I come across something that is so gripping that I decide it's not enough to share it/retweet it/or bookmark it. I have a deep desire to talk about it on my blog. Notice I said, 'deep desire'. So, I bookmark it under 'Blogpost Idea' on my Google Bookmarks, and vow to return to it at the end of the day, and share it with my faithful readers. Then I sit at my computer and start posting insightful blog posts about these useful things and then all my readers are empowered and enlightened because of my wise comments!... Or not.

Instead, once these interesting blogs, pages, or posts have been bookmarked, they rot in bookmark purgatory until one day, I decide to purge myself by putting ALL those posts into one single humongous potpourri of miscellany.

Anyway, here are links to articles/posts/blogs that caught my interest. If you like it, good! If you don't please don't do a psychoanalysis of my personality based on my reading preference!! :P

Blogging - because I need serious help there.
604 Blog Post Ideas for When You are Stuck...like right now! And also if you need to see an adorable picture of a little boy and his pet dog!
13 Types of Posts That Always Gets Lots of Comments. Geez, I could use some of that!

Social Media - for the uninitiated (if they exist at all)
For Those Facebook Left Behind - if you are one of the million people who thought they are one of 4 people who knew nothing about social media.
Generator Blog - well, it generates everything except electricity. Go and experience hours of mind-bending and fruitless yet strangely addictive Internet activity that this blog has to offer!

Good Advice - because I know you won't listen!
Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young - Yeah! Way to go! Tell it like it is!
42 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself - I've already done one of them. Guess which one! If you know me, you know this is really lame...

Making a Difference - some people really do have better things to do.
The Ugly Indian - when will we learn to clean up our own mess...literally?
My good friend's blogpost on Contemplations and Ruminations - it's a post on Sherlock Holmes (she's crazy about books!), but at the end she talks about something good that the Kanyakumari district has been doing for a while...Find out!

Creative People - bringing the Wow! because they can.
3D Projections on Buildings - this is awesome!
Flash Mob at the Ohio Union 5/3/2010 - because I love to see people suddenly break out in dance and song!!

Food - because, with me, it all comes down to food!

14 Useful Tools for Your Kitchen - you know, when you can't use the pan for frying bacon, like normal people, and you need to use the microwave...or something like that!
Carl Kleiner - or when you're so NOT like me, and can resist yummy food long enough to go photographing them and making lovely ethereal pictures!
KFC Double Down Sandwich: Why Use a Bun When You Have Fried Chicken? - for when you really want a massive heart attack! No, really. This is atrocious...why don't you just pile it on, one day at a time, with chocolate? At least, it's more fun! But then, that's just me...

Ode to Rain - A Series of Haikus

2010-11-16T20:00:00.000+05:30

November rains beat down
On dusty roads.
Gardener and Artist in one.

Sitting here watching raindrops
Race down to the pane.
Win or lose, they all become rain.

Rain showers always form
Yearnings for warm food
And mothering.

After the rain,
Comes cleansing clarity
And the desire for new beginnings.

Ode to rain... ceased due to Monotony.
I wonder
What rain feels like?

South Indian Fish Curry - My Mom's Recipe

2010-11-12T20:00:00.000+05:30

South Indian Fish Curry...Mmm!

You might remember, a while ago, I declared shamelessly that I cannot cook Indian food. This post is not where I tell you that I can finally cook! Nope. I just want to reiterate the fact that Indian food, with all its coconut and weird garnishing and all those powders in varying shades of brown and yellow, with all those herbs....IT'S JUST DRIVING ME CRAAAAAAAZZZZYYYYY! Sorry, that rant might have erupted from the fact that I burnt perfectly good carrot-beans poriyal today morning... sigh.

Anyway, as a responsible South Indian wife, living in Kanyakumari district, it is my bounden duty to learn to make fish curry...yes, we live in the 18th century here. Why do you ask?! So, I learnt it, by god, I learnt it. I decided I was going to learn to make it, if it killed me...(sometimes, it very nearly did!) My 'women's lib' flag holder friends are going to hate me for this. But the fact is, that everyone here makes wonderful fish curry, and I hated the fact that I couldn't make any to satisfy my fish cravings! I already tried one recipe, but then it was like a tornado - never know when it takes off, and where it will hit, but damage always ensues! Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the recipe, it's the way I make it that is so off the point! So, if you want to make that fish curry, go right ahead. As for me, this recipe which my mom shared with me, is what has finally satisfied that fish curry craving I have been carrying around for centuries!

My Mom's Spicy Fish Curry

Things you need:

- 1/2 kg fish (you can use any kind, but the fun kind of fish is one that doesn't have too many bones to pick! Go ahead and use your favorite)

- 1 cup fresh coconut scraped (or whatever they call it, when you use that thing to get this - now that's amazing technology, and the main reason for the ultra-small hip sizes our mothers used to have!)

- 1/2 onion - 1 half of the half (stay with me) should be chopped, and the other half should be used whole.

- 3 cloves of garlic (or 4 if they are small in size)

- 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

- 2-3 whole black pepper seeds

- half of a medium-sized tomato (make sure it's ripe and red)

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tbsp fine red-chilli powder

- 1-2 tbsp pure coconut oil

- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil (sunflower oil, or something which does not have a strong flavor)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds (just tiny black things that pop like crazy!)
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. They are tiny, but they pack a flavor-punch!

- 1 inch of very dark tamarind dissolved in 100ml of water. Remember, the darker the tamarind, the more sour it is. If what you have is a lighter shade, go ahead and use more than 1 inch of it.

- 1 inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped

- 1-2 green chillies (optional- hold on, I'll tell you why)

- 1 sprig of curry leaves

- 1 sprig of fresh cumin leaves (I think some people call it 'parsley')

- salt to taste

Here's what you do:

1. First take all ingredients, beginning from the scraped coconut till the red-chilli powder on the list above. Drop everything except the onion, into your grinder/mixer/blender.

2. Cut the onion in half. You need only the quarter of an onion for the paste. Drop this into the mixer, along with everything else.

3. Grind the ingredients to a fine paste in a blender/mixer, adding a small quantity of water to enable smooth grinding. Keep the paste aside.

2. In a wok, or a clay pot (the mud pot is best), heat the cooking oil. Note: You can use coconut oil here, but I am terribly turned off by the smell of heating coconut oil! It fills the house, and the smell is overpowering. So, I just go with some harmless vegetable oil.

3. When the oil has heated, drop in the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Wait till the mustard pops.

4. Immediately, drop in the chopped quarter of an onion, and saute.

5. When the onion changes color, or becomes whiter, drop in the paste that you made earlier. Please do not let the onion saute to a brown color. The flavor of well-sauteed onion will only go well with other meat preparations (like chicken curry). We need everyone in this recipe to stay fresh and dainty!

6. Now, give the paste a good stir in the pot. Add a couple of teaspoons of water and cover the pot. Keep the flame in simmer, and let the whole mixture come to a slow boil. This could take you anything from 3 to 5 minutes. DO NOT let the mixture boil away to glory! You will be disappointed...Remember, it's all about keeping things fresh and lively

7. When the mixture has boiled once, add the fish and salt to taste (I would suggest that you add a tiny bit more than you usually do, since it will complement the spice and sourness well).

8. Cover the pot again, and let it cook on high flame. After 8 to 10 minutes, carefully lift the lid and take a peek. I say 'carefully', because for some strange reason this curry tends to sputter like a volcano! Why? Beats me! So, unless you want to walk around smelling like fish curry, and making everyone salivate, including the neighbor's cat, be careful when you lift the lid!)

9. Lift a piece of fish out of the curry, and see if it has taken on the color of the gravy. If it is still whitish or pale, cover the gravy and let it boil some more. If the fish has turned yellow, and looks cooked, go ahead to the next step.

10. Next step - Strain the tamarind paste, removing all the seeds and the other stuff that doesn't dissolve. Pour this into the curry and give it a slow stir.

11. You can also add the chopped ginger at this point. No sauteing needed. Don't worry, the fresh ginger taste does something awesome for this recipe! Now let the curry boil for a minute, with the pot uncovered.

12. If the gravy is too thick, you can add a little water to ease things up a bit. If you want a thick gravy, it's fine. Just make sure it doesn't burn.

13. Taste the curry (very important step! Really!) to see if the balance of the salt, sourness, and the spice is right. You can add the sliced green chillies that you put on hold, if you feel that the heat is not enough. The spice, salt, and sourness should not overpower each other. When you taste it, it should feel delicious! If it does, you've hit the spot! When it comes to fish curry, it's all about the balance.

13. Now, pour in the coconut oil, as the curry is boiling.

14. Finally, chop up the curry leaves and the cumin leaves and drop them right on top of the oil on the curry.

15. Cover the pot and turn off the stove. You're Done!

16. After a couple of minutes, when all the boiling is done (yes it will continue to boil for a while, even after the stove is switched off) you can taste and enjoy!

This recipe received great reviews from everyone who had this. It's a little bit of hard work but the effort is totally worth it.

That's the story of how I finally learnt Lesson 1 of 'Being a Good South Indian Wife'.

I discontinued the course, so that's all the subject knowledge I have, and I'm fine with that!! :P

How Do You Cure Boredom?

2010-11-11T19:13:00.000+05:30

Found this prompt on Plinky.com and decided to go for it. Sometimes I get stuck on thinking of something clever to say. And, well, a blog is all about thinking of something clever to say, isn't it?! Anyway, I thought I'd look to Plinky for help, and I found this as one of the prompts for November 9: "How Do you Cure Boredom?"

Even boredom is adorable on a baby!!

Hmmm....Interesting question...

Have I ever been bored? Heck, yeah! Like a lot! How 'bout all the way from 4th grade to college final year?! Yeah, I cannot count the number of classes where I have happily dozed off (while simultaneously writing notes! yeah, I wish there was a Guinness Record for that. I'd totally win!) and woke up to the entire class staring at me, wondering when my precariously perched head is going to fall off my shoulders!!

So, boredom is nothing new to me...

But, how to cure boredom? Now that is something new. So, let's see... what are the things I've been doing to cure my boredom?

1. Reading - Yep. This pretty much takes the cake! I read a lot. If I don't get anything, I have taken to reading eons old news on the newspapers that I line the cupboards with! And I don't just read if I'm bored! I am bored when I have nothing to read! Reading is definitely a cure for boredom. I wish that more people would pick up a good book which they have to turn the pages rather than scroll through or download, sit down with a hot cup of coffee (or not), curl up in a comfortable position, and just....read. It's one of the best feelings in the world, apart from smelling the head of a new born... ever tried that?

2. Blogging - start a blog. And then just write! Do not care about the following: a) how many readers you have; b) how often you write; c) how many people know you have a blog; d) how many people care that you have a blog; e) are you funny, charming, interesting, controversial, or even consistently any one of those! My friend, all those concerns are totally secondary to the fact that you just get to vent online and no one can stop you.... :) Got a better reason?

3.Reading Food Blogs - I tell you, once you've gone into a routine of blogging inconsistently, you will bored...again. So, what better to do than go read other people's blogs?! Some people like to read their colleagues' blogs, some like to read boring corporate blogs, I like to read FOOD BLOGS!!!! yaaay! So, if you're a food lover and just like to oggle at good food, go and subscribe to really good food blogs! Too many double-'Os' in that sentence! I like to read The Pioneer Woman (duh! of course!), EpiCute, Joy the Baker, Bakerella, Smitten Kitchen, and Two Boos Who Eat. Each one carries different recipes and it gives me something like a goal or dream to reach out for...because I like cooking comfort food! Which leads me to...

4. Cooking - Feel bored? Learn how to make a brownie, or really good fried chicken, or French fries, or a cake, or pizza! Go look up the recipes, list out the ingredients, go grocery-hunting (trust me, I do that a lot and it's fun!), plan ahead to make your yummy comfort food, let the anticipation build up, dream about it every night till D-Day, get excited, and then make the recipe, then eat to your hearts' content, and then blog about it!! Tell me, I challenge you, tell me, what's not to love about that process?!

5. Find a cure for boredom! That should keep me occupied for the rest of my life, I think!! :)) heheh!

Anyway, that's my list, you guys. What about you? What is your cure for boredom? Have something exciting to fill the hours? Tell me in the comments, okay?

Savoury Pancake Made with Potatoes + Sides of Sauted Veggies and Tuna Masala

2010-11-08T15:47:00.000+05:30

Pancakes have become a mainstay at our household lately. After I made pancakes the first time, the main consumers of my cooking have decided that they will allow me to continue this trend. Now the problem is that I can try out different recipes only at dinner time, because that is the only time of day when I can take time to be creative/daring/foolish (or even manage to get all the grocery I need for a particular recipe!). So, I end up wanting to make pancakes for dinner a lot. This went down well with the husband and child the first time. Second time around, they had a doubtful look on their face, and then smiled their way through their pancakes anyway. Third time came by, and when we had pancakes for dinner again, my husband might have tried to run out the door! Humph!

Anyway, I decided we can't have that going on any longer, and ventured into (notice how I make it sound like a great journey or business undertaking...) savoury pancakes. And I am really glad I did. Since we can't just have a savoury pancake without something to complement it, I also made two side dishes to go with it.

