All celebrations - from the time I was growing up till now, when I'm married - have begun and ended with food. The main question isnt about who we're going to invite, it's what's on the menu.
My marriage turned a year old yesterday and we celebrated it with some of my family and some of his. Our small apartment was filled with relatives - about thirty of them. We had a pooja at home to celebrate and to bless our marriage and our families and all the tasks we have now set ahead of us. My husband has a lot on his plate. We're looking for a bigger apartment and he's also trying to study for a certificate course examination he plans on finishing in a few months' time. I want to focus on both family and career. Right now, I'm worried about losing my mind due to work shortage and the as yet looming effects of the downward spiral the business community is taking. At the same time, I'm fearful about the uncertainties; the latest bombing attacks, weakest security, zero co-ordination and the fact that someone I know or love might be stuck in the middle of it somewhere.
Today, I zipped over to other blogs after reading the ones on my list and went on to food and more food. I guess there's something about the Christmas season and winter that makes you want to stock up on food. I drooled over the cakes, frostings, macaron mountains, simple puddings and porridges. These things make winter cosier, warmer and more bearable especially when personal tragedies and worries make you more or less lonesome in mind if not otherwise.
I'm looking forward to some plum cake. Hope to speed to the holidays soon.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Will it be safe from now on?
Terrorists in Mumbai arrived by boat, went through a thickly guarded railway station with AK 47s and a loaded bag full of ammo, hijacked a police van and started firing from it at innocent passersby, camera people and policemen, bombed the Oberoi (Trident) hotel full of guests and citizens who'd visited there and hijacked the Taj building while a few escaped to Nariman House and held a Jewish family hostage.
We've had train blasts, communal violence but Wednesday night's trauma that went on to Thursday and spills over into today was completely something out of movies. India was again caught napping and one of its important city centres was held to ransom. A lot of people died in fires and explosions and our short-staffed police force was equipped with NSG commandos and other military groups - the army, navy etc. We were hooked to the TV all Thursday waiting and watching. We saw hotel guests being released, commandos storming the building stealthily, groups of policemen cordoning areas and blacking them out at night. Everyone couldnt believe a hijack of such proportions could happen and all we could do was damage control. When you look at the toll and at the many people who are battling with the terrorists who have died in the line of duty, you wonder if we're ever going to do enough to protect ourselves.
We're at the mercy of not just terrorists but a government that only concentrates on election mandates, a severely short-staffed and non-equipped police force, poorly paid army people and an intelligence network that's always ineffective. US ensured 9/11 did not happen again. Here, the media's going wild declaring another 9/11 - the biggest one yet - as people were dying, innocent casualties of terrorism. UK had several strategies and effective co-ordination with not only different forces but also the media that did not blow the issue out of proportion. Responsibility was serious business. Here, we have the media spreading rumours, different news on different channels while innocent people wonder what they should believe. Pathetic is not enough a word to describe their attitude. Several policemen have died including the top officials. Families have died in the blasts and fires set by terrorists.
Every single blast time, we panic but we move on and forget. As civilians, we are alert and helpful at times when we need to be. Is this same attitude reflected in people whose job it is to protect themselves and all of us? We look out for unclaimed bags and suspicious people. Do they? Unfair questions at a time like this, perhaps, when people are battling terrorists. Must we always battle them in our own homeland with hundreds dying and more held hostage? Its not just people but their livelihoods also that are held to ransom. Families are broken and its always the civilians, never a politician who experiences loss at a time like this. We lose experienced policemen, commandos and army people who never stint when it comes to battling it out with people whose number you're not sure of, you're not sure of how well-equipped they are. We find our defence forces handicapped by inferior protective armour, almost zero co-ordination and ancient methods of dealing with new and developing crises.
It may all be over today, I hope it is with all my heart. I dont know if tomorrow will ever be the same again.
