Monday, July 25, 2011

Busy Week-end - July 23rd 2011

So it all started with guests coming home on Fri nite, then we had a Movie nite sponsored by the apartment (pizza and juice included).
Sat morning we went to the works musuem which was a really fun place. There were lots of things of interest like light filters, gears, we could also build our own race cars and circuit lights. Returned home by 3 an put baby to sleep. He slept from 4:30 - 7. then at nite we went downtown to see the fire-works(end of Auannetial festival) which was very spectacular.
Sun morning cooked payasam for pot-luck, went to Bryant lake park and returned by 6.
All in all a well turned out busy week-end.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Small Potato Biryani

Well, I hardly make any dishes from potato so when I got some baby potatoes from Farmer's market I was at a loss what to do except fromt he usual frying as I wanted to try out something different.
I happened to see this receipe at Rak's Kitchen and immediately decided to try it(ofcourse in a different version)

Ingredinets:-
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Baby potatoes - 6 nos
Youghurt - 1/4 Cup
Corriander Leaves - 1/2 bunch
Bay Leaves , Cloves, Cardamon - 2 nos
Salt - As needed
Oil - As needed
Spring Onions - 4 nos
Garlic - 2 nos
Ginger - 1/2 piece

1) Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins
2) Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles, was, peel the skin, dry them and then deep fry in oil till brown(Next time onwrds will shallow fry)
3) Make a paste of youghurt and corriander leaves
4) In cooker add ghee, when hot add ginger & garlic pieces, along with Bay leaves, cardamon and cloves.
5) Next add spring onions and salt, Always add extra salt as we are going to add rice.
6) Add coriander powder, red chilly powder, Biryani masala, turmeric powder(basically any powders to enhance the taste, of course refrain from talcum powders--hehe PJ)
7) Now add the potatoes and then add the curd+coriander paste, let it heat well for some time, let the potatoes absorb the flavour
8)Then add rice along with water, close and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
9) Garnish with top part of spring onions
Delicious potato biryani is ready to be eaten.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Why did I marry the guy I married?

because it was God's wish..............................................
So when people hear I am a Malu and he is a Tam the next question immediately is "Oh! so love marriage", Well, how do I answer this question without giving a detailed explanation as to --No, it was not our parents who met first as in typical traditional weddings but we who decided to get married and No, not becuase we fell in love at first sight or we were the most compatible people together but for the simple fact that I was 27 years, wanted to get settled and he was a good friend who helped and ofcourse God's wish..I tell you how...

So I first set eyes on him on 8th Sept 2004 and when someone introduced him as , "This is the guy the whole company resides on, no he was not the CEO, just a DBA", I was thinkin in my mind, Who this lanky looking thin guy, Really!!!"
Well, after we sort of decided to get married after his parents said Yes, we decided to go together for a trip to Niagara.
He flew to NY and I had booked a 2 day Niagara tour on one of the very famous Chinki buses. So this was our fist official date. Now I knew we were poles apart. If I was North he was South but still I thought I could live with him.

So the 1st day of the trip we sit in the bus, it is an 8 hr drive to Niagara with a mid-way stop to Corning Glass factory. When we were in college we friends used to always tell, that we did not care about looks in a guy, all we wanted was someone who could talk well, now my guy hardly opened his mouth, No no he was not tongue-tied, just that is his nature, so the bus sped away and here we were sititng silently, after all the huge expectations that I had from my first date, this was a major disaapointment.
Infact it was so bad that I started speaking to myself after I got bored looking at the sights outside. Speaking to myself also involves speaking to God and I was asking him, Really, this guy, will I be happy?, will I be able to go through this, now I couldnt even reject the only 1 guy who was ready to marry me, else would have to start the searching process all over again..Now by this time we had reached our first destination (Corning Glass Factory), So they asked us to take a tour of the factory and then finally there was a demonstration at the end of which they would give a prize. Tickets were given to us as we left the bus.

As we entered the hall where the final demo was to be held I was telling God, ek ishara de dedho(yup, Dil to pagal hai types)jise mein samajh jau yehi mera zindagi hain...Now God just cannot scream and tell his wish(not practical na)so I normally think of something to help him help me, like this time I said, if you want me to marry him, we should win the prize, now the hall had about 500 people. After I made my bargaining with God, I asked G to give me his ticket as the attender was collecting everthing in a bowl for the lucky draw and whoa! G did not even know they were handing out tickets, so I asked our bus host if he had more tickets and he gave us the last one he had.
And when they called out the winning ticket number who should win it but G, yes his ticket was the winning one and he asked me to go and get the prize(a flower vase) from the stage. I still have pictures with me.
Well I just looked up and thanked God, if that was his wish who was I not to follow...............

