A few things that have left me thinking for a while

Why haven't I posted something in a long time? I almost forgot that I own a blog!

Babies are the best in the whole world. And to grow up with one at 22, is even better. Try to make them smile by screwing up your face or by singing lullabies (its tough to get the pitch right!) and the minute they sprout up that cheesy grin, oh boy, that itself can make your day shine as bright as ever.

Waiting for something, that you so eagerly expect to happen, is a pain in the neck. But it sure does make life a lot interesting with all that hope and positive energy building up in you.

If 'Slumdog Millionaire' was such a phenomenon, what on earth happened to a movie like 'Traffic Signal'?

Somebody once told me (or did I read it somewhere?) that luck is the sum of opportunity and preparation. I believe luck just pops out of the blue when you least expect it. Its a luck to get lucky!

Not an avid follower of politics myself, but its a hats off to the UPA government. If not for them, this place would have fallen like a pack of cards ages ago. While recession takes its toll, its only in India where you can still find a job for yourself (sort of an irony in my case).

Finally for the time being, ladies and gentlemen, I am a certified engineer. Whoohooo! An engineer with a pretty job offer in hand but is still unemployed.
Now who on earth thought that recession would pop out of nowhere in the exact year when I had to graduate. Is that destiny or the game of toss called......LIFE? Hmmmmmmm...

Confessions Part-I

This post is an insight of what has been wriggling inside my tiny head for almost half a year. I’m tired of waiting for a miracle to hit me. But there always this ray of hope that you want to cling on to, which makes things turn in your tummy. This is the truth about life.

College; somewhere I dread going to even till the last few months. I swore to my friends I wouldn’t miss this place at any cost for the fact that it had made my life weirder than ever. Even while performing these acts, I knew I would eventually be wrong. The reason and perhaps the secret was that, I kept going back to the same place everyday for four years ‘coz of a few irreplaceable people without whom I couldn’t get my day worked out. I required regular doses of their laughter, smiles, tears, rebukes, kicks, pokes, hugs, advices, winks, pull/slap on my cheeks to get me going; I got addicted unknowingly.

Today I’m left with an immense desire to go back to the old days, to be with those people, and have those quality times which I denied I wouldn’t miss. Life has been a living hell now without all the fun I’ve had. There have been occasions when I’ve returned back to college and had strolls around the corridors and classes that once belonged to us. Although, I saw new faces and couples at each corner, my mind went racing through the maze of old pictures of myself in their place.
Memories and thoughts pass by my eyes everyday. I look upon to a miracle to return those moments and people who touched and changed my life forever.

WINCARNIS TONIC WINES

My all time favorite wine to date. It is red wine made of grape juice, malt extracts, herbs and spices along with a small amount of alcohol. A small drink after dinner every night helps in digestion and a good sleep. Here is more of its priceless value that I dug up:

• Strengthens the immune system, restores health after sickness, improves blood circulation and rejuvenates skin and complexion.
• Contains energy-giving vitamin B complex.
• Calms the nerves down.

Try this wine or the Wincarnis Ginger wine with ice and enjoy.

Art of Wine Tasting

Tips before drinking your glass of wine

• Pour a little of the wine into your wine glass. The rim of the glass should be bend inwards.

• Notice the colour of the wine by holding the glass up to light or against a white napkin. This is to ensure that the wine is fresh. White wine generally gain colour or turn cloudy as they age. Red wine tends to show a hint of brownness around the rim.

• Next swirl the wine in circular motion a couple of times by holding the stem of the glass to aerate the wine vapors for you to smell.

• Then put your nose to the rim of the glass and breathe in. Strong aromatic flavors with hints of vanilla, peaches, and berries will fill you. The smell of wine is more important than its taste.

• Now take a sip (not a gulp) and fill your mouth slightly through halfway. Before you swallow, let the wine slide across your tongue and feel all the sensations. You can recognize how sweet the wine is or how acidic it is or how strong the alcohol content is.

• Finally swallow the sip of wine and enjoy the lingering taste and pleasure. Happy drinking!