We've had train blasts, communal violence but Wednesday night's trauma that went on to Thursday and spills over into today was completely something out of movies. India was again caught napping and one of its important city centres was held to ransom. A lot of people died in fires and explosions and our short-staffed police force was equipped with NSG commandos and other military groups - the army, navy etc. We were hooked to the TV all Thursday waiting and watching. We saw hotel guests being released, commandos storming the building stealthily, groups of policemen cordoning areas and blacking them out at night. Everyone couldnt believe a hijack of such proportions could happen and all we could do was damage control. When you look at the toll and at the many people who are battling with the terrorists who have died in the line of duty, you wonder if we're ever going to do enough to protect ourselves.
We're at the mercy of not just terrorists but a government that only concentrates on election mandates, a severely short-staffed and non-equipped police force, poorly paid army people and an intelligence network that's always ineffective. US ensured 9/11 did not happen again. Here, the media's going wild declaring another 9/11 - the biggest one yet - as people were dying, innocent casualties of terrorism. UK had several strategies and effective co-ordination with not only different forces but also the media that did not blow the issue out of proportion. Responsibility was serious business. Here, we have the media spreading rumours, different news on different channels while innocent people wonder what they should believe. Pathetic is not enough a word to describe their attitude. Several policemen have died including the top officials. Families have died in the blasts and fires set by terrorists.
Every single blast time, we panic but we move on and forget. As civilians, we are alert and helpful at times when we need to be. Is this same attitude reflected in people whose job it is to protect themselves and all of us? We look out for unclaimed bags and suspicious people. Do they? Unfair questions at a time like this, perhaps, when people are battling terrorists. Must we always battle them in our own homeland with hundreds dying and more held hostage? Its not just people but their livelihoods also that are held to ransom. Families are broken and its always the civilians, never a politician who experiences loss at a time like this. We lose experienced policemen, commandos and army people who never stint when it comes to battling it out with people whose number you're not sure of, you're not sure of how well-equipped they are. We find our defence forces handicapped by inferior protective armour, almost zero co-ordination and ancient methods of dealing with new and developing crises.
It may all be over today, I hope it is with all my heart. I dont know if tomorrow will ever be the same again.
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Good Friday
Friday was good, last week.
1. I met my sister. Got a haircut. Lazed around, chatting, with a glass of diluted rose syrup until it was time for lunch. We went to this mall that only had a supermarket when I'd last visited it. This time, I travelled up four escalators to the food court at a height that initially made me a bit giddy. The theme of white and glass made the mall look much bigger and roomier. Hence, the escalators looked a bit too high for my liking but I made it up there while sauntering around looking at bags (designer, street style) and ordered Chinese from one of the open restaurants. The spring rolls were crisp, the schezuan sauce was great and the chicken chilly with fried rice was quite delicious.
We came down to the market to look through shops and visit my tailor who'd stitched my blouse right on time (which never happened when I lived there). We looked in Baggit and a store called Veronica which had the hippest bags. This time, they had nothing that I'd want to spend money on. I came back empty handed although with a good haircut.
2. Met my husband and visited KFC. A long pending visit. Ever since we'd wanted to eat there, we never made the time to actually go and throughout our trip out of India, we'd be passing KFC at almost every corner. Last Friday is when I got to sample the Country fried chicken and a small Chicken snacker.
3. Went to Bond for a drink-fest. Our last one. I've decided to go off alcohol from December onwards till God knows when. Not that I miss it already. I had a good time just listening to the music and tasting the mix of different juices with the alcohol in my cocktail. And, the food! This time the cook had changed, they had live music with a band (better avoided although they didnt kill every song - the female lead singer had a good, strong voice), and a different bartender. There were changes - Deep Navel did not taste quite the same although I had new ones and the Cocktail of the Day was quite superb. Thanks to our little snack at KFC, we didnt order too much food. Bond reduced its prices, so we didnt burn too big a hole in our pockets. Not that I needed to pay.
