http://www.google.com/goog411/index.html
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Holding Babies
Indian thatha-paatis (grand parents) will have a heart attack if they see someone carrying a month old baby this way. Babies below the age of 3 months or atleast till the stage their neck becomes stable are said to be handled with great care. First time mother's would listen to those advices on ' art of carrying new borns' umpteen times a day from their parents, grand parents and more from the 'adutha aathu' (from the neighbourhood), 'adutha theru' (next street) vambu maamis (gossip aunties) and paatis. These jobless vambu maamis think they are the God sent mesiahs to preach child care or the mid wife incarnations always pouring those unwanted and embarassing advices. The conversations when they are around pretty much go like the age old Woodword's gripe water advertisement. Wondering what will have to say when this picture too ?!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Attempted Pita Breads...
They are best had with Hummous & Tehina, so they say!
But for a die hard desi, it goes the best with Tomato pickle and Raita...yumm!!!
The mode of preparation, i followed as is from the link,
used - instant yeast+salt+honey (no sugar)
flour - whole wheat flour 2 cups + 1 cup white flour
The story behind MS Blue
http://www.nallisilk.com/nallib2c/history.do
1951
"One crisp summer morning in 1951, the late M S Subbulakshmi, one of the greatest names in Carnatic music has ever known, walked into a Nalli store with a blue thread in her hand. The thread was of a particular shade of blue, on that she wanted a sari fashioned out of. As that particular color was not commercially available. Nalli experimented with dyes in their own workshop and true to Nalli's reputation, she got her wish. from then on. that particular shade of blue came to be known as MS blue."
1951
"One crisp summer morning in 1951, the late M S Subbulakshmi, one of the greatest names in Carnatic music has ever known, walked into a Nalli store with a blue thread in her hand. The thread was of a particular shade of blue, on that she wanted a sari fashioned out of. As that particular color was not commercially available. Nalli experimented with dyes in their own workshop and true to Nalli's reputation, she got her wish. from then on. that particular shade of blue came to be known as MS blue."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The brushing song!
In order to make brushing his teeth a pleasant and a happy thing for him, i came up with a song. I always stood beside him in front of the mirror and sang and danced as he brushed. The song is as simple as ,
"side to side, side to side
side to side, side to side,
on your left, front back,
front back, front back,
on to your right front back,
front back front back,
up and down, up and down,
up and down, up and down,
side to side....up and down (how many ever times, till I'm satisfied with his brushing)
splash as you spit, grrrrrrrrrr garggle and splash as you spit "
By 'splash' I just meant the sound of water gushing out of his mouth as he spit but instead he used to spit and splash literally all over the mirror. I used to just control myself and not go ballistic about it - ain't matter now, since i feel hygiene comes first and then follows discipline involuntarily. May be it was my mistake and i should not have uttered splash at all in the first place. But it was too late, since he liked my composition and knew the song fully and i was afraid to make any changes. And moreover brushing his teeth was more important than the mirror getting wet. Kids do understand a lot, all we need to do is TALK. We explain to him that he needs to brush twice everyday in order to get rid of the bacteria. And if he drinks his milk before brushing in the morning, the bacteria is going to go into his stomach and cause stomach ache and blah blah blah. He understands this fact! Over understood to the extent that he got too finicky and when ever he ate an ice cream or chocolate or anything sticky, he would want to brush. Anyways, after a few days of splashing all over the mirror, he came up with the question, "When i spit, is the bacteria going to go to the mirror ? Mirror ku edanum ayduma (is anything going to happen to the mirror)?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, Mirror paavam daane" and that's it, he is a very clean spitter since then ;-)
OK, above is all old story, now, the reason behind this post is, i was downloading some peppy Hindi songs in order to burn a CD for the car, so we can enjoy some non-stop desi music during our weekend road trips. I played a few remixes as i got going with some house hold chores and side by side doing some bollyrobics choreo ;-). All of a sudden he comes running to me, "Amma, yaaro unnoda paatu padra shano shano-la" (mom, someone's singing your song on shano shano) He became so sad, he almost couldn't digest the fact that someone else was singing the same words that i sing for him. Just too possessive! Seriously, i never knew that such a bit existed in that song, since, all along we were listening to the original track and only today i played the remix.