SINGHS ARE KINNGS!!!

For the bollywood die-hard fans, this title may be quite familiar and personally I think its going to be another Askshy-Katerina blockbuster with a really lame and pathetic script. Surprisingly and fortunately, this movie comes along exactly when our country’s most prestigious politicians have a reason to smile. Oh yeah! I am talking about the two Singhs of India – brave, fearless and yet two-faced - AMAR and MANMOHAN dadas! And as per tradition that no movie (at least in bollywood) is made without a lead female, we have one here too, none other than from ‘the first family of India’ – SONIAji. Sigh!

With a craze for petite things like super cars and gold plated Rolex watches, Amar Singh has the UPA as a new entity to his list of ‘rich best friends’ the rest being the glamour honored Bachchans and Ambanis. A peep back into his history, it was this tiny man who influenced Mulayam Singh Yadav to kill Sonia’s prime ministerial dream years ago. Thumbs-up man!

As for Manmohan Singh, who has been mauled over enough, is a meek puppet playing along well to the music. And it surprises me that he still holds the chair of PM. And bravely he fought all the odds (with a big push from the strings attached) and came out smiling at the end of the day. It is a weird feeling of pity that falls over me when I see him on television. God Bless him!

The week kicked off big time with a thrilling and spiteful ‘thamasha’ live from within the Lok Sabha and I truly enjoyed watching the showbiz whenever I could. From the high-impact speech by Omar Abdullah, romantic filmy dialogues and comical talk by Lalu Prasad Yadav (as expected), tongue-in-cheek extempore from Rahul Gandhi, the raw and power packed dialogues by PM (surprise!), to the melodrama of greed and prestige in digging up a bag full of hot cash; it was a joy to watch these people desperately struggle, fight and beg to make their points heard. I bet they have never worked this hard to date.

Tip for oil free homemade french fries

Peel and slice the potatoes.
Boil the slices in water mixed with a pinch or two of salt for 4-5 minutes.
Strain the boiled pieces and deep fry.

The method reduces the oil content to a great extend making it healthier to consume. Try it for yourself and enjoy.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

• Flour---------- ----------1cup
• Sugar--------------------3/4cup
• Curd---------------------1/2cup
• Butter-------------------1/2cup
• Baking Powder--------1tsp
• Soda Bi-Carbonate---1/4tsp
• Milk----------------------4-5tbsp
• Coco powder----------3tbsp

Mix the flour, coco powder, soda bi-carbonate and baking powder.

Beat curd, butter and sugar till fluffy and creamy.

Mix the above two mixtures along with milk and mash well with hands.

Pour the mix into the oven tray and microwave for 20-25 minutes at 160 power. (Time depends on the quantity you make)

Cool and serve.

APPLE JAM

• 1 cup peeled and finally chopped apples
• A cup sugar
• 2tbsp lemon juice

Mix sugar & apples and heat for about 5 minutes.
Blend the softened mixture in a blender.
Again heat the blended mix for 7-8 minutes. Stir in between.
Add lemon juice and let it cool.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

• Cocoa powder------3tbsp
• Sugar----------------1/2cup
• Corn flour----------3tsp
• Water---------------1/2cup
• Butter---------------2tbsp
• Vanilla Essence----2-3drops

Mix all the dry ingredients along with water and mix thoroughly.
Heat the mix and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add butter, stir and blend thoroughly.
Finally add vanilla essence and mix.
Cool and serve with cakes or ice creams.

SPIRIT OF INDIA-2

This is my 2^nd version of the post ‘Spirit of India’. I had made a reference then that I was inspired and stimulated by articles that I read through from a monthly magazine. So for those who haven’t read it, here are a few people who are the true pioneers of change.

Deepak Kumar, Bihar

A murder convict who served 14 years in prison came back to his village to provide help for the deprived children through setting up a school. Initially, the post-graduate was rejected by the villagers and his requests for loans were cancelled due his iniquitous past. But within five months, a few of his relatives and friends who had faith in him rose to extend their help and his dream was fulfilled. Today, the English-medium school has up to class 7 with more than 365 students, most of them poor, paying a fee of just Rs 75/month.