A good Friday led to a good weekend, relaxed and restful. We cooked chicken Hyderabadi in the microwave on Sunday. We also tried to top bread with tomato ketchup, scrambled eggs and cheese and grill them in the micro to make bread pizzas. Both were successful.
1. I met my sister. Got a haircut. Lazed around, chatting, with a glass of diluted rose syrup until it was time for lunch. We went to this mall that only had a supermarket when I'd last visited it. This time, I travelled up four escalators to the food court at a height that initially made me a bit giddy. The theme of white and glass made the mall look much bigger and roomier. Hence, the escalators looked a bit too high for my liking but I made it up there while sauntering around looking at bags (designer, street style) and ordered Chinese from one of the open restaurants. The spring rolls were crisp, the schezuan sauce was great and the chicken chilly with fried rice was quite delicious.
We came down to the market to look through shops and visit my tailor who'd stitched my blouse right on time (which never happened when I lived there). We looked in Baggit and a store called Veronica which had the hippest bags. This time, they had nothing that I'd want to spend money on. I came back empty handed although with a good haircut.
2. Met my husband and visited KFC. A long pending visit. Ever since we'd wanted to eat there, we never made the time to actually go and throughout our trip out of India, we'd be passing KFC at almost every corner. Last Friday is when I got to sample the Country fried chicken and a small Chicken snacker.
3. Went to Bond for a drink-fest. Our last one. I've decided to go off alcohol from December onwards till God knows when. Not that I miss it already. I had a good time just listening to the music and tasting the mix of different juices with the alcohol in my cocktail. And, the food! This time the cook had changed, they had live music with a band (better avoided although they didnt kill every song - the female lead singer had a good, strong voice), and a different bartender. There were changes - Deep Navel did not taste quite the same although I had new ones and the Cocktail of the Day was quite superb. Thanks to our little snack at KFC, we didnt order too much food. Bond reduced its prices, so we didnt burn too big a hole in our pockets. Not that I needed to pay.
A good Friday led to a good weekend, relaxed and restful. We cooked chicken Hyderabadi in the microwave on Sunday. We also tried to top bread with tomato ketchup, scrambled eggs and cheese and grill them in the micro to make bread pizzas. Both were successful.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
What I love about this place I live in...
...Life is at a relaxed pace no matter what day of the week you're in. Mondays is when the entire market outside my house (shops, stalls, dry cleaners, you name it) are all closed for the day. Some grocery stores are open half the day and then close after lunch. It's only applicable for the area I live in. No matter what you need, if it's on a Monday then you better take a rickshaw or bus out to some shop outside this area.
....You know when it's a popularly celebrated festival. The loudspeakers blare out Marathi bhajans and film songs.
...There's a very poor selection of take out restaurants in the immediate areas surrounding our own. Only good thing about this is you dont mindlessly order food and get even fatter than you get if all you do is sit at home.
...There's even a small silver lining to power cuts in this area; they're in the afternoon so you get to catch up on your reading and even take a short nap afterwards.
...The nearest movie multiplex is a half-hour's ride away. I dont watch as many movies as I used to. Good thing? With my income from freelancing, it's a good saving.
...If you dont feel like cooking, there's a healthier alternative to take-out fast and Chinese food. We have poli-bhaji kendras (place where you get a simple, home-cooked meal thanks to enterprising Marathi businesswomen). I've often picked up entire lunches or curries to add to my home-cooked meal of the day. They even make Chicken biryani on occasion.
...They have two well-stocked libraries. I've subscribed to the older one of the two. I long to take a peek at the newer one which also looks better kept and doesnt have ancient copies of books coming almost apart at the spine.
...There's a nice, open-air mall nearby (near is of course, a little more than 30 mins away). It has movie theatres, bars, restaurants, a Mc Donalds and lots of stores. Only thing it doesnt have are good bag/purse stores.
....You know when it's a popularly celebrated festival. The loudspeakers blare out Marathi bhajans and film songs.