Whoa! Wait...What?!?!? Did you just say, "TWO side dishes" lazy procrastinating Jane?!?! Yes, I did. Because, I started out with one plan, and then I ended up making something else. Happens to me frequently. So, I had cut up veggies for one dish, and opened a can of tuna for topping the pancake or something like that. Finally I ended up making two separate sides to go with the pancakes, all because I forgot my original plan!! Anyway, no complains from anyone. Debbie ate up the whole thing, and told me she loves me! So, I think we have a winner. Recipe? Here you go...

Savoury pancakes with Tuna Masala and Veggies Stir-fry

Savoury Pancakes with Potatoes

Things you need: (this is the basic pancake mix, minus the stuff that makes it sweet, like vanilla essence and sugar. Instead we use other yummy savoury stuff. Simple!)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup maida (flour)
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2-3 medium-sized potatoes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- some cumin leaves (a.k.a parsley)
- some diced bacon or chicken frankfurters (optional)
- 1 tbsp oil

Here's what you do:
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them with a pinch of salt, until they are very soft.
2. When they are well boiled, mash them and set aside to cool.
3. Next, start on the pancake batter.
4. Beat the egg well, in a deep bowl.
5. Now add the maida, baking powder, salt and pepper into this and mix well.
6. Gradually add all the milk and mix well.
7. Now, slowly incorporate the mashed potatoes into the mix.Mix it well and try to dissolve as much of the lumpiness as possible. If there are stray bits of potatoes that just refuse to dissolve, let them be. They'll only add to your happiness!
8. If you feel that the batter does not have a pourable consistency, add some more milk.

9. Finally add the diced meat. I did not add meat, because for some strange reason I bought a can of tuna! Don't look at me like that...I think I zoned out for a moment at the grocery store. Also, I think they didn't have any other type of processed meat. But if you want to, adding some meat in this pancake batter is just the thing you need to do to make this world a better place! :)

10.Finally, add in the finely chopped cumin leaves for that 'Howzat!' effect.
11. In a flat pan, heat some oil, preferably something that does not have a strong flavor. Oh, you can also use butter.
12. Now, pour a large ladle-full of batter on the pan, and let it cook on one side. DO NOT try to spread the batter! When you see the bubbles burst, turn it over ever so lovingly.
Now, savoury pancake is ready to go. This is great all by itself, but if you have an unused can of tuna, and some coarsely chopped veggies which you forgot why you chopped, then go ahead and make these:

Tuna Masala
What you need:
- 1 small can of tuna
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 2 large green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp mustard seeds (optional. Go ahead if your method of cooking is deeply Indian, and you just need to see those little guys in every dish you make. Or if you need the time to chop the onions!)
- curry leaves (again, optional. Only to be used, if you are using mustard seeds. Otherwise, why bother? I don't think this influences the taste of the dish. Only maybe if you like the gourmet look of green leaves sticking out of your food!)
- salt to taste

Here's what you do:
1. First, heat some cooking oil in a pan.
2. To this, add the mustard seeds and wait till it pops.
3. Now add some curry leaves, and then the onions.
4. Saute the onions well, until they turn slightly brown.
5. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute well. Let it mix well together until the onions and tomatoes merge together.
6. Add the green chillies and the ginger-garlic paste. Let the whole thing simmer for a while.
7. You can add a little bit of water, if you find the entire thing too thick.
8. Drain any preservative oil or liquid in the tuna can, and add only the tuna meat into the pan.
9. Quickly add the salt and give it a good stir.
10. Let the mixture simmer for a while. Make sure that the dish is not too watery. It should be a thick paste-like consistency. Now, take it off the stove.
11. Garnish with some cumin leaves.

Stir-fry Veggies

I wanted some color, crunchiness, and healthy food in my dinner that day, so I also stir-fried some vegetables. The secret behind a good stir-fry is to make sure that the vegetables retain some of their fresh crunchiness and their original flavor. So, hold back on those wide range of spices and sauces, except for the bare essentials, and let the veggies do the talking!

Things you need:
- 1/2 cup carrots coarsely cut into 1cm long pieces (I don't know the technical term for this. Just don't go and finely chop them, okay?)
- 1/2 cop onions coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup green peppers (capsicum) coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup beans cut into 2cm pieces. You know...they should all be the same size...figure it out yourself!
- 1/4 cup green peas (I didn't have any, so none in the picture)
- 1 tsp of soy sauce
- a sprinkling of oregano
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste

What you do:
1. First know that vegetable stir-fry is really really simple!Okay, now that we've established that, let's move on.
2. Heat some cooking oil in a pan. You can use olive oil if you are going the healthy way.
3. Now, drop in the onions and green peppers together. They both require about the same cooking time, and also give out some water, so let them meet first!
4. Now drop in the carrots, beans and peas. Sprinkle salt and stir very quickly on a high flame. Make sure they are partially cooked.
5. Add some oil every time you feel that the veggies are about to stick to the pan. You just want the vegetables to be a little on the fried side of things :) I like the sound of that - 'fried side'. "I'll meet you on the fried side!" hehe!
6. Now, pour in the soy sauce, sprinkle some oregano, and give it another stir.
7. Finally, add the pepper and give it a stir. Okay, if you see the word 'stir' a lot here, that's because it's the basic concept of a stir-fry....That's all there is to it! You just heat some oil, and just dump in veggies you like, and stir. Simple!
8. There is no 8th step. Just serve and eat. Or don't serve. Just eat! Heheh!

I arranged both the stir-fry and the tune on top of a pancake to make it look all 5-star-restaurant-ish, but I doubt if it looks like that at all! Anyway, it certainly tasted like a 5-star! Who cares about the way the food looks, as long as the picture is your's right? Yep, I took the picture this time. So...

This was truly delicious. Of course, you shouldn't just stop with one pancake...

How to Deal with Childish Adults at Work

2010-10-29T12:18:00.000+05:30

(This article appeared in YourOfficeCoach.com, and is written by Marie G. McIntyre.)

Ideally, everyone would behave in a calm, rational, adult manner at work. Unfortunately, some people just never grow up completely. If you have to deal with immature bosses, coworkers, or employees, perhaps the suggestions below will help you keep your sanity. Here are some signs that you are dealing with childish adults.

1. Throwing Temper tantrums: Like 2-year-olds, people who throw temper tantrums believe they are entitled to get their own way. They therefore feel free to abuse anyone who thwarts their desires. Unfortunately, this group often includes immature high-level executives who believe that having power gives them the right to treat others any way they like.

The Proper Response: The best response to a tantrum is no response at all. Stay quiet and calm until the tantrum calms down enough to have a civilized conversation. If it goes on too long, politely excuse yourself and leave. Never show fear, anger, or any other emotional response, since that will be very rewarding to the tantrum thrower. When someone acts this childish, you must be the adult.

2. Tattletales: Some people enjoy telling tales and rattling out their colleagues. (My note: ‘tattling’ means complaining about one person to a higher authority – much like children go to their parents and complain about a sibling or friend for silly reasons!) This can be blatantly childlike: “Mary came back late from lunch two times last week.” Or it may be disguised in more professional language: “Although Bob’s group made a good effort, we were never able to get their documents on schedule, so the whole project is late.”

The Proper Response: Tattling needs to be directly confronted. If the information is inaccurate, let the tattler know this and be sure to correct any erroneous impressions that others may have. If the information is accurate, but detrimental to you, ask the tattler to please share concerns with you before taking them to others. Sometimes one member of a work group tattles on everyone else, in which case, the whole group may need to confront the issue.

3. Not Sharing Their Toys: Collaborative colleagues are willing to share plans, goals, resources, ideas, and information. But some people are hoarders who obviously never learned to play well with others. They hog the equipment or fail to let others know about important developments. This may or may not be intentional, but either way it can create problems.

The Proper Response: Hoarding can be dealt with directly or indirectly. You might be able to ask for an agreement about how equipment will be used or when information will be shared. Buit since some people never change, there are times when the best approach is to keep reminding, requesting, and following up. Angrily confronting hoarders is almost always a mistake, since they may retaliate by becoming even less cooperative.

4. Craving Attention: Some people are attention junkies who want all eyes and ears focused on them. This behavior is actually rather pathetic, since it usually reflects a deep-seated lack of self-worth and self-confidence. But although it may be pathetic, it can be very annoying.

The Proper Response: The worst thing you can do is give an attention junkie more attention, since that just rewards their self-centered behavior. When they begin to go on and on about their problems and accomplishments, you need to change the subject or politely excuse yourself. If you get hooked into these conversations, you may never escape. But don’t except the person to become less self-absorbed. Attention junkies seldom change.

5. Sibling Rivalries: When unhealthy competition develops between coworkers, everybody suffers. Some people always have to prove that they are better, smarter, or more successful than others. Of course, anyone with minimum of psychological insight will immediately conclude that these braggarts actually feel very inadequate.

The Proper Response: Never get trapped in a “my dog is bigger than your dog” conversation with a braggart. They will always find a way to top your best story, even if they have to stretch the truth. If it’s just harmless bragging, say “that’s nice” in a sincere manner and change the subject. But if you believe that the rival might actually take devious actions to get ahead of you, then watch your back.

6. Crybabies: Crybaby colleagues may not actually cry. But they are always whining or complaining about something. Nothing is ever quite right and they are never completely happy about anything. If you say that it’s a nice day, they’ll reply that it’s probably going to rain tomorrow. Crybabies invented the half-empty glass.

The Proper Response: You don’t want to reward crybaby behavior. So don’t join in with the complaining or start whining yourself. If you do, you’ll soon become the crybaby’s complaint buddy. Just change the subject and try to shift the focus from past problems to future goals. If the behavior persists, you may simply want to avoid these people.

7. Forming Cliques: In some work groups, a little group will decide that they are the ‘insiders’ and refuse to admit anyone else to their exalted circle. They may eat lunch together or play golf together or talk exclusively to one another. But the point is that they’re special. They probably did the same thing then they were in middle school.

The Proper Response: These people are silly and childish, so find a more mature and rewarding group to interact with. Be friendly to clique members when you have to work with them and just ignore them the rest of the time.

Childish adults are annoying, but don’t get upset about them. Just be glad that you are a mature person yourself.

Discovering the Elementary, my dear Watson! - Bread Pizza!

2010-10-26T08:09:00.000+05:30

Mind you, I said, 'Bread Pizza' and not 'Pizza Bread'. If I had said the latter, that would mean that I have the superior skill-set it takes to make pizza dough from scratch, that I would know what is yeast (including its properties, and why the heck exactly we need it in this recipe - I have no idea why), and that I have the upper arm strength to actually make pizza dough!

You know me too well, so I won't elaborate on that!

Instead, what I did was, used my normal bread slices that I always have lying around at home, and turned it into something that would satisfy my perennial pizza craving. Yes, I do have a perennial craving for pizza. I think I was born with that technical fault! Something about the cheese and the sauce and all those carbs...

Anyway, if you suddenly have a craving for pizza, and want to fix a quick and painless dinner, make Bread Pizza.

Bread Pizza

Things you need:

- 1 tbsp oil - either olive oil or normal sunflower oil.

Psst, you could also use butter...or pretend I said nothing...

- bread slices (obvsly!)

- onions diced into not-so-large pieces

- green peppers (capsicum) diced

- red peppers (capsicum that's red)diced

- yellow peppers (capsicum that's ... you get the idea.)

(you don't need all of them, just one kind will also do just fine)

- 1 tsp black pepper (ha! No. This time it's the black powder!)

- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

- Pizza Sauce 1 tbsp per slice (I think FunFoods has a product that some Ngl grocery stores carry - Lynns to the rescue!)

- Mozarella cheese grated

- chopped canned-meat of your choice - chicken frankfurters, luncheon meat, or even cooked and shredded chicken - whatever you want your topping to be. As long as it's not sweet - I don't dig sweet pizza! Sorry, there are some things my palate won't accept...

- oregano flakes

- soy sauce

- 1 tsp red-chilli powder, or 2-3 finely chopped green chillies

Here's what you do:

Just make the topping and arrange on the bread, then microwave! Ba-ding! You're done!

Okay. So making the topping takes a little longer...:P Sorry!

I just threw stuff together on the pan, and improvised as I went along. So, anything that caters to your taste/craving should do.

1. In a pan, pour in a tbsp of oil or melt some butter. When the oil heats up, drop in the diced peppers.

2. When the peppers are well sauteed, add the onion and a tbsp of ginger-garlic paste.

3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on this, and saute well.

4. Now pour in the soy sauce. Then add the green chillies or red chilli powder if you need more heat. Note: if you have a palate that doesn't take much heat, STOP with just adding black pepper powder.

5. Throw in the meat, and let it cook with all the veggies for a while. If you want to go vegetarian on this one, or if you didn't have any meat on hand when your craving struck (you know who), skip this step.

6. Let the whole mixture simmer for a while, till all the water content in the veggies have released and reduced. Now you have yummy pizza-topping! Yaay!!

Note: You know, you could also arrange all the toppings raw on the slice, but what's the fun in that?