Veena Devi, Mukhiya (panchayat chief), Bihar

35-year old Veena serves her 2^nd term as mukhiya in her panchayat situated in rural Bihar. Her mission is to promote women’s empowerment in the caste-polarized and crime-ridden district. Born into a poor family, married at the age of 14, a mother at 15 and a widow at 16, she has seen and gone through the hardships of rural Bihar. She realized she had to prevent the trauma from passing on to next generation only through fearless commitment. When she decided to contest for elections in 2000, the men mocked and shunned her away and also had her indicted into a false murder case. Fortunately the cases were proved wrong and the elections turned into her favour. Recently, she had launched a campaign to make widows self-reliant in the village and has been a success to date.

Abhyanand, Additional DGP, Bihar

This IPS officer tutors hundreds of unprivileged young IIT aspirants helping their dreams come true. The programme called Super30 offers free IIT entrance coaching for 30 selected youngsters from unprivileged families in rural Bihar. They are brought to Patna, provided with accommodation, food and exhausting coaching for seven months-all for free. In 2003, the first batch saw 18 out of the 30 enter into the prestigious institution. Each year the numbers increased and in 2007, 28 students had their dreams come true.

N. Krishnan, Founder of Akshaya Trust, Madurai

A catering technology graduate quit his job at a 5-star hotel in Bangalore to serve food to the hungry on the streets of Madurai. What provoked the 27-year old was the sight of an old man on the street eating his own faeces. He took the man to a nearby hotel and bought him food. The man ate and drank without pausing and after finishing he walked away with tears in his eyes. This deeply moved Krishnan and proceeded to set up the Akshaya Trust in six months after quitting his job with his life’s savings. Today, he along with his three friends delivers breakfast, lunch and dinner to around 300 people daily. The funds come in from a few local companies and individuals. Other than feeding the poor, he cuts the hair of the mentally-ill on the streets, which led him to give up being a Brahmin.

What I Want

For the past two days I have received immense approval for my blog. Thank you to all my friends who have supported me. What started as a ‘let me see what’s so special about writing blogs?’ has turned to my major activity now. You may laugh or think I am silly if I say that these days I even dream about blogs! Honest; it’s not an exaggeration. The true fact is that I want to reach out to people through what I write. 'Chef's corner' is dedicated to my friends working at Amrita Technology. I had guaranteed them I would bring them all that I would cook but that didn’t work out as planned. So I decided to put up the instructions to all the foodies I prepare. Not a great cook myself but I would love them to give a shot themselves.

The post ‘The Spirit of India’ was an aftermath of the articles I read in India Today and also my urge to contribute in a small way to change the mindset of people. A close friend after reading the blog told me that this is what every youth says and nothing will ever change. I do realize it’s so easy to write but tough and perhaps dangerous to bring ourselves to action. But if a magazine or a movie like ‘Rang De Basanti’ could awaken me then so can I rouse my friends who read the post. When you read it, I want you to realize that you are today’s Indian youth and you have the immense power to change and dawn our country to new beginnings. I am not talking about going up to the streets and protesting for a change. If I had to stand on the ‘great well’ near my house and make a speech about change, there’s no doubt I would get tight slaps across my face and maybe pushed into the well. As a matter of fact I myself haven’t got a clue of how to bring about this change. But I did have an idea which wouldn’t work out. I wanted to teach English during these few months at a nearby institute where they teach the language to children as well as adults of the village. I wanted to do this because English is the only strong point I have in spite being an engineering graduate and I felt I could pass on whatever little knowledge I have to these people. But the idea was rejected by my family since they had better hopes from me as an engineer. Typical Indian household scenario. Again I am left helpless but to patiently wait for my time to come.

SPIRIT OF INDIA

I stumbled upon this month’s issue of India Today. With nothing much to do, I resolved to have a read through it. I was lucky enough to get this copy since it was a special issue voicing the toil of common civilians around our country trying to make a difference. Each individual featured in the magazine had a wonderful story to quote along with their sweet fruits of hard work.