...There's a very poor selection of take out restaurants in the immediate areas surrounding our own. Only good thing about this is you dont mindlessly order food and get even fatter than you get if all you do is sit at home.
...There's even a small silver lining to power cuts in this area; they're in the afternoon so you get to catch up on your reading and even take a short nap afterwards.
...The nearest movie multiplex is a half-hour's ride away. I dont watch as many movies as I used to. Good thing? With my income from freelancing, it's a good saving.
...If you dont feel like cooking, there's a healthier alternative to take-out fast and Chinese food. We have poli-bhaji kendras (place where you get a simple, home-cooked meal thanks to enterprising Marathi businesswomen). I've often picked up entire lunches or curries to add to my home-cooked meal of the day. They even make Chicken biryani on occasion.
...They have two well-stocked libraries. I've subscribed to the older one of the two. I long to take a peek at the newer one which also looks better kept and doesnt have ancient copies of books coming almost apart at the spine.
...There's a nice, open-air mall nearby (near is of course, a little more than 30 mins away). It has movie theatres, bars, restaurants, a Mc Donalds and lots of stores. Only thing it doesnt have are good bag/purse stores.
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Bag
I need to update my bag-robe...as in wardrobe...
I'm carrying this white, rectangular purse gifted to me by my sister-in-law...a very cool gift to give to someone who can never have enough bags. Plus, I'd never buy white in bags so it was refreshing to get it as a gift. I'm always a careful shopper who only once splurged on a soft pink leather bag once...and that was it as i watched my bag get begrimed and was too scared to dunk it in water, which was what it needed. I also have many bags but tend to carry around one until it falls apart. My white bag now looks like it needs to be outed soon...in the way of shoving it into the dark recesses of the black hole in my closet...where things go but never return.
I want desperately to go bag shopping. Bangkok was where all the hep bags were but my thick-headed soulmate didnt understand my subtle hints. Soon after, I consoled myself thinking that I should cultivate a fashion sense and possess a smart bag...versatile and strong and reliable. And very, very beautiful. Doesnt matter if I'm the only one who thinks its beautiful. So, I looked at designer bags till my eyes popped out. Checked them online, sought out the expensive ones even if only to windowshop. My shopping sense was miraculously altered and now it was all about possession...getting a perfect bag, not just any cheap one. The confusion that normally envelops my brain in a bag shop soon drove away and I looked for bags the way a shrewd grocery shopper checks vegetables. I held bags to see if they fell off my shoulder, I looked at the design then imagined what outfits would best complement it. I realized that with my ethnic, western and formal outfits, I needed either a versatile bag (like my white bag which has its limitations esp when I dress up in a saree for weddings) or at least two separate bags; one a normal tote and the other a clutch or something equally slinky.
All in all, I'm developing a sense instead of just going for the bean shaped bag and getting a good deal. I still want a good deal but I want a bag that looks more than just a bag. More than just something you stuff all your little and big things in: from lipsticks to books to a stowaway snack or a dress or something that you splurged on and dont want the world to know. Not that my present income methods would allow such extravagance.
The only down side to all this newly developed 'sense' is that I have yet to find my bag. :) This Saturday I might be meeting a best friend of mine...hopefully in the wide expanse of Phoenix Mills I will be able to find the bag that dreams are made of....
I'm carrying this white, rectangular purse gifted to me by my sister-in-law...a very cool gift to give to someone who can never have enough bags. Plus, I'd never buy white in bags so it was refreshing to get it as a gift. I'm always a careful shopper who only once splurged on a soft pink leather bag once...and that was it as i watched my bag get begrimed and was too scared to dunk it in water, which was what it needed. I also have many bags but tend to carry around one until it falls apart. My white bag now looks like it needs to be outed soon...in the way of shoving it into the dark recesses of the black hole in my closet...where things go but never return.