7. Next, grease a baking pan or microwave dish that's flat and arrange bread slices on it.

8. Spread some pizza sauce on the bread slice. Go easy on the sauce, because it has a distinct tangy flavor that you might not like too much of. I got so excited that I slathered on the sauce for a couple of slices, and regretted it with every bite. One spoon sauce per slice will do.

9. Place some of the pizza-topping on the bread. Arrange greens olives or just leave it like it is.

10. Finally, for the glorious part of the entire thing - grate some Mozarella cheese onto each slice. You can over-do it or under-do it, but I'd think you were weird, if you didn't want too much cheese on your pizza! Hence, my culinary contempt for a certain cheese-hater's preferences...

11. Now, just stick it into the oven or the microwave for 3 minutes or till the cheese melts. Let it sit for a while after you remove it from the oven.

12. Eat. And thank me for this pizza short-cut. Or not. Don't have to thank me if your mouth is too full with wonderful pizza! I'll understand :)

Just want you to know that I failed, AGAIN, to take a picture of something I made! So, your pizza could look like this...

Or this...

...based on how colorful your pizza-topping is. Mine was pretty amazing - emphasis on 'pretty'. Unfortunately, you know what transpired. I ate, and forgot everything else...sigh. This is getting to be a problem.

Note: These pictures are not mine.

Anyway, enjoy, until I come bug you with another recipe, complete with MY OWN pictures of the food! :D

Discovering the Elementary, my dear Watson! - Pancakes!

2010-10-25T18:16:00.000+05:30

I have had many 'Duh' moments! In fact, 80% of my life is all about the 'duh' moments. You know, like stuff that everybody just KNOWS when they are put into a certain situation, but for which, I need a user's manual, complete with detailed, labeled diagrams! Yeah, sometimes I make myself tired...

Anyway, cooking, by and large, has been that way for me, which you already know if you have closely followed this blog. I can't cook. That should probably be my epitaph, or something. So, I used to think that making pizza, pancake, and brownies were like high-end magic, or at least stuff that I would never be able to do, without changing life as it was for myself!! HAHA! I have no idea what I just said! Oh yeah, what I said was that I thought pancakes and brownies were hard to make.

But then, (I love how you can break all rules of grammar on your personal blog!) I decided last week, that I am going to figure out the pancake and the pizza. One was, and the other wasn't really...

So, here's how I made pancake - those who make scrumptious pancakes on a daily basis and WOW your family every day, and are adventurous with their pancakes to turn them into 5-star restaurant cuisines, please...PLEASE ignore this post. Others, like me, who have no idea how a pancake is made, have never eaten one, or think that it is 'Un-do-able' follow me. It's really elementary, my dear Watson!

Basic Pancake Recipe

This is what you need:

- 1 egg

1 & 1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour (maida)

3 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp baking powder

Here's what you do:

1. Whisk together the egg, vanilla essence, sugar and salt. Whisk till the sugar is, at least partially, dissolved.

2. Now, add the flour and the baking powder, and combine well.

3. Pour in the milk and stir well, so that no lumps are formed. Remember, lumps are no good for any one, anywhere.

At this point, let me just say, that if you have ever made wheat dhosas for dinner on those totally uninspired evenings, you know that making a pancake is not very different. It's the ingredients that are the fun part!

4. Anyway, make sure that your batter is not too watery (or milky!), and not too thick either. You know... your 1&1/2 cup of milk should be enough to make an easy-to-pour batter.

5. Heat up a flat pan (non-stick pan or your dhosa pan should do), and, if you don't care about your diet, go ahead and dab some butter on the heated pan. If you do care about your diet, skip the butter. Nothing inedible will happen!

6. Take a large ladle-full of batter, and simply pour in the center of the pan. NOTE: Please, please DO NOT spread it around with your ladle!! If you, like me, have made one too many godhumai dhosas (wheat dhosas) and rice dhosas in your life, you will have the tendency to spread batter around on the pan. DON'T DO IT! Hold your hand back, and grit your teeth if necessary.

You see, pancake is wonderful like that. No effort at all, no stress to make perfect round-shaped things. Just pour and let it be.

7. You will see that the batter itself has the tendency to spread a wee-bit. After that it will stop spreading and start to fluff up nicely. YUM!

8. Wait till all the bubbles on the batter burst (now it's back to the dhosa process again!). Flip it over on the pan, if you have crazy Julia-Child-skills! If not, just take a flat ladle and turn it over.

9. Let it brown up a bit on the other side too. You shouldn't let any dark-spot, burn-marks, or scars form on the pancake. Treat it like a gentle flower...

10. Flip it back up onto a plate...and go make some more. Or...leave some one else to make their own breakfast (I only wish...) and pour some honey over your pancakes and stuff your pretty/handsome face with them!!! Usually, people use maple syrup. I have no idea what it is. So, I used honey, and I was anything but regretful...meaning, that I could not wipe the smile off my face...

Pancake, where were you all my life? Sigh!

PS: If you are wondering what's all this 'pancake & image not mine!' about, I just wanted to let you now, that I did NOT photograph even one part of the pancake-making process. Even though I seriously considered it for all of 2 seconds, I did not even stop to photograph the finished product. It was all already in my mouth! I made it twice last week, and still failed to get a picture. So, I used an image I found on the web. Just googled 'basic pancake' and got these images. These images are not mine. But, for the record, I would like to sincerely state that I did make pancakes and they did taste heavenly. And mine looked exactly like those in the pictures. So, There!

P.S. I Love You - What? No, It's the Song....

2010-10-21T19:05:00.003+05:30

All that talk about 'P.S I Love You, in the previous post totally put this song in my head...Enjoy!

P.S. I Love You - From Book to Movie, The Lost Laughs

2010-10-21T19:00:00.002+05:30

Let me just place on record the fact that I am yet to find a movie that is as good as, let alone better than, its book. Please re-read that sentence, and etch it into your sub-conscious image of myself. There. Now you can refer to me as that woman who doesn't like movie versions of books.

That said, I think I do not hate the guy who turned the book P.S. I Love You into a movie.Why? Because he did not totally ruin the story. The nucleus of the story is Holly's grief. The grief really comes across in the movie - I found myself crying several times, in the oddest places. Okay, before I get ahead of myself, here's the plot of the story:

Holly Kennedy is a bouncy happy young lady, married to the dashing, girl-heart-breakingly handsome, irresistible Gerry. The couple are surrounded by good friends, complete with quirkiness and adorable relationship updates. They frequently hit the pubs, go wild on the town, attend Christmas balls dressed like royalty and sing a mean karaoke! Everything is fine, flitting along in a dizzyingly happy-go-lucky pace, until....

... Gerry dies.

If you thought that was the end of the book, you have another thought coming! Actually, THIS is where the book begins - with Holly's grief, her friends rallying around on her birthday (the saddest day for the poor girl), and a mystery gift from Gerry (who, at this point is very dead!) Got you hooked now, huh?!

So, basically, Gerry knew that he was going to die, and made elaborate plans for his wife, writing letters full of instructions on how she should move on, after he is no more. Everything from buying herself a new dress for her birthday, to finding a job, and eventually, to trying to find love again.

The interest of the story lies in how Holly deals with her grief, and how Gerry helps her to move one with her life, from beyond. You should be crying now....or at least, please look at this solitary tear rolling down my cheek...

I read the book, and it's humor shocked me - no, it was not humor that needs to be rated, but the fact that there was humor! How could Cecilia Ahern bring humor into a novel about the death of a spouse?! But bring the humor, she did! I found myself chuckling unexpectedly at the slightly slapstick comedy that she sprung on me, now and then! Sometimes we feel respect for Holly at the way she is dealing with such a profound loss. At other times, we feel, "How profoundly stupid can one woman be?!" Come on.... Again, sometimes, we end up feeling that Holly is just such a clown! An adorable clown that we can all relate to.

All the characters in the story are well-defined, and extremely lovable, because they are people just like us. People who have the alarming capacity to say the most unfeeling, cringe-worthy thing in the world to a friend or sibling, but who will also go to great lengths to make that person happy.

Read the book - it will bring your heart a nice cinnamon warmth with pink sprinkles...don't know why, but that is the image that comes to mind, when I think of this book. Probably something to do with the cover of the book:

...at least the 'pink sprinkles' part!

P.S. I Love You, the movie, is a very condensed form of the book. To probably emphasize the grief factor and really make us cry, they have made a few changes to the plot. For instance, in the book, Holly has a mom and a dad, but in the movie, her dad left her mom when they were little children. This situation gives way to a heart-rending scene between mother and daughter, where they cry about how their men leave them. I bawled at this point of the movie...*sob sob*. Of course, like everything with Holly, this heart-to-heart ends abruptly, and humorously, with her biting remark to her mother that while her mother's husband just up and left irresponsibly, her husband actually died! Oh, well...

One thing I did not like about the movie, was that the 'sibling' angle was totally ignored. Holly has a beautiful but complicated relationship with each of her siblings, which is totally missing in the movie. The place is prominently taken by the two friends. It's good, but you're missing a terribly funny story about Holly's brother, if you don't' read the book! That's all I'm saying. The other thing I dislike is Hillary Swank...I think she had better stick to women's-liberation- macho-women roles...something about the jaw bones is off-putting. Raise your hand if you agree.

Watch the movie...but seriously, read the book too, ok? Maybe you should watch the movie first (you might have already seen it, if StarMovies is the only thing you watch!), and then read the book, so that you can enjoy the beautiful movie, and then cry and laugh some more at the even better book. Ladies, you need a box of tissues. Just a warning. Men, learn from Gerry - that is all I have to say about this.

And ladies, you have been warned. There is some serious eye-candy onslaught in this movie. Just saying...

Sighing...

more sighing...

sigh...

Top 10 Things I'd Love to Do, but probably won't!

2010-09-23T13:03:00.000+05:30

So, I came across this post by Shoni (entered in OhAmanda's Top10Tuesday linky party), which was inspired by this post by Stephanie....and I decided to tell you what is lurking in the darkest recesses of my mind! My dreams, desires that I will never quite be able to carry out... Top 10 Things that I so want to do, but somehow never did...sigh! This is maudlin...*sniff*

1. Cut my hair short - I've seen many people take the plunge and be happy about the results! Whenever I look at my straggly, split-ended hair that is so neanderthal, I just want to lop it all off. When summer comes, I just want to go bald, and sport a jug of ice cold water as a hat!! Don't laugh! You would too, if you have really experienced south Indian summers! So, I dream about the day I cut my hair, style it, and look uber cool...so not happening right now. :(

2. Write a Book - Am I totally out of my mind???!!! Who in the world has the time?? I have ideas, but no time. My sorry tale of entering the NANAWRIMO is testimony to this...

3. Traveling the World - Or at least, The Americas and Europe...Or France and USA? No? Okay, how about just USA? ... Okay, just India...you know? All India Tour! No? Okay, what about if we just visited Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata? They're interesting! No? Okay, can I just visit my friends in Chennai, please? No? Okay. Sorry, I forgot...I'm married to a very grounded and level-headed man with his "feet firmly planted on the ground". Had no idea that he meant he hated traveling!! And, anyway, who in the world's got the time?!?!?

4. Make Chocolate Ganache - It looks yummy, it looks easy, but I'm not getting it done in this century, because 1. I will never find the ingredients. 2. I don't think I will ever buy any more cooking equipment. Not after what happened yesterday (What? Oh, you didn't know? Yeah, I almost blew up the microwave, when I reheated bread pudding on a plate that had a little gold design on the sides!! Sparks flew...and I blew a fuse... Also, the electricity bill is the highest we have ever had. My baking is taking a year-long hiatus!!)

5. Make a Living as a Real Writer - you know, the sort that writes a best seller, and then makes book tours all year long, but somehow finds the time to write the next best seller, so that he or she can fill the next year with book tours! And autographed copies of the book sell for thousands of dollars...or rupees! Yeah, that dream...meh!

6. Live in France - WhyFrance? I don't know...maybe because I can eat macaroons and croissants all day long? Could it be that? Or is it because I just want to look at the Eiffel Tower at night, whenever I feel like it...I'm sure it's one of those reasons...Also, let's face it...We ALL, at some point, envy the French for their 'laid-back-ness'!

7. Sip a Cool Glass of Clear Water! - not happening. Bad teeth, one of them missing a nerve because...well... it just right out decayed! (Sorry, TMI, I know), and the others are all wailing at me every night to go make that damn dentist's appointment... So, No. No sipping ice cold water, ice tea, or iced anything for me...

8. Take Debbie to DisneyLand - She loves Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and is currraaaaizzzy about Donald Duck! Taking her to DisneyLand, and watching her squeal in delight is what my best dreams are made of...Anyone has extra tickets, you know where to send them...Plane tickets, I mean...

9. Master Indian Cooking - Sometime around last week I realized, to the chagrin and dismay and ____ (fill the most disappointing/negative words here!) of my husband, that I cannot CANNOT really cook Indian cuisine well. Nope. Sambar, rasam, and fish curry that is digestible is the best I can do... :( Whereas, give me a microwave and the right ingredients, and I can make a good plate of mac&cheese, or really delicious pasta, make a whopper hamburger with the yummiest ingredients, some good dessert etc. I wish I could cook good Indian food, I really do... My husband looked crestfallen when I announced my discovery...Yes, 'Crestfallen' is the word to describe the cheese-hater...Ho Hum...