Monday, July 18, 2011

Lazyyyyyy Week-end

Fri was working from home due to the thunders and lightining, so it was a very rest ful day, took a nap from 12-1, had lunch and logged off from work PC by 4. evening went to pick baby at day-care, went to Costco, Indian store and cooking puri-chole at night, pretty much day is done. Put baby to sleep at 9:30pm and lo! slept with him, woke up at 9:15 am :)

Sat after a breakfast of chai and bread(hubby not well this week), in-laws came over webcam, after chatting made lunch, feb baby with lunch, put him to sleep and also slept from 2 -5. woke up and went to Water Ski show, back by 8:30--some other cousins came over web-cam, made ragi dosa, had dinner and slept.

Sun morn woke up by 8, again breakfast of bread and chai, played with baby, read some books, evening had to attend a bday party, so went to mall at 5 to get a gift, attended party, cake + dinner, back hoem, back to bed.
What a nice and relaxign week-end indeed!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

And then they turned red........

Yeah...my eyes. It all started with on Wednesday July 6th 2011 when my right eyes turned a little red, I thoguth a blood vessel must have broken,by evening it had a little swelling. Thu morning I decided to go to ofc and hubby was surprised thinkin I'll rest at home, and with all this the sore thoraty sensation had already started. By evening, in ofc I started shivering, went home and had so much shivers and jitters, throat had gone all bad, redness in the eyes still persisted, but I did not take any medecine
Fri morn felt better but redness still persisted so decided to get an appt, so difficult to get same day appointment, luckily had an opening for 2:30pm. Went to the doctors and again fever started. She saw my throat (very red and white marks) and with eye infection, she gave antibiotics and eye-drops and asked to take medecine for fever.
Came home took all medecines and slept. I should be fine by evening I thought.
By evening felt better but eyes still swollen and bloody red.
Had made some dal but eat plain rice, at night took medecine and slept.
Sat morn still not better (both eyes infected now), fever + horrible sore throat, managing to cook for baby and get along.
By evening fever is gone to be replaced by a splitting headache. Night not able to eat much food, went to sleep, woke up at 5(hungry/weak/tired), got some milk and corn flakes, immediately felt dizzy, managed to catch the chair else would have fallen down, next think I know is sitting on the bed, lied down, that feels good, slept. Sun - fever gone, body weak and tired, managed to cook and eat something. Sun passed by stugglingly.
Took leave from ofc on Monday. Felt much better. By Tue redness had decreased. Had a bath at night. Getting back to normal.

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Saturday, July 02, 2011

10-day-challenge-post-9 -Two Songs

I am not a big music lover, I seldom on my own initiate songs but I do like to listen to good numbers
On that account my favorites are:-
1) Tujhe na dekho toh chain mujhe aata nahin hain--ek tere siwa koi aur mujhe bata nahin ahin--kahin mujhe pyaar hua toh nahin. I know this is picturised on Divya Bharati.

Maybe during teenage years this song was very apt and so it still lingers on my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrReiaUcVp4(link)

2) Miri ariyahde vanu nee miri....from the malayalam movie 'Niram'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6_2zEYa2dQ(link). I love this movie and all the songs.

Friday, July 01, 2011

10-day-challenge-post-8 -Three Movies

1)KIREEDAM
Mohanlal plays Sethumadhavan, a man who is forced to be a criminal by the society and the circumstances. He did a fantastic job in the movie, thus claiming the National Special Jury Award for his fantastic perforance. Mohanlal has given all he had to this character Sethumadhavan, who goes through different states of life, not as a cop as he desired to be, but as a criminal hated and feared by people.

He is even hated by his own father who is a head constable whose desires of his son becoming a police officer goes in vain.
I am a big Mohanlal fan and this movie truly lives to expectations

2)Taare Zameen Par:- A movie about a dyslexic kid and how his teacher helps him to overcome his disability. Great performance by Darsheel

3)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) is one of the greatest American films. Its theme is set in the world of an authentic mental hospital (Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon), a place of rebellion exhibited by a energetic, flamboyant, wise-guy anti-hero against the Establishment. Brilliant acting by Jack Nicholas. This movie was re-made in Malayalam (Thalavattom), again brilliant acting by Mohanlal