I want desperately to go bag shopping. Bangkok was where all the hep bags were but my thick-headed soulmate didnt understand my subtle hints. Soon after, I consoled myself thinking that I should cultivate a fashion sense and possess a smart bag...versatile and strong and reliable. And very, very beautiful. Doesnt matter if I'm the only one who thinks its beautiful. So, I looked at designer bags till my eyes popped out. Checked them online, sought out the expensive ones even if only to windowshop. My shopping sense was miraculously altered and now it was all about possession...getting a perfect bag, not just any cheap one. The confusion that normally envelops my brain in a bag shop soon drove away and I looked for bags the way a shrewd grocery shopper checks vegetables. I held bags to see if they fell off my shoulder, I looked at the design then imagined what outfits would best complement it. I realized that with my ethnic, western and formal outfits, I needed either a versatile bag (like my white bag which has its limitations esp when I dress up in a saree for weddings) or at least two separate bags; one a normal tote and the other a clutch or something equally slinky.
All in all, I'm developing a sense instead of just going for the bean shaped bag and getting a good deal. I still want a good deal but I want a bag that looks more than just a bag. More than just something you stuff all your little and big things in: from lipsticks to books to a stowaway snack or a dress or something that you splurged on and dont want the world to know. Not that my present income methods would allow such extravagance.
The only down side to all this newly developed 'sense' is that I have yet to find my bag. :) This Saturday I might be meeting a best friend of mine...hopefully in the wide expanse of Phoenix Mills I will be able to find the bag that dreams are made of....
Recipe Books, a Microwave and Cakes
The new microwave has created quite an interest in cooking. We’re saving on usage of cooking gas and at the same time creating good, wholesome, microwave convection-cooked food. A chicken curry was the second guinea pig dish tried after the no-frills veg pulao. The result: we don’t miss the oily tari floating on the curry, the chicken cooked just as well without frying it first and then cooking it in gravy.
These two successes made me look over the recipes in the new cookbooks that my sister chose as a gift for me on two of my favourite themes – Thai food and Pasta. The Pasta cookbook has a baked section…wonderfully photographed and just moving you to the point of imagining it melt in your mouth. There’s enough cheese to put 10 kilos on without even eating it at one go…has enough to mount the calories in your system as your eyes take in the crusted cheese on pies and the melted cheese squeezed out of the lasagnas and cannelloni tubes also filled with yummy mince meat or dark green spinach leaves. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to pore over this section on an empty stomach…and I only had a glass of milk which lay forgotten until I forced my eyes to look up at the clock over my desk.
I need to not indulge at this point – I’m not saying I must diet, although that’s probably a good idea but very hard to keep up – and stay off the rich food. Which is extremely hard when you’ve also got to celebrate this month. My parents have their thirtieth anniversary today – amazing amount of years. I hit my first wedding anniversary this month’s 30th. There’s a wedding at a posh club I’ve been invited to and I already have a saree picked out for the occasion. More than anything, wherever I get invited to, I’m always interested in the food they’re going to serve. Which is very unfortunate for my figure: traditionally-built.
While reading Ramotswe (No. 1 Ladies Detective Series), I noticed that full-figured (or sometimes, even fat) was the meaning indicated by the term traditionally-built, which describes the leading lady’s figure. Traditionally-built meant how women used to be before the scales tilted towards the idea of thin as beautiful (also perfect). I realized how women probably all around the world could describe their ancestors the same way – whether it be the Victorian age with its seductresses, or ancient India with voluptuousness admired in women to the point of describing the walk of one such a woman similar to the leisurely stride of an elephant. They probably looked similar too, else why would the poet think of an elephant in the first place?
I know such thoughts do not help and especially the part where she (Ramotswe) overcomes the pressures of dieting by biting into a slice of her friend’s home-made fruit cake. I almost felt the fruity insides of the cake in my mouth. Now, I long for a good, rich plum cake…rum added would not be a bad notion.
I now need a very easy, non-fussy cake recipe to bake in the microwave. But it must taste just as good, something to give up a diet for.
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