10. Meet The Pioneer Woman - You know, I have never wanted to meet anyone as badly as I want to meet Ree Drummond!! No really, it's like an obsession!! I remember, when I was in 9th grade, I wanted to meet Tom Cruise this bad!! And then, well, he went whacko, and I kinda lost interest. Now I am a bit repulsed by him!! But, Ree? Well, I want, WANT, to meet her. I want to see her in person, and I want to shake her hand, and be at the receiving end of that smile, I want to take a tour of her kitchen where all the magic happens, and I want to take one bite of her famous Cinnamon rolls, and I want to die in peace....SIGH!!! Sorry, did not mean to sound like a psycho fan, but really, I adore her that much...If you, by some sad twist of fate, do not know who Ree Drummond is, go and visit The Pioneer Woman! Your life will never be the same again!

"Tell me, who wouldn't want to be friends with her?! She is so sweet!"

------------------------------------------

I know it's Thursday, but I am entering this post in OhAmanda's Top10Tuesday posts anyway!

Learning from Karen: Apple Upside Down Cake

2010-09-19T18:00:00.000+05:30

I baked again! And this time, I adapted a recipe from Karen's Contemplations and Ruminations. I tried the Apple Upside Down Cake! And it was gooood! (Please say that like Bruce Almighty!)

I made it for my in-laws when we visited them this weekend, and I am glad to say they liked it! It was the kids and the husband who liked it the most, I think. My man is a lover of all baked stuff, so I couldn't go very wrong with this one! Also, Karen's instructions and pictures are really helpful, so it was a breeze! Here is Karen's recipe.

And now...

Ingredients:

2 - 3 medium apples (or 2 large ones)

1 & 1/2 cup maida (flour)

2 heaped tsps baking powder

1 & 1/4 cup sugar

about 80 grams butter

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

Equipment:

Baking dish

Baking oven (or microwave)

Method:

1. Peel the apples and slice them into wedges.

"I like this dish with its pretty African shapes and colors"

2. It will be very convenient if you have a helper to get rid of all the skins and seeds of the apples! My diligent helper did a pretty good job, I must say!

She emptied the skins onto the table and put them in the dish again to pose for this picture!!

Public announcement: At this point I felt like I will not be able to do any proper dinner-cooking, so I resorted to serving this and left over sambar from lunch, for dinner:

a South Indian favorite and the savior of all working women throughout the country!

3. Next, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, over a low flame, and add 1/2 cup of sugar to it. Stir constantly till the sugar melts.

I may have added a tad bit more butter than necessary...I'm not saying."

4. The sugar will melt to form a golden gooey liquid. This should probably be made into currency or something!! It's that golden and precious!

The good stuff

5. Please ignore the not-so-ideal-looking pan, and go to the next step before the sugar hardens into toffee. 'Coz harden it will! I let it harden a bit too, just like Karen did! But don't worry, you can totally dilute it again, but why bother if you can do it right the first time?

6. Now add the apples in and stir to coat them with the caramel syrup. Cook till the juice of the apples completely leaves them and mixes with the caramel and the entire thing becomes sticky, gooey, golden, sweet and brown, and you can't resist sneaking a spoonful into your mouth!

7. Butter a baking dish and spread some flour over it. Now spread the apple caramel mixture at the base of the dish, making sure that the entire bottom of the pan is covered.

8. Let's make the batter now. In a bowl, add all the remaining melted butter (I like the sound of that!), and the sugar and mix well.

I have no more pictures the next couple of steps. Seriously, do you think I was so skillful to photograph the ENTIRE process?!?! I'm glad I got this far without burning anything!!

9. To the mixture of sugar and butter, add the egg and beat well. You can also add the vanilla essence into the mixture.

10. Now add the flour and mix vigorously because you really want everything to blend together smoothly. You can add the milk gradually to loosen things up and form a smooth batter that is pourable. If you are greedy and disobedient like me, you can add some chopped nuts - I added cashews!

11. Pour the batter above the caramelized apple, and sit back and contemplate on how awesome this is going to turn out. Also, you can smell the divine perfume of vanilla and caramelized apples.

12. Stick it into the oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or you microwave it on high for 10 minutes. Open the oven and take a peek to make sure everything is going okay....if you are paranoid like me!

13. When it's done, it should be brown, and slightly cracked in the middle - if you used the baking oven....head to Karen's recipe to look at the picture. If you used the microwave, chances are you're not really getting the brown look, rather it will look like this:

This looks alarmingly like the dhosa! But I assure you, it is very yummy apple cake!

I have poked a hole into the cake to make sure it is baked. I don't have toothpicks at home (I have a 3-yr-old instead), so I used the end of my wooden spoon! You may now laugh your heart out at me...sigh.

Oh! Look at the pan from the side! It looks good enough to just scoop put and eat with some icecream!

14. Now comes the 'Upside Down part. Take a large cake dish, or a stainless steel plate, if you don't have those fancy things. I don't have one because, never in my life did I expect I would be baking...So...

15. Place the plate upside down on the plate, and then carefully turn the entire thing upside down again.

16. Let the cake loosen itself from the pan and settle on the plate. Now you have the lovely apple top-side, and all is well with the world!

Oops! Sorry. I did it again!

Now, you can cut a piece, all warm and lovely, and eat it with vanilla icecream!

Learning from Karen: Macaroni and Cheese

2010-09-19T16:47:00.000+05:30

Here's a shout out to an interesting blogger who hails from Nagercoil, and has one of the most interesting blogs I have come across. Karen from Contemplations and Ruminations , a very artistic person who loves to read, and frequently updates the best reviews. She also cooks, and is very nimble with arts and craft, volunteers at local charity organizations and does so much more cool stuff! Oh, and she also has a really cool haircut!! In fact, she is a lot like me, except way cooler than I can ever hope to be!!

So, lately, I have been quite adventurous, and have been taking pointers from Karen's food posts. I have tried out a couple of her recipes. The first that I tried iiiiis (drumroooolll) Macaroni and Cheese!

What? That is your idea of adventure?!?!? Believe me people, when you live in a place where cheddar cheese and unsalted butter is a rarity, simple and straight-forward Mac & Cheese is akin to jumping from the top of the Empire State Building - months of research, scouring the market for the right equipment, and then, taking the plunge! When it's done people appreciate you for the sheer awesomeness of the act, but they still can't believe that you were actually able to do that! Some others will ask, "Okay, but why do you need to do such things? What is the purpose?" To those people, I say, "I do it because I wanted to tell myself I can... HA!!"

So, here's what I used for Karen's Mac & Cheese, but I made a few changes for my convenience:

Ingredients

1 cup of elbow macaroni

2 - 3 tbsps butter

1 heaped tbsp flour (maida)

1 & 1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup ham or salami chopped. I had chicken frankfurters, so that's what I used.

salt, pepper and oregano to taste (this is the stuff that I mentioned scouring the market for - oregano. I found it in Lynns! So, Nagercoilans take heart!)

Equipment:

Baking oven (I only have my loyal microwave, so I just nuked it. Note: it does not give the best results. The baking oven is ideal)

Baking dish (or a glass or microwave friendly dish)

Method:

1. Cook the macaroni aldente (that is, it should be soft but half-done. Like it requires more cooking. Don't be like me and be oggling at the white sauce that you made and let the macaroni over cook!) Make sure you add some salt when you cook it. Drain the macaroni and set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a pan on a low flame, and add the heaped tablespoon of flour to it. Keep stirring so that the entire thing does not form one big lump! You don't want that. Lumps are bad, wherever they are...think about it!

3. While you're reflecting on the dangers of lumps, don't forget to add the milk! Add it slowly, constantly stirring the mixture to make sure that everything blends in smoothly. This along with salt and pepper, as Karen says, is the basic white sauce.

4. Remove the pan from the flame, and add 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese to the sauce. It will melt in the heat of the sauce, and you can give it a stir to make sure it makes friends with the sauce.

5. Now add the pepper, salt, and oregano to the sauce.

6. You can also add the meat - in my case, the frankfurters (about 1/2 cup) - and stir everything in well. Note: the meat part is optional. If you are on a diet (ha! what are you doing making mac & cheese?!?!!), or are resisting meat for a while (poor your!), or just do not want to add to the extra calories and guilt (join the club!) then you can leave out the meat... I know, I jabber a lot...

7. Anyway, now, pour the macaroni into your baking dish.

8. Now comes the good part. Pour the sauce onto the macaroni, and give it a light stir so that all the macaroni is completely coated with the sauce.

9. Spread grated cheddar cheese on the top of the macaroni.

10. Plop it into the oven and let it do its thing for about 10 -20 minutes. I nuked it on high for about 8 minutes.

11. There is no '11th step'. Take the macaroni out and oggle some at the browned crispy top of the dish, and then dig in!! I totally missed out on the crispy browned top because of the microwave. Invest in an oven. I will, one day...sigh!

Mine looked like this:

Ooohhh Mama!

No crispy top, but who cares?!? It was yummy, YUMMY!!! Debbie loved it! Why, even the resident cheese-hater (hint: I married him) deigned to have a plate! WIN!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karen's Macaroni and Cheese

Want yummy life-size images that make you drool? The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and cheese will give you the fix!

Unnai Pol Oruvan - Review

2010-09-10T14:36:00.001+05:30

It's about time I revealed to you my extreme admiration for this person called Kamal Haasan. I like him. For the simple reason that he is the only person with an unparalleled amount of courage that I would say almost no one else in the Tamil film industry has. The only other guy who has the same kind of courage is director Bala. But then he only has his directorial position at stake, while this guy, this Kamal Haasan, has everything, and I mean everything, riding on each and every one of his projects!

Okay, you don't have to be a genius to know that I am practically gushing here! I never express my liking for any film industry personality like this, because, the only thing that most people have going for them is their short-lived 'make-up enhanced' good looks and a couple of box office hits. This man, though, gets my respect and vote even when everything he makes is a HUGE FLOP! Particularly thinking of "Aazhavandhaan" here.

Some people say he should have been in Hollywood, rather than Kollywood. I have to disagree. He doesn't need to be in Hollywood! He is destined to be here, in South India, to tell people that you can and should make films that enhance some aspect of the viewers intellect. That you should take risks, put your neck on the line, and take your artistry to a higher, albeit precarious level. If you don't do that when you are popular and the industry is feeding off your hands, then when will you do it?!

Okay, what brought on this fever? I saw Unnai Pol Oruvan (translates to A Man Just Like You...or The Common Man) This movie is the Tamil remake of the Hindi movie A Wednesday, starring another real hero - Naseeruddin Shah.

I am not going to tell you the storyline, because, well, it can be said in one line! And I would give away the ending. If for some reason you haven't already seen it yet, I don't want to ruin the experience for you. And mind you, it is very much an experience.

Something interesting about this movie is that the hero remains seated for most of the movie, and only moves about at the end of the movie to...well...take his grocery home!

This movie has many layers of sub-text. In fact, it is all about the sub-text. Political influences, terrorism, the nations seeming apathy towards terrorism, ego clashes between the powers that be in politics and law enforcement, the freedom of the press (or what it really means!), and finally, if you notice very carefully, the tug-of-war that has been happening between two southern states from time immemorial - Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Oh! Almost forgot...this movie also re-awakened another perennial argument - 'Who's the better actor: Mohanlal or Kamal Haasan?'

Kamal Haasan would probably answer you, in his throaty non-chalant, eye-rolling way, "No one is the better actor! It is the story that makes us the better or worse actor. Look at the story. We are just vehicles for the message." Or something equally awesome like that!!

If you were to ask, 'who is the hero of the movie', you wouldn't get an answer either! The character of I.G Raghavan Maarar (played by Mohanlal) seems to play the hero to the dominant villain in the common man, with no name (Kamal Haasan). Suddenly things shift, and the police officers who are to escort the terrorists seem to be taking the story in a different direction. In this way, every character in the story seems to hold a twist in their hands - the chain-smoking journalist (a woman, if you were wondering), the terrorists themselves (one a Muslim fanatic, another a Tamilian simply in it for the money, and two others in between), the CM's chief secretary (played by Lakshmi) and even for a brief but electrifying moment, the voice of the Tamil Nadu CM himself! And when I say 'himself' you know exactly whom I mean....Digression: Isn't it strange that the Tamilian people are forced to choose from one 'himself' and one 'herself' every elections, and cannot even think of a third option!!! End of Digression.

So, where were we? Yeah, the stars of the story....the point is, there are none. This movie is not meant for you to adore/drool/whistle at/hate/love/dance with/die for any actor! Kamal allows every character to do what they need to do to get the message across: "If the government will not deal with terrorism, then the common man will. After all, it is the common man who loses his life when terrorism runs rampant. Terrorism can be destroyed only by terrorism!"

Now, if that's not a bold statement, I don't know what is! Watch the movie, will you? It will give you a sense of pride in being the common man, for a change!

Defeating the Purpose of the Teddy Bear!