Here is what he listened to between 0:49 and 0:53,
"side to side, side to side
side to side, side to side,
on your left, front back,
front back, front back,
on to your right front back,
front back front back,
up and down, up and down,
up and down, up and down,
side to side....up and down (how many ever times, till I'm satisfied with his brushing)
splash as you spit, grrrrrrrrrr garggle and splash as you spit "
By 'splash' I just meant the sound of water gushing out of his mouth as he spit but instead he used to spit and splash literally all over the mirror. I used to just control myself and not go ballistic about it - ain't matter now, since i feel hygiene comes first and then follows discipline involuntarily. May be it was my mistake and i should not have uttered splash at all in the first place. But it was too late, since he liked my composition and knew the song fully and i was afraid to make any changes. And moreover brushing his teeth was more important than the mirror getting wet. Kids do understand a lot, all we need to do is TALK. We explain to him that he needs to brush twice everyday in order to get rid of the bacteria. And if he drinks his milk before brushing in the morning, the bacteria is going to go into his stomach and cause stomach ache and blah blah blah. He understands this fact! Over understood to the extent that he got too finicky and when ever he ate an ice cream or chocolate or anything sticky, he would want to brush. Anyways, after a few days of splashing all over the mirror, he came up with the question, "When i spit, is the bacteria going to go to the mirror ? Mirror ku edanum ayduma (is anything going to happen to the mirror)?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, Mirror paavam daane" and that's it, he is a very clean spitter since then ;-)
OK, above is all old story, now, the reason behind this post is, i was downloading some peppy Hindi songs in order to burn a CD for the car, so we can enjoy some non-stop desi music during our weekend road trips. I played a few remixes as i got going with some house hold chores and side by side doing some bollyrobics choreo ;-). All of a sudden he comes running to me, "Amma, yaaro unnoda paatu padra shano shano-la" (mom, someone's singing your song on shano shano) He became so sad, he almost couldn't digest the fact that someone else was singing the same words that i sing for him. Just too possessive! Seriously, i never knew that such a bit existed in that song, since, all along we were listening to the original track and only today i played the remix.
Here is what he listened to between 0:49 and 0:53,
Saturday, June 6, 2009
It only took half a decade for that change
I saw Khalnayak "only" yesterday.
We were in high school and the super duper 'controversial' hit song, "choli ke peeche.. (1993)" was a big no-no in the house hold. I personally loved that song for that wonderful choreography (spare the 'kuku kuku' parts which is very silly) by Saroj Khan and am a big fan of Madhuri dixit. The age old chitrahaar on wednesday nights used to cast that song once or twice in a month or in Rangoli on sunday mornings. That once in a month darshan of madhuri's hit song was itself a big thing and where do we ask for the movie ?
In 6 years time, came "nimbuda nimbuda nimbuda.. (1996)", where Aishwarya danced the ditto sequences of hip swaying, dhak dhaks, knee up kick kick sequences - the same Saroj Khan choreography and the same-to-same steps one after the other. And guess what, i still remember Saroj Khan winning the Filmfare for best choreography for both these 2 dances which were more or less the same, net-net she got an award for her original composition in 1994 and then copied it over to once again grab the award.
Anyways, all that ain't matter now. What am trying to figure out is, when Madhuri did the same number, the song was not accepted by any parent, neither was it a song for those school day/annual day celebrations. Everywhere it faced a 'no', school to college to home to parents to grand parents. Only because, it starts with "choli ke peeche kya hai". Ofcourse, the very next line makes it clear to the perverted minds, "choli mein dil hai mera". So, what was the big deal ?
When Aishwarya, wore the same kind of clothes, did the same hip sways, it became a family thing,a family movie. Why ? Because Nandini was from a very traditional background of musicians ? Because Ganga danced for the villian whereas Nandini dance for the hero ? Or has the attitude towards dressing changed ? Have the Indian families become more liberal in just a span 5 years ? Choli was a sinful word ? But, every bride these days wears only a lehenga - choli for her wedding reception ? Effect of westernization ? But lehenga-choli is very much Indian, so do we call it Northernisation within India, where the the whole of India accepted the north indies (rajasthani here) dresses ? If such is the case, may be i should argue as, for the rest of India to agree upon and accept north indian dresses, has it taken them holy 50 years time from 1947 ?
Yes, of course now they are and have adapted to the westernization because every kuppan and suppan has crossed the Atlantic. Post Y2k, the world has shrunk and so has everything on and in it. Its a mad mad mad world, no one knows why and when and how people change and what makes them change.
We were in high school and the super duper 'controversial' hit song, "choli ke peeche.. (1993)" was a big no-no in the house hold. I personally loved that song for that wonderful choreography (spare the 'kuku kuku' parts which is very silly) by Saroj