Our country has a long way to go. While some parts have reproduced the western culture aura with a damaging upshot other parts are deep-rooted under the ancient taboos whereas a few others are strangulated in communal violence waving an atmosphere for pessimism and intolerance. I come from a village where people are obdurate to change and reject transformations blindly. I have neighbors who complain their sons haven’t got enough dowry or have people gathering around tiny shops gossiping about the girl who they saw talking with the next door boy. I also have neighbors who consider their women impure and forbid them to daily chores once in every month. During my college days, I had to walk to the junction twice a day to catch a bus where men would stare as though they had never seen a female and had to listen to their nasty comments. And yet all that I could do was to give a callous look and speed away as far as my legs could carry. This is indeed the vibrant taste of India where women are left choice less. I will one day perhaps be a mother and I would want my children to live and be bought up as proud Indians but the truth is that I am hesitant. I am so, because unless people change their mindset and come out to the open to face reality, nothing is going to change.

We are the present youth of our nation and we have the power to change the country more than any government. If this happens, the change along with the impact would be a massive. Earlier the question used to be ‘what can the country do for us?’ but at present age the question should churn as ‘what can we do for our country?’

My 1st ever blog !!!

Everyone I know kept advising me to write a blog to spent time. I guess it isn’t a harm to try out what it’s all about. At this very moment, I really have no clue as to what I should write about. Maybe I should start off with my experiences that I have had for the past 22 years.

Thanks to my god sent parents, I was brought to this world during an early summer of 1986 on June 1st. Fortunate I was since the day I unbolt my minuscule eyes, to be bought up in a beautiful world where I got more than anyone could ask for. I grew up amidst strong Indian cultures and principles which I’m truly proud of. As for every child, my mother taught me ‘the golden rules’ of how to present myself as a good Indian girl to anyone and everyone. And my father, who I miss a lot, trained me with his strong ethics and morals. I remember my mother trying hard to teach me my mother-tongue whenever she got me in her hands, though she never succeeded to a great extend. My parents were and still are my entire life. Apart from them, years later I was introduced to my elder sister. We were bought up in totally two different dimensions. I guess we got acquainted initially as ‘just friends’ rather than as siblings. I never understood why we were separated. It took us years to recognize each other as bonded-sisters. During most of my upbringing, I usually felt I was my parent’s only child. And as every only child, I used to talk to myself. And that was my ever-favorite hobby and it still is. I used to always think to myself that I would never have a complete family. For 16 years, I was separated from my sister and during the rest of the years when I finally got to live with my sister, my father left for work. It’s sad but I guess that’s just the way life is. As long as we get together once in a year, it’s all right with me.

Like the two sides of a coin and like every other kid, my childhood had bad memories along with the good. More of them are the good stuff, but the bad were the worst I could get. I have learned to put the bad past behind my head but at times when they sneak in back, it stings. Luckily in recent years and hopefully for the rest of my life, I have had people around me with whom I could trust to share my thoughts that twirl inside my head.

My first school is where the very best of my early memories dwell. The 11 glorious years in the beautiful school where I’d learned to acknowledge myself in a range of aspects. The level of exposure and diversity I received developed me enormously. At a young age I was used to converse with people from all over the globe from various ethnicities. And I loved meeting up with new boys and girls my age. I was popular around the school as a great nerd. It was funny people classified me as a nerd only because I had ‘nerdy glasses’. But that never bothered me. I wanted to fetch good grades and amass the opportunities I came across. There were of course the usual kids to push and pull as well as the tight competition with politics to dominate. That didn’t bother me either even in spite of regular speech treatments to be serious from my beloved parents. It’s amazing the kind of push and pressure kids are subjected to by parents which in a way can cause the child to be resilient in their own way. And in turn results in what psychologists call ‘rebellious teenagers’. Anyway coming back to my early school days, I had my personal list of favorite teachers and subjects as every other kid. I clearly remember my first proposal way back in 4th grade which totally freaked me out. From then on I made sure I wouldn’t attach tight strings with boys. I guess it was a result from the shock I received. But now thinking of that very day, draws a smile to my face. I smile because of the innocence we were all swathe in. I truly hope that sometime in the near future I could meet up with that guy and perhaps thank him for the soft spot he had for me back then.