2010-09-10T11:42:00.000+05:30

Okay, this morning, when I read this article, I essentially felt a sense of hopelessness in this world, and all I can say right now is, "Heck, I've seen it all. I should just roll over and die now! It can't get worse than this!"

"Stop. What are you ranting about?" You ask.

Well, this...THIS!!! Go ahead and read the article if you have the morbid fascination and the stomach for this sort of thing....

: If, for some reason, people take pride in this sort of thing, then this image is from Metro.co.uk.

For the love of all that is dear to mankind, where the heck is this coming from?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I thought cuddly toys are just for little kids to snuggle with! The teddy-bear-lover in me feels violated when soft toys are incorporated into horror movies. It's even worse when children become horror objects in these movies. That "Chucky's Back" crap was the worst...or so I foolishly thought! Now this!

Already, I feel nervous that Debbie is taking her teddy-bear too seriously - talking to him all the time about her school, reading him her books and singing him her rhymes, and the worst yet, crying to him when she gets told off by one of us!! I HATE that!

And, can I just say, that I HATE, DETEST, and am totally and irrevocably repelled by Mr. BEAN! I mean, what is the deal with that jerk? People, please, please, for the sake of the mental stability of your children when they reach their 40s, don't let them watch Mr.Bean...PLEASE!

That show is utter crap! All that nudity, innuendos, and the sheer stupidity and crassness of the man. And I am not even talking about the real show! I am talking about the animated series that is meant for little kids!!!And he has taught my daughter how to talk to her teddy bear.

If you see this man, you have my permission to shoot at sight! With a gun, and real bullets.

You are probably now asking me, "Woman, why don't you just turn off the television, and be done with it? Stop the whining already!" Well, I am working on it. I really am. I feel ashamed with myself for letting things get this far....You see, this show comes around Debbie's dinner time, and she will not let one morsel of food get past her lips if she is not watching this crappy show. And after I deal with 30 minutes of copious tears, the worst case of 3-yr-old tantrums, and the highest pitched screaming in the world, I usually cave in, because I just don't want my already skinny child to go to bed on an empty stomach....

Sigh....

So, this post, which started as a rant on cuddly toys with mental disorders has come down to a plea for help to all moms on the internet. Someone, please advice me on how I can wean my daughter off her soft toy (and her incessant thumb-sucking, while you're at it!), and this stupid Mr.Bean animated series.

I'm waiting for your advice in the comments section. HELP, someone!

Gone for Good - Harlan Coben

2010-09-02T11:41:00.002+05:30

There's something wonderful about borrowed books! You know, you see it in someone's hand, and you lust after it with all your mind! You ask them for the book, or like some nice people, they give it to you when they see the crazy look in your eye :P and then you read it in one big hurry! Somewhere in between, they ask you whether you like it, and you say "YES"! Then they look really proud that they gave you the book, and you enjoyed it! And then, when you return the book, both of you spend a good 10 minutes discussing the characters and the best parts of the book, and how some character was really funny ("Hahaha! He was so funny, riiiighhht! hhahahahha!") and the villain was really villainous, and all that. Then the conversation ends with you saying, "You know what, I have another book by that author. Have you read it? No?! Then I'll bring it for you tomorrow, okay? Okay, yar. Thanks a lot, huh?!" And then it is that person's turn to look forward to the book....!!! Wow! If you love reading like I do, you probably just lived that whole thing in your mind just now, and are totally craving a new novel!! I know I am!

Anyway, Gone for Good by Harlan Coben is just such a book. I borrowed it from a friend, and read it in the shortest time possible inspite of a day-job, a daughter, loads of dishes, laundry, 3 meals to cook, a bad back, and the insanely childish urge to crash in bed at 9:30pm!!! And that, for me, is 1 week.

I loved the book. One of the best reads I have had in a really long time. It had action, drama, love, romance...no scratch that...it had almost NO romance. I honestly think that was why it was good! Leave the romance to chick-flicks and Jennifer Aniston, people. In a book, you want characters, drama, and pathos. This book had that. Oh, and a heck of a lot of twists...a tad too many if you ask me, but it kept me hooked, and that's all that matters, really.

The main character is Will Klein, whose life is filled with tragedy and horror that no one, including himself, wants to talk about. A few years ago, his girlfriend was found raped and murdered, his brother (and his hero) Ken is believed to have done it. Ken went into hiding, and the government has been looking for him ever since. Some say that Ken is probably dead, and Will slowly begins to believe that. Will's father is continuously grieving the loss of his favorite son, and the loss of the happiness of the ever-lovable mother, who used to be like a ray of sunshine in all their lives. Will becomes a social worker in an organization that takes in children off the streets, and rehabilitates them. He also now has a beautiful girlfriend, Sheila, who is all that he could ever have hoped for, and some more. Sometimes Will cannot even believe that he got this lucky.

Harlan Coben

The story begins with the death of the mother, and the shocking secret she relieves minutes before she breathed her last - Ken is alive! Will later finds a picture of his brother (much older now) and keeps it a secret from his father. He ventures out to search for his brother, and is helped by Squares, a former anti-semitic who is now a yoga guru, and is in love with an Afro-American model! Will's search for his brother becomes more and more complicated as Sheila suddenly disappears, and is found murdered in another state, and he unearths many horrific details about his brother, and about the woman he loves.

The story takes us into the darkest, most revolting depths of human-trafficking, drug-trafficking, murder, and the sleazy dealings between criminals, the law, and the police. At the end, your emotions can go two ways - you either feel disgust for the human race in general, of you feel that there is still some hope in this world, as long as people like Will Klein exist.

My favorite character is Squares. He is a huge bunch of paradoxes. He looks like a gangster, but is a compassionate social worker who just wants to get little kids off the streets before they are pulled in to the filth of human-trafficking and crime. He is going to be the father to the child of an Afro-American woman whom he loves with all his heart, but used to be part of a Klu Klux Klan and used to be staunchly anti-semitic. He even had the Nazi symbol, the swastika, tattooed onto his forehead, but then added a few more lines and made it into a square! Hence the unusual name.

Squares' words of wisdom - you should never judge a person by their appearance and activities. A person who looks dangerous could very well have a sympathetic heart inside, while a person with the most benign smile might turn out to be the devil himself! Just because someone was a pleasant and seemingly innocent person when you met them, does not mean that they will always be nice, or have always been this pleasant! Basically, what he is trying to say it, "Don't put anything past people! The human personality is so complex, that you can never assess what is going on inside a person's mind! So, simply don't judge, or form any conclusive opinions." Now, that's very pragmatic, level-headed talk, if you ask me.

Gone for Good is, as they say, Un-putdownable! I know that's a cliche, but there is nothing that describes this book better! This one's begging to be made into a movie - probably Matthew Macfadyen playing Will Klein, because he has the face of the naive guy that everyone takes advantage of. Also, I can only think of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith for the role of Squares!

Look at him! This is what, in Malayalam, we refer to as "Paccha paavam"!! Painfully, adorably innocent and naive

Okay, stop. Question: Has this book already been made into a movie? Hope I'm not making a big fool of myself here! :P Will you let me know in the comments?...whether the movie has been made, that is!

Microwave Brownies... And my Baking Debut!

2010-08-30T12:18:00.000+05:30

My mother bakes the best cakes I have ever had. She is one of those rare people on the planet who can taste food and figure out the recipe all on their own. I think 99.9% of those people are master chefs!!! Okay, you guessed right...I am really proud of my mom and her culinary skills. I would also like to point out that my

culinary skills are...well...no where in sight, so far!

The closest I ever got to a baking dish is when I dig in to my mom's Dates Cake! (will get you the recipe soon) However, I decided that, having a chocolate-loving daughter, this state of affairs could not go on for very long! And, I have been craving brownies from the time I knew they existed. The local bakery sells brownies, but I came very close to asphyxiation when I tried them!!! I want to live, people!

And then, there is the fact that I have no oven...yes, I know, I sound like the pathetic soul that I am... But I do have a microwave!! Yaaay! So...

I Googled, found, learnt, revised, and etched into my memory...this recipe:

MICROWAVE BROWNIES

(Caps lock deliberate to indicate awesomeness!) This is my first attempt at baking, EVER. So, cheer me on, okay?

This is a small serving, but you can double it and it works out just fine, as I found out yesterday. I first made these 2 weeks ago, and the pictures are from that attempt.

Things you need: (Basic, non-fancy-schmancy stuff will do for this brownie! And that's good, because, duh, I live in Nagercoil...)

1/2 cup flour (maida)

1/2 cup cocoa powder (Note for folks in Nagercoil :P - I used the Cadbury cocoa powder that is available in a purple tin in local shops)

1 cup sugar (best to use powdered sugar, because the granules take a heck of a long time to dissolve in the butter - not good. If you don't have powdered sugar, just powder the sugar you have, in your grinder/food processor!)

1 & 1/2 stick of butter (I used the Amul salted butter)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

Chocolate chips (So not optional, but I could not find this wonderful blessing anywhere in this town, and I had to do without it...*sniff*)

Chopped Nuts - any kind. I used cashews and almonds

Method:

In a bowl, mix the cocoa and flour well so that both have blended in.

Soften butter and mix the sugar in with it, until soft and creamy.

Add the 2 eggs and whisk till soft and blended in well. You can add the vanilla essence too.

Now, add the dry ingredients very gradually into the liquid mixture (one tbsp at a time) and keep stirring till your arms fall out! Or, if you are lucky like me to have a sweet, patient sister, get her to stir while you casually stand by and add the dry ingredients!! :P Better, yet, use a hand-held or table-top mixer.

When the entire batter has been stirred well, pick the bowl up and sniff the awesome aroma of the entire thing. "People" have been known to eat a finger-full of batter right off the bowl...but that's just "people"! You don't have to do that...or you could, if you want to...*hint, hint*

Now, grease a round (or rectangular) glass baking dish* with butter, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. I did not have powdered sugar, so I just powdered up some butter cookies that I had and lined the baking dish with it, over the butter! And it rocked!!!

*Use only glass dishes that are meant for microwaves. NEVER use metal, unless you plan to blow up your microwave oven!!

Now, just pour the batter into the baking dish. You might have to spread the batter equally to all parts of the baking dish, because sometimes the batter can be on the thicker side.

Now, stick it into your microwave and set it on high, and set the timer for 10 minutes.

I would strongly suggest that you take a peek at the 7th or 8th minute to check on things. Take a toothpick and insert it into the center of the brownie. If it comes out clean, it's done. If there is almost-cakey batter stuck on it, you need it to go on for the remaining time.

There's no hard-and-fast rule here. If after 10 minutes it still looks suspicious, give it another minute of baking.

At the end, let it sit in the oven for a few minutes. Then take it out and cool it completely, because warm brownies refuse to let go of the baking dish. They still want their mommy!

When cooled, eat the whole thing up without sharing...Oh, sorry...bad advice!!

When cooled, cut out a piece, place it on a small plate, top with vanilla ice cream and a cherry (optional)....eat and go to heaven!

Then come back and tell me how it was. Okay?? This part is NOT optional! Come one, I want to know how yours turned out!

This is the chewy, moist variety of brownie that I love! I am so not into the dry-cake kind of stuff...

Not the best picture possible, but it was after 10pm and I was not at my most patient self....

...as is obvious from this picture!

Wasn't me!

Anyway, she loved it... that's what's important.

Top 10 Magnificent Literature that Made Me!

2010-08-17T18:05:00.004+05:30

I don't know how many of you know this about me, but I'm an English Literature graduate. When I say this, people (including my parents when I told them I have decided to study English Literature), give me the 'woe-unto-you' look!! This look is closely followed by the knowing nod of the head to mean, "Oooohhhh, you didn't score well in your high school final exams, did you? Tsk, Tsk!!....Woe unto you...."

I've learnt to deal with the nay-sayers, though...mostly because I can use words like 'nay-sayers' and actually not feel foolish...HA! (I have no idea how that is even related...) Anyway, I took this decision knowing fully well what I was getting into, and I was actually excited to be doing something I wanted to do, rather than something I have to do...And, really, the best part of my studying literature, is that it gave me the passion for writing that has helped me express myself better, sharpen my creativity, and given me a darn good job!! So, what's not to like, I ask??

Being a student of English Literature meant that I was introduced to some of the best writers in the world! And I devoured these works of literature like I would devour a Chocolate Brownie now (by the way, I have a special announcement regarding Chocolate brownies!! I will tell all in a few days, in my other blog...!)[update 30 August: post is up now] And these works of literature have shaped my personality in a significant way. Sometimes, I realize that a particular book or poem taught me to think or react in a particular way, and sometimes, I don't even know I have imbibed a certain way of thinking from a book....Still, these books I bring to you have inspired me, consoled me, and guided me through the best part of my youth...

I have provided links to these works that lead to the entire text of the book, poem, play etc. found on ReadPrint.com. I found this website a few months ago, and I can't believe my luck!! I mean, to be able to read some of the best books for free...that has got to be some kind of miracle!! Anyway, read on and enjoy...

1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I read this book when I was in my first year of Undergrad, and I had tears in my eyes, thinking about the protagonist and her troubles. The important lesson I learnt from this book was 'Never judge people before you know the whole story....And believe me, everybody has a story'.

2. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - not to be confused with "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening". "The Road Not Taken" talks about the difficulty of making a decision, and standing by it, about going against the current, and taking a risk. When we can do that, and not care what the world talks about us, I think we stand a chance in this life...

3. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen - Apart from the ultra-cool name this author has (I first thought he was Henry Kibzen!), I can't believe that a man from that age could actually empathize with women, and be a kind of ambassador for them. If it took phenomenal courage for the women of the age to stand up for their rights, then, I think it took equal courage for a man to stand up and tell the world to leave these women the heck alone! If you are hooked on this guy, read Hedda Gabbler...you will never recover!

4. A Hanging by George Orwell - A man known for his insight and foresight, this story stopped my heart at the horror that was the human mind! If we can hang a man, and do it with the nonchalance of doing our daily chores, then we are all that is wrong with the world!

5. Silas Marner by George Eliot - Well, first of all, this book made me appreciate the fact that I was born in an age where a woman can be creative, and get full credit for it without having to make people believe she is a man! I fell in love with this book because of a totally different reason. It was like this - we had a teacher called Mr.Elango in our second year of post graduation. He was the bees knees as far as teachers go!! We could listen to him for hours and not know the time fly by!! When he discussed a play or a fiction novel, he didn't just talk, he performed! He became the characters he spoke about, and we hung on his every word. When he discussed Silas Marner with us in the class, well, my admiration for my teacher somewhere flowed into my fascination for the story, and the lines are quite blurred now!! Mr.Elango is the person I try to emulate as a teacher and trainer, and the person I want to be when I grow up... There! now you know everything about me...not quite, but almost....:P

6. I'm Nobody! Who are You? by Emily Dickinson - This woman has guts, I tell you...and not in the mindless, maudlin, suicidal sort of way like Sylvia Plath (who, by the way, I totally detest...but I guess you already picked that up!). Just read this poem, and you will know what I am talking about. With these few lines, I think she just insulted every politician that ever lived, lives, and will ever live!!! Her sense of humor....well...I just wish I could have half that humor when I look at myself objectively. She is also fearless. I'm not talking about guts, I'm talking about fearlessness. Read up on her and you'll understand. Emily Dickinson is a true hero.

7. Othello by William Shakespeare - Okay, if there's one thing I sometimes wish for from the very depths of my heart...it is that I was born in Elizabethan England, and went to see Shakespeare's plays. Probably meet the Bard himself, and get an autographed poster of one of his plays...How cool would that be!!! Anyway, that's not happening...so I read Shakespeare's works, and stuff about him, like my life depends on it!! I loved, loved the movie Shakespeare In Love, and I cannot imagine how anyone can ignore/dislike this guy. I loved the play Othello more than any thing else Shakespeare wrote, because I felt in it he created the truest testimonies of human nature than any one has created in literature. Everyone who writes psychological thrillers, I think, in a way, borrows from Shakespeare.

Because I just have to have a picture of Shakespeare in this post!!

8. Mending Wall by Robert Frost - Robert Frost is a genius! His words are really simple, and yet poignant in the most profound ways. His poems are one of the most quoted in the world, and everyone knows at least one line of Frost, no matter what their standard of education!! I recited this poem for an inter-college poetry recitation competition in my undergrad years, and I was trained by Ms.Betty D'Couto. Cool name, cool personality, she was the epitome of Cool! Every girl in that Girls-only college wished she would one day look even half as good in a cotton sari as Ms.Betty D'Couto (she of the super cool name). She had bangs that came down to her eyebrows, and she made English classes fun...no scratch that...she made them heavenly. The teacher that had a session following Ms.Betty's, was always, ALWAYS, met with glazed eyes mournful looks - as if to say, "God, woman...why do you even try?!" I love all my teachers from Undergrad, but Ms.Betty made us speechless!! Oh, by the way? I won that poetry recitation contest!! Howza?!!

....Ahem...moving on...

9. David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - David Copperfield (not the magician, please, Gawd No!) made me cry, and The Pickwick Papers made me laugh...there were copious amounts of tears involved in both instances.... What the Dickens?!?!?!?

10. If by Rudyard Kipling - How many works of Rudyard Kipling you know, shows your level of familiarity with literature. If all you can think of is The Jungle Book, then your literary pursuits probably stop at Disney Animations!! On the other hand, if you have read the The Second Jungle Book (heh!) you're getting closer.

Okay, that makes my list of top 10, but you're crazy if you thought I could stop with that...Some works of literature that touched me, top 10 or no....

The Last Leaf by O Henry

A Prayer for My Daughter by W.B. Yeats

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas - this is not available on ReadPrint.com, but I the text is available on the Wiki entry on the poem.

Note: This post was entered in the Top Ten Tuesday Linky party over at OhAmanda.com. Enter your post and play!

"From Draft to Post" Series - Rant #2

2010-08-15T18:31:00.003+05:30

This is the second installment of the "From Draft to Post" Series. Enjoy...or not...whichever is fine....

Post Title: Top 10 Sitcoms so ROFL!
"I love watching television, used to watch it a lot. I view it as an educational experience, and YES, I have learned a lot through television! Don't laugh, and Don't call me 'Loser'! I guess I took to television when I stopped having enough time to read a whole book.
So, I used to watch a lot of movies, mainly Hollywood movies. And then, I found out that I do not have time to sit through an entire movie. The obvious solution (for me, that is...) is to watch sitcoms, and TV shows! Of course, any other normal person would have just stuck to doing the chores with some music on. But not Me! :D
Anyway, now I watch shows, and I love them...only 30 minutes to an hour long. I won't have a mild seizure if I don't watch the ending (and there are MANY ways how that could happen), and I can totally stand in the kitchen and tune in and out whenever I want. You can't do that with movies, as everyone always talks so softly. In shows, at least you know you missed a joke when you hear everyone laughing!!
Aaaaanyway, my top 10 favorite shows (some are reruns of shows that people have probably forgotten, or miss)...
1. F.R.I.E.N.D.S - I love, love, love this show!!! I've watched it so many times, I can say the lines before the characters do! But I still laugh at all the jokes... Joey trying to learn French for an audition was ROFL!!

these people are just ADORABLE!!!!!

2. How I Met Your Mother - I missed the first 2 seasons, but my good friend Nameeta gave me the DVDs, and I watched all of it. I love Robin, because just like her, I don't get some of the 'American-isms' in the show!... My favorite moment, Barney getting slapped - all 3 times!

The cast...

...and how they'd look if they all dressed like Barney AALLLL THE TIME!!!

3. Everybody Loves Raymond - (apparently from here on, I had nothing to say...only show and tell henceforth!!!)

a.k.a epitome of dysfunctional family!!

4. 30 Rock

heheh! weirdness thou art 30 Rock!!

5. The King of Queens

This is the look of a man who is not amused, but is threatened into amusement!!

6. Seinfeld

No, seriously, what is the deal with these people?!?!?!

7. 2 and a Half Men

I shudder to think what would happen when ALL these men actually grow up!!

8. Boston Legal - dunno if this qualifies as a sitcom per se, but I laugh loud and long enough to make up for the studio laughter that is missing in this show....!!!!

The cast...

...and the GODS!!!

9. Carpoolers

A little meh sometime, but funny nevertheless!

10. Pushing Daisies

This is how much of show-offs these people are, actually. And I love them!!

And one for the road....

11. That 70s Show...

ASHTON KUTCHER...That is all!

"From Draft to Post" Series - Rant #1

2010-08-13T11:05:00.001+05:30

I have this terrible secret that I have been holding within myself for the past 4 years, that I was ashamed someone would find out.... which is that I have 'drafts'!!!! Yes, at any given time, my posts page on my dashboard is filled with at least 10 drafts in that weird orange color. I look at them and wonder what the heck happened right in between my 'creative process' that forced me to completely and irrefutably forget that I was actually spilling my soul on some important topic?!?!?!? (Like just now...you know...major spilling of soul...:P)

Anyway, I do not have the heart to delete these posts, since I obviously spent a lot of thought and effort on them. But then again, I can't really finish them and publish them as proper posts, because quite frankly, I CAN'T...like, I don't know what in the world I was talking about, and where I was actually headed with all this ranting...

Let me warn you (I realize that this here blog is filled with too many warnings...probably your cue to run for your life...No? Okay, whatever, suit yourself....)...Where was I? Oh yeah, so let me warn you that this is going to make no sense...but you know, I need to do this...like a burp that's stuck in my throat, and I know that it is probably not very polite to burp, but then, HECK, I neeeeeed to let it outta my ~~chest~~ throat...So, here goes...

Post Title: The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan (apparently supposed to be very thrilling...)
"Here is a story that has been coming to you year after year, trying to convince you that a certain masked hero is for real, and that he is going to save the world. There was Spiderman...he came, acted in 1 great and 2 not so great films, and he went on his way. His friends, family, girlfriend, and villains all had this plastic-like glow around them as if to say, "Okay, we seem real...but we're really not that real." And he went away...
There was Daredevil, Hulk, IronMan, XMen, the Fantastic Four, Superman etcetera. All of them acted out their parts without taking themselves too seriously. Except for Mr. Batman here. Why is there a Batman Begins after the world has seen dozens of films about the masked crusader or whatever he is. How many times are we supposed to tolerate the same characters played by different actors, each in a more hideous costume than the previous one? And why do they have to rope in Morgan Freeman? Is it because they're afraid they won't be taken seriously otherwise? And Christian Bale? Why...Why? On a totally unrelated note, does Christian Bale always act in movies where he is not required to smile, because he is not capable of smiling...just thinking out loud...never mind...

Now, the Joker...and Heath Ledger in character....now you're talking!"

(at this point the narrator's voice peters out, and said narrator stares at empty space, totally clueless of what she was talking about!)

And then this picture, no less....

The Observer

2010-08-12T15:35:00.000+05:30

The wind...
is everywhere.
The mountains in the distance...
What color is that? Grey? Blue?
Nothing more beautiful than that undecided hue...

Grey parsons...
The hovering patriarchs....
Clouds of snow and ash...
Bring blessing of sorts, to the heated brow.
Oh, to stand 'neath the shower and grow...

...Like the trees...
They dance, a dance
Of passion, hair blowing in time...
To the beat of the wind and rain,
And they kiss the setting sun's mane.

The earth...
Unfurls a sigh...
Her breath fresh
From the nectar of new showers
And I stand, captive of her powers...

Behind cold glass panes...
Of a routine that dictates,
Chains that shackle my song,
That broke my wild joys, now tame
And locked them behind a window frame.

Of Morning Walks and Monologues...

2010-07-27T09:38:00.000+05:30

I walk to work everyday (the most misleading thing I have said all day!). And when I say 'walk to work', I don't mean a brisk 1-mile trudge that keeps me healthy and fit, and looking 10 years younger. Nope. The daily morning walk to work takes me a measly 8 minutes!! Totally not beneficial.

So, anyway, I walk 'briskly' every morning, and I'm usually having a happy, interesting conversation with someone....usually myself :(

And this is how it goes...

"Okay, hon, stepping out right now...you're already late...you have 8 minutes to clear an 8 minute distance....Are you going to do this? Hmm...we'll see...walking. walking. walking. step. step. step. looking good baby! Walk, walk, walk....

OOOUUUCChhhhh! What was that?...Something went 'click' in my knee! Okay, ignore it, keep going...Limp, limp, limp....ok, better now...walk, walk, walk...

Oh cripes. There's the Cake shop across the street! Mmmm...nice smells...yummy smells...

(looking at watch) Do I have time to step in for a quick purchase? Okay, Do I NEED the extra calories?? No, and No...for God's Sake Jane, NO!! Geez!

Okay, walk, walk, walk, walk...TRIP! Shucks! Who put the stones in the way?!?!

Okay, nothing happened...no one saw you hon..keep walking, keep walking...you have time...(looking at watch) OH CRAP! I have only 3.5 minutes...where did all the time go, darn it?!?!?!

Okay, keep walking...no ditch that...I think it's time you started running! Oaky, run, run, run..."Run, Forrest, Ruuunnn!" Okay, grow up...Do you really need the "Forrest Gump reference now?!?!

Ooh, nice new shirts on display at the Men's Clothing store on the way!...Hmph! Ignore it! Stupid stuck up clothing store...probably too expensive! Sour grapes...blah, blah...

Oh good, finally at the office building...(looking at watch [for the umpteenth time, even though it does NOT help!!]) Oh cripes...1 more minute...

Okay hon, now you have to climb 4, Four, FOUR floors...Sheesh people, lifts were invented for a reason, you know..Anyways, it's the only exercise you get all day!! so, CLIMB already!!

Climb, climb, climb, no..scratch that...RUN, run, run...

What the...people walking up the steps are getting there faster than me! Shucks.

Run, run, run...GASP, GASP, GASP!! Run, run, drag your feet, stomp, stomp.....crawl, crawl, craaaaawwlllll......Wheeeezz, wheeezz, wheeezzz....cough, cough!

(Drumroll and trumpets blaring) I MADE IT, I MADE IT...YAAAAY!!!! And heck, I have 5 minutes left on the clock!!!!!

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?", you ask?

Well, this is precisely why I set every, and I mean EVERY clock 10 minutes ahead, so that I think I start out 10 minutes early, and half way through I think I'll be on time, and then I assume that I am already 5 minutes late...and PANIC...and when I reach, It's a nice surprise to know I am 5 minutes early!!!

Now ain't that wonderful...fine and dandy!!........................................

.................Aw, shucks....sometimes I don't even recognize myself....!

Somebody bring back the 20 year old Jane, please!

What I wanna be...

What I really am...

HELLPPP!!!!!

Twitter Hop Thursday!

2010-07-22T13:08:00.000+05:30

Hey guys! I love linky parties...they are the single most effective reasons to get me to write something in this space!!! Now, that's a compliment to all the linky parties out there, but I don't think it says anything nice about my blogging skills!

Anyway, I found this Twitter-hopping linky party the other day, and am absolutely thrilled with it.

What is a Twitter Hop Thursday? Well, a bunch of bloggers host this linky party where everyone gets to enter their twitter handle/username. You get to follow many fun twitter users, and...get this...they follow you right back!!

Superb way to get more followers!!

So, Twitter Hop Thursday is hosted by Simply Stacie, The King's Court IV, Little Yaya's, and Review Retreat. All great women, with wonderful blogs (their blog layouts are awesome...I want too!), and to-die-for giveaways. Check them out! Oh, and they always follow you right back, on Twitter! how cool is that??!!!

So, head on over to Simply Stacie's blog here, and get yourself the code, this here cute button, and linky code etc. I am no good at all this code and stuff, and after several frantic bouts of copying and pasting, I have not been able to make the linky thing appear on this post....HELP!!! Somebody....!

Aaaanyway, have fun Twitter hopping, you guys!

Disc-lame-er: This post contains one dog, a book, a movie, 2 readers, a partridge and a pear tree!

2010-07-14T22:00:00.013+05:30

Think you can handle that? Then read on...

Has anyone ever felt slightly weird when they start blogging? Like, 'Dude, why the heck are you talking to yourself?' That changed today for me, because I had something lovely waiting for me on my Dashboard - listeners (a.k.a readers...commentors...people who actually read a post and responded!). I am pleased as punch...although I have never had punch...Hmmm....Nope...not even been punched...Yep...pretty sure...

Anyway, thank you guys - my two readers! Love ya :)

So, I have started reading after....like...forever!! I forgot how to read a book...chalk that down to having 6 gray hairs, one daughter, one job, one husband, and no time (or life) to speak of....This, people, THIS, right here, is precisely why I have only two readers...I am no fun, I tell ya...

I am reading Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I love that name...Billie Letts...the possibilities are endless - "Billie Letts go to the movies!", "Billie Letts vacation at the Bahamas!", "Billie, Oh Billie! Letts just sit out here on the patio, stare at the sunset and sip iced tea, and forget the world...Oh Letts, please?!"

I haven't gotten to the end of the book*, but it was like a sweet breeze that creeps up on you, blows the hair away from your face, and cools the sweat on your brow...I needed to read a book that told me that nice people really exist, and are not an extinct species. You know, Faith in Humanity and all that stuff. Thank you for the book, Dazzling Ray! And this is the cover of the book that I am reading:

image courtesy http://lyrics.smashits.com

Just seeing Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman on the cover told me that I just have to watch the movie. This has got to be full of Southern wholehearted kindness, and the drawl that I have really come to like more than all the other American accents.

I have never reviewed a book until I have finished it (and a couple of lives have passed by!), but I simply had to make an exception for this one. It was too good to not talk about. Read this one, especially if your heart is suffering from frostbite, and you just want something to warm you up inside, or cool you down, depending on which part of the world you live in...This book will do for your soul what a lovely sunset and a sip of iced tea will do for your temperament.Trust me. So, Letts read Where the Heart Is...!

I am also now going to gripe about a disappointing movie I saw the other day - Marley & Me...OOOkkkeeey, that is probably soooo not going to help increase my readership..."Gasp! She doesn't like Marley & Me?! Oh, the shame...Tsk tsk!"

But, to be perfectly downright blatantly honest with you? I saw too much blonde in that movie! No, don't get me wrong...I have nothing against blonde people. In fact, I am amazed at how hair can naturally possess that color, since all I have ever seen is dark or black colored hair. Mine has a few streaks of ugly gray...which I totally mourn.

Anywho, I just don't feel that comfortable with all the 'bright'ness in the movie. The movie is an adaptation of the book, which is supposed to be a true story. Somehow, I did not get that impression when I watched it. It was too much like a no-brainer romantic comedy.

And, I strongly feel that Owen Wilson should not be playing husband/boyfriend to Jennifer Aniston. You know, like I said, too much blonde!! He looks like a guy who could play her brother...come on, you know it...they look like blood relatives...it's kind of creepy...Okay, you don't have to agree...just my honest opinion here!

Pair Jennifer with someone like...Oooh, I dunno...Uuhhmmm...Gerard Butler...then we're talking! (about a totally different movie, but still...it works, right?) Or even David Schwimmer (Oh no...wait...that's just my FRIENDS hangover!)

But these two:

image courtesy http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews

Nope...not working for me...cross your heart and tell me these two don't look like siblings...Go on!

Another thing - dogs movies...or animal movies in general...not really my thing! Now I could just relocate to another planet, I know. I must be the only person on the planet not interested in animal movies...but I just cannot enjoy them...cute ones, funny ones, huge and ugly ones...none of them go down well with me...I don't like this thing about making animals act...or worse...basing an ENTIRE plot around them (PETA will probably give me a medal for this!)

Note: I am also not crazy about having pets in the house....hence the lack of fun on weekends, and the totally bored expression on my husband and daughter (who both love animals), and their desire to go chase lizards instead...Brrr...I have shivers running down my spine right now, just thinking about it.

So, I sat down to watch Marley & Me for Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (both actors whom I like a lot) but was very disappointed that the dog (who is from hell!) was the center piece...and I was bored very very quickly. An hour and more of this was not really exciting:

image courtesy http://www.fanpop.com/spots/book-to-screen-adaptations

People walking one way, and the pet ALWAYS going the other direction!

And this:

image courtesy http://jtjoshy.wordpress.com

image courtesy http://www.cleveland.com/moviebuff

Dog going berserk and people chasing him all over town/beach/house...whatever.

And this:

image courtesy http://reviews.filmintuition.com

image courtesy http://www.theepochtimes.com

Dog wrecking stuff for the heck of it, and people tolerating/enjoying it.

So, I posted all these pictures because really, this is the last time...

Note: I realized that I have more to say when I gripe than when I approve. Someone please hand me a self-help motivational book that does not involve animals...sigh!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*UPDATE: I've finished the book, and I love it even more, if that's possible!

Speaking of Music...This is the stuff I Live for...

2010-06-11T16:58:00.000+05:30

This is the theme song for the World Classical Tamil Conference that will be held this month. Written by M. Karunanidhi (chief minister of Tamil Nadu, and one of the greatest men of words that the nation has produced), the music score is composed by our very own A.R. Rahman (saying his name gives me goosebumps!). The song is sung by the best singers of Tamil Nadu and neighboring states, and is a feast for your ears!

I am feeling all patriotic right now, and so I will add this video to go with it:

Vande Mataram...I am moved to tears every time, and I mean Every.Time, I hear this song...

This is the Hindi version of the song...

I hope these songs make you feel the same way they do for me...Enjoy!

GrooveShark - Killer Music!

2010-06-10T15:03:00.000+05:30

I love me some real good music through out the day... There are around a gazillion music CDs lining the shelves of our humble abode, and not one of them belongs to me!! You can see who's the minority here! So, we got HillSong - the whole series they EVER released. Then we've got some Tamil Spiritual Lyrics, some weird classical western music CDs that I can never enjoy, no matter how hard I try...(on such days I'm sure my husband is asking himself, "Ok, someone remind me again, why did I marry her?" But really, I just cannot feel anything when I hear a million violins scratching it out, cymbals clashing, and drums acting like they are the voice of God!!! Nope. It does nothing for me.

Anyway, what I like is The Corrs, Enrique Iglesias, ABBA, BoyZone (even tho' they are so 'yesterday'...), BackStreetBoys (don't laugh, I love their music), and nice melodies like that. No hard rock (GOD, NO!) and no heavy metal (Over my dead body...no, not even then!).But hey, I love country music! Of course, nothing beats A.R. Rahman's music (a little patriotism, and lots of love for his talent, I guess!).

So, downloading these songs from YouTube is a pain..blame it on slow Internet connections. And here I am, one day, craving music, with YouTube downloading a song for so long that I grew an entirely new gray hair! So, I go on an Google for websites for music, easy to download and all that.

AAANNNNNddddd....(drum roll, please)....I discover...Grooveshark.com

Now, I love, love, love this website. Why? Firstly, it has all the music you can ever want to listen...although it is only western music...but hey! at least that is easily available, right? Second, the songs download so quickly!!! I cannot believe how efficient the download is! Thirdly, it has a lot of other cool features...now, I really haven't checked out this website completely, but added features are your thing, you should certainly go check it out.

And so, days go by, and I'm like really enjoying my music at home..I play my favorite play list, set the speakers on full blast, and listen to music while I work...and I am in pure music heaven.

And then, I feel, "Okay, maybe I can share this information with my husband..I mean, after all, I am married to him, to love and to hold, and share cool stuff that we find on the internet! So, I tell him one day, "You know what? There's this really cool music website which plays all kinds of music, and downloads really quickly...I mean this is better than YouTube!" And he's all like "Uhuh! Whatever..."

Next day he casually asks me, "Jane, what is that website you were talking about?" and I tell him.

Next minute, my blood curdles...because what do I hear???

THIS!!!!!

WHAAA.... are you KIDDING ME?!!!

Note: Okay, this is from YouTube because Grooveshark is occupied by my husband!

...Till death do us part, I guess...sigh!

But, I still love Grooveshark, mind you, and that's why I entered this post in "Things I love Thursday" over at DiaperDiaries.

Disney Magic - Love is In the Air

2010-06-09T15:28:00.000+05:30

So, I came across this fantastic story about this married couple whose paths crossed in DisneyLand, and they didn't even know it. The story goes like this:

Alex and Donna Voutsinas are about to get married and they are looking through old photo albums. Donna shows Alex a picture taken in DisneyLand, with she and her brother and some Disney character. Imagine his surprise when he spots his own father pushing him in a stroller in the background of that picture!! Cool, right?!?! Stuff that fairytales are made of...but then again, Art imitates Life.

[caption id="attachment_355" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption="Guy in the black shirt is Alex's dad!"][/caption]

image: WXII12.com

Don't believe me? Watch this video

So there you have it - my pick-me-up-'romance-still-exists' story of the day!! You like? Vote here please?

[polldaddy poll=3321058]

SinkHole in Guatemala - Shocking!

2010-06-01T14:28:00.000+05:30

Guatemala has been going through terrible times recently...If you've been watching the news you will know that they have had volcanic eruptions, tropical storms and what not.

Looking at scenes of the devastation and suffering in that place, is heart-wrenching...

Today, I saw this...

Apparently, this is not photo-shopped! It's real, very real. A really huge sink hole right in the middle of town!

Did you even know that was possible? I thought we had solid ground under our feet, and, the Earth, along with the gravity and everything, has got us totally covered! But LOOK at this!

It's a really deep hole formed because of the ground water eroding the weak limestone that is found underground. This phenomenon is called a 'karst'. The place is called 'karst topography'. Direct quote from an article about Karst Topography and Sinkholes in About.com - "About 10% of the earth's land (and 15% of the United States') surface consists of soluble limestone, which can be easily dissolved by the weak solution of carbonic acid found in underground water."

Basically, what they're saying is that the earth can cave in at any moment, without prior warning - no smoke signals, no hot water spurting out...nothing, absolutely nothing!

Apparently, this has happened in Guatemala before - the depth of the sink hole being twice deeper than the height of the Statue of Liberty!

I took one look at that picture, and shivered in horror...Imagine looking down into one of those holes just outside of your backyard...Or worse, falling down one of those holes...losing everything to a giant hole in the ground...sounds surreal...I still can't believe such things can actually happen in this world. I guess they can...

Disclaimer: Okay, now I don't know if this is photo-shopped. And I kind of hope it is...for the sake of the people who live there. But if it isn't, then I pray that the people of Guatemala will have the strength to face their trials...

And I hope we can all do something, however small, to help these people.

Note: I am so blessed to live in one of the most boring little towns in India! I used to complain that nothing ever happens in Nagercoil...well, right now...I am not complaining at all!

I am counting my blessings right now? Are you?

Top 10 Movies that Left Me Speechless!

2010-05-27T15:41:00.000+05:30

This could take a while...You've been warned...Okay, moving on...

I love watching movies. If you have known me long enough, you just said, "That is a terrible understatement"! Okay, this one's for movie buffs like me...(looking at you, Nameeta!)

Watching movies is one of those things that I cannot resist. Every time I have to turn off the television mid-movie because Debbie wants me to color with her, or it's time to make dinner, it is gut-wrenching... I know...it's that bad.