One of my best reminiscences was during the weekends, when my parents would take me out to the beach and I was allowed to have as many ice creams I wanted. My parents would chew on pop-corns with me in the middle (sweeping my tongue off the ice creams) and have long strolls on the coastline and later sit by one the benches and watch the tides. Another was the shopping spree at midnight and getting back home in the early mornings with tones of goodies and fresh French croissants. I admit I was pampered a lot by my parents but never spoiled.

Years rolled by, met wonderful boys and girls, build great friendships, got rugged by some, rugged a few myself, when finally it was time to bid adieu to my second home. Time had come for me to go to a new place, a new country. I was unhappy with the decision my parents made. I tired my best to get them out of it and suggested alternative decisions, but in vain. My parents had made their decision without hearing what I wanted. It was decided my father would stay back and me and my mother along with my sister would stay in our big abandoned house in the new country. From this time on, I was made to do things that I never wanted.

I moved to my new place when I was in my sweet sixteen. Wasn’t as sweet as the name goes. I hated the place the moment I came. It was as though the fortress I was incubated in all these years had crashed down. I was expected to adjust and get along with the people and surroundings like every Indian girl should. All the decisions were made and I had to abide by them at any cost. Then a day came when I joined my 2nd school which I would categorize as the 2nd phase of my life. Gladly this period of time passed off with the snap of a finger. I was in the school of two years. And I don’t have a single happy memory to preserve. I didn’t have my personal list of favorite teachers or subjects. Ironically I don’t even know what I did for those two years. I had people around me whom I couldn’t trust and to me their greatest satisfaction was to see other people’s misery. I was blown off by this impudent nature revolving around every person in the new place. Everyday was like a dark cloud that hung over me. I’d an awful lot of experiences in the two years and above all I missed my father and the great life I once had. I had lost my essence of living life.

The two years never meant anything to me. I had made a lot of new friends but a handful turned to be true. I desperately wanted to get out and be the happy girl I was. But once again I was made to stay back, this time for another four years! These four years were the 3rd phase of a new beginning. It was indeed a new fresh start because I was shifting to college and that to me was a big landmark.

My college wasn’t in any sense a college! It was more of a school with really weird rules and bizarre people in white. At the beginning I’d a notion that these four years could be worst than the previous two years. Initially, I was a loner since I turned to be one of the very few day scholars. I hated the place and used to run back home whenever I could. Another reason was that my father got home and I wanted to spend more time with him than with a bunch of strangers who never seemed to notice me. Though things weren’t good at college, I was hardly bothered since my father was finally home with us. For a very brief time, I had my complete family. I knew I was waiting for this moment for a long time. I felt so protected and thankful to god for his mercy.

Few months later my father left back for work and I was left raw to be unnoticed in college. I attained a couple of good friends by then but my desire to bump into new people went missing. I knew I’d changed and didn’t know who to blame. The first year in college was my roughest one. I got to meet new people through the few friends I knew and hence the chain grew. Things started to change when everyone slowly acknowledged me or at least my name. I was feeling better and soon had the urge to change back to who I once was. Things definitely headed for the best and I could see myself in smiles all the time. And by then I had become proficient in judging a person within a few seconds of conversation. I believe that quality helped me handle a person with ease.

The four years went off in a flash leaving behind a trail of beautiful memoirs. It’s beautiful since I found myself enjoying life after a brief downcast. Although not in complete, I have regained my essence to live with fun and smiles. I have learned and come across many experiences to be the person I am now. I have learned my lessons well and have achieved ‘self-satisfaction’. Though at times life was unfair, I believe everything happens for a reason and one has to receive the challenges with a justified mind. There’s nothing better than living your life to the extreme. I’m very excited and a little nervous to know what life holds for me in the near future but I am totally prepared to accept the dares thrown at me.