So, I love watching anything that Star Movies has to offer, although I will never watch HBO unless I know specifically that they are showing something romantic or very highly acclaimed. I just cannot stand lame action movies ('lame action' is probably an oxymoron, but I don't care...besides, one half of 'oxymoron' precisely describes the characters of majority of action movies...just saying...)

Aaaaaanyway, some movies I watch, like, remember; some I want to watch again; some I learn up the dialogues of (!!); and some I forget almost as soon as I have watched them (but this is very, very rare...)

However, some... I don't know why, but they leave me speechless! Which is probably a good thing, because I can be a bore sometimes....and my speeches are nothing to die for!

So, here are some movies whose genius I can't believe, and I am so lucky I got to watch them...I feel lucky to be from the same planet that they originated from...anyway, I don't believe that there is life in other planets...and, Okay, I am getting to the point...

1. Shawshank Redemption - This has to be on the top of anybody's list of great movies. I love the characters, I love anything that has Morgan Freeman in it...seriously! He is 'God'! I love the fact that even though we know that Tim Robbins escaped from prison and there is nothing more to look forward to, we have little surprises at the very end...surprises for Morgan Freeman and for us! I loved the spirit of the movie, the inspiration, and the sheer genius of story-telling. Breathtakingly awesome!!!

2. Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) - The woods were anything but lovely, they were dank, dark, and deep. And most everyone in the movie is butt-ugly, except for Orlando Bloom (sigh!) and Liv Tyler! Okay, some were not that ugly, but seriously, if there really was such a time in the world, and everyone did look like that, I don't think I want to be part of any glorious past, no thanks! Ugly faces, lots of them...but heart-thumping action, style, grandeur? Unparalleled!

I Googled for images of LTR, and came up with millions...but this is the one I have chosen...case closed.

3. Sunshine - It is already melting hot where I live, and I had to go watch this movie... The sun, it's there, in every shot, in every scene, it stifles you, makes you sweat...pour, even...you squirm in your seat...At one point, I wished they would just explode or something...and spare themselves the misery of sitting so near the sun...When I watched this movie, I felt....really FELT.... the greatness of the Sun...I started wondering how can a God who made something so cool and refreshing as rain, something so soft as snow , make something so fierce and HUGE as the Sun??? I am struggling for breath even as I write this....Watch that movie, seriously.

If you are not hot under the collar now, you are probably seated in the fridge!!

4. Sound of Music - Well, this one left me speechless because all I could do is sing!! "THE HILLS ARE ALAAAAIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUUUSIIICC!"

If that was annoying, you should hear me just after I watch the movie...and how many times have I watched it? That, my friend, is one of the many things I have totally lost track of in my entire life...!

Bet that song is ringing in your head right now, huh?!

5. Grumpy Old Men - HaHaHaHaHa!! That is all. How can you breathe, let along speak, when you are clutching your abdomen and rolling off your chair onto the floor?!?!?!? Sometimes, this movie also reminds me of my dad...we watched it together, and he laughed so much and so hard...My Dad loved a good comedy... I miss him, and that leaves me speechless too. Well, if there is something I want that reminds me of my Dad, this movie is the best thing ever!

HaHAHHAA! You guys crack me up!!

6. As Good As It Gets - Okay, I am not terribly impressed with Jack Nicholson (sorry Jack Nicholson fans..if there are any!). I mean, how much effort does it take to be rude and obnoxious all the time, and deliver some dialogue?!

Still, this movie is something that talks to my heart...because of the effort the character of Helen Hunt takes in understanding an obnoxious and rude person like Jack Nicholson (I mean his character in the movie... I think...). If I ever get to be like that (God Forbid!), I would like some one to take that effort for me...wouldn't you?

There is also Jack Nicholson's dialogue at the end of the movie...that obnoxious inability to give anyone a straight compliment...Get this:

Melvin Udall: I might be the only person on the face of the earth that knows you're the greatest woman on earth. I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and how you are with Spencer, "Spence," and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you, and I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me.

HAHA! Awesomeness...that is genius dialogue-writing, I tell ya! Simply genius!

7. BraveHeart - This movie is violent, like absolutely inappropriate kind of violent...or that's what I thought when I first saw it! Part of the reason I was left speechless...It really brought home the point about how violent people were in those days. However, any one of those lame action movies made nowadays could totally pwn this one, as far as violence goes! And I mean this in the most irate sense possible...! Anyway, I was also totally taken with the sheer bravery and courage of men and women of those days. I lose my mind when I see a lizard on my kitchen wall!! These men and women walked around with daggers and swords on one hip, and an infant on the other! I cannot imagine a world like that...This all seems really awe-inspiring when you think the story narrated is actually real events! Are we even 1% as brave or passionate about anything?

This picture is funny and inspiring, all at the same time!

8. Music of the Heart...no, The Devil Wears Prada...actually, Marvin's Room...no, make that Mamma Mia! Okay, I can't decide...it's just that Meryl Streep leaves me speechless! What is with that woman, seriously?! Has she always been like this? Oh wait, just Googled her, and...yeah, pretty much, like from 1977...steady awesomeness!! All her movies are poignant and flawless. For discussion sake, let's compare Mamma Mia and The Devil Wears Prada - in the first, she is a scatterbrained, passionate, sometimes messy, 'breaks-into-song-at-any-moment', 'totally-driven-by-her-heart' woman who does not really know which one of her former boyfriends is the father of her daughter!! In the other, she is the epitome of 'stiff'! Never flinching at anything, never missing a beat in her back-breaking high heels, flicking people off like flies, and making the most sarcastic comments about a person's fashion sense without batting an eyelid. People run sobbing after having been in her office for a few moments! I sincerely think she should never be nominated for another academy award, or any other award for that matter. You know, just like we can't nominate God for 'Most Powerful Leader in the World', or give him a Nobel Prize for Science! This lady is way beyond awards. I think we should just watch her and learn...that is all I have to say about this.

9. The Shrek Series - Oh Donkey, Donkey...I think I'm falling in love with you...hahaha! "Choose me...choose me"! Get this: (pearls of wisdom from Donkey...)

Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example. OK, er, ogres are like... onions!
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes. No! [...] Onions have layers! Ogres have layers. D'you get it? We both have layers!
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. You know not everybody like onions! Eh, cakes! Everybody loves cakes! Cakes have layers!
Shrek: I don't care what everyone likes! Ogres are not like cakes.

Later...

Donkey: Oh, it's another one of those onion things isn't it?
Shrek: No. This is one of those 'drop it and leave it alone!' things.

HaHaHa! You may want to kick his backside sometimes...but you can't help but love him!

Another one...

Donkey: I guess you don't entertain much, do you?

Shrek: I like my privacy.

Donkey: You know, I do too. That's another thing we have in common. Like I hate it when you've got somebody in your face, you trying to give them a hint, they won't leave, and there's that big awkward silence, you know...

[Awkward Silence....]

Picture says it all!!!

10. Life Is Beautiful - I kept this for the very end, because this is the most poignant, beautiful, and tearful movie that I have seen...ever! It combines love in a marriage, love for a parent, love for a child, and so many different emotions in such a heart-wrenching way. I love the humor in the story, but when I think of this movie, the only scene that always comes to mind, is that of the father walking off with soldiers, to be shot. The only thing the little boy can see is the huge smile on the father's face and the mischievous wink he gives him, reassuring his son that he is definitely going to win this game... My heart skips a beat just thinking about the courage of that father...

...I am reminded again of my own father, and how he used to make everything a game so that we would be interested enough to do something that we would otherwise find unpleasant...like eating - he always did something creative with our food. My mom cooked it, and he turned it into something interesting, so that we would enjoy eating it!

Today would have been my Dad's 58th birthday. He loved movies, and he loved birthdays! He would remember every birthday of every member of the family, and I'm not just talking about my siblings and my mom! He would call up some uncle on his birthday, or some relative whom we have almost forgotten. This year, may of us did not receive a cheerful wish from him. It was odd, and painful...like the day was incomplete, or something...

We miss you Dad.

Okay, sorry for going into sad mode! So, what's your favorite movie? Which film left you speechless? Tell me about it in the comments...

...And go make your own top 10 list, and link up with Amanda at her Top Ten Tuesday post!

Unresolved Hair Issues!

2010-05-07T12:52:00.000+05:30

Remember the discussion on Debbie's hair we had the other day... well, apparently, there is a shift in perception of late...

Today morning, I looked at Debbie's hair, and patting the wild curls, I asked her, "What is this, baby?"

With a wide grin of amusement (perhaps she anticipated my reaction!), she uttered these words of wisdom, "Amma, this is noodles!"

Wide grin of amusement:

Go figure...

She Makes My World Go Round...

2010-05-05T10:19:00.000+05:30

... (and my head spin...but, it's aaaaaalll in the game)!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join the Wordless Wednesday linky party @ 5 Minutes for Mom!!

World Vision - Trip to the Dominican Republic

2010-05-04T12:46:00.000+05:30

Amanda, a sweet mother, wonderful Christian, and a popular blogger over at OhAmanda.com, writes about her trip with World Vision to the Dominican Republic to visit the little girl she sponsors, and to lend a helping hand to many others in need. (World Vision leads you to children in need, and you can sponsor one of them) She will be joined by some wonderful other bloggers. Check out their posts on this trip. Amanda will be blogging throughout her trip to the Dominican Republic, so subscribe to her posts and read on.

You can also grab this widget over at her blog, to show your support for the cause...I've got mine on the sidebar (it's way, way down, I know....but, one of these days, I'm gonna rearrange things here a bit...soon, hopefully!)

Of New Friends and 'First Times'...

2010-05-04T12:02:00.000+05:30

I never thought I would ever say this, but here it goes, "I guest-blogged this week"...Oh no wait, that was the wrong font... People, I GUEST-BLOGGED this week!!!!!! ....Okay, that's better... whoa! how did that happen...? Flashback..scene fade...

It was two weeks ago, that I registered myself into 20SomethingBloggers... I know, that was like saying, "Yesterday I watched Titanic the movie"...(sometimes I come across as being pathetically ancient, and I am totally aware of it...). Anyway, I was immediately given a warm welcome by a couple of really sweet bloggers who introduced themselves, and even read my blogs...That's where I met the lovely Charreah Jackson who writes an interesting blog on love at Love Jones Lane. (Visit her sometime, she has some cool stuff to say about love and marriage, and why they drive us crazy!)

Here's where it gets exciting! She visited my blog, and actually asked me to write a guest post for her blog, on Love and Marriage in India!!! Okay, I think I need to go easy on those exclamation marks!!! So, I was like, 'Really? Is this happening to me?!!' Anyway, as she says, "Believing is half the battle".... so, I wrote a post, and hoped I didn't disappoint her terribly, and emailed the write-up to her...

Turns out she liked my post enough to actually put it up right there, along with her other posts. She also said some nice things about me, that are totally undeserved! So, go on over to her blog, and read my post entitled, "Marriage in India - I Chose Love".

I Want Your Face!

2010-04-30T14:54:00.000+05:30

So yesterday, Debbie is sitting on my lap, and sucking her thumb, cuddling her favorite teddy bear, and watching cartoons (yeah, she's a multi-tasker, that one!). And please ignore the part where she sucks her thumb... She WILL grow out of it soon, when she is 5 or 10...or whenever, I promise...

Anyway, there she was, and at any given time of day, my daughter's hair is all wild curls and sticking straight up or to a side...usually, I'm like, "Baby girl, what is the deal with your hair?!?!?!"

Her hair is actually quite tame in this one picture above! When things get out of hand, we just plop on a hat!

So, I just curl my fingers around some locks of hair, look at them wonderingly, and ask her, "Debbie, how come you got so much hair, babyyyyy....wow! you have nice haaaaiiiiiiirrrrr, baby".

She looks at me with a very somber expression, and then says, "Amma, I want to have your face and your hair..." I said, "No Baby, you have nice hair..."

And she said, "Don't you like my face and hair??" And I was thinking, "OHMYGODOHMYGOD.....Whoever gave her that idea?!??! WHOWHOWHO...? Wait...did I do that?

And then, I went, "baby, you have the prettiest hair and the prettiest face in the whole world, and you are really pretty, and you are the prettiest little girl I have ever seen...." and gave her a big kiss on each cheek.

She thought for a while, and my heart was pounding.

After a moment a slow shy smile spread across her face, she looked at me, and said a very nonchalant, "Seri" (Tamil for "Okay") I love you, Amma!, and walked off to play with her toys...

All I could think was, "What was THAT all about?" So, turns out, she wants long hair and a pretty face (like a typical 3 yr old girl!)...!!! That was the best thing that happened to me....all week! And that's why I am so happy today...my little girl wants to be like me...she adores me!!!!

My sister summed it all up wonderfully when she said, "Give her time, when she's 15 and comes to you for fashion advice, I'll believe that story!!"

Can't blame her.... (wait, maybe she gets unruly hair from me!)

.....eeeeehhhhh...I've seen better!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have something making your day today? A favorite moment, child (no, don't write on that!), food, favorite anything this Friday? Go on and join the Friday Favorite linky party over at The Other Mama. Have fun, and happy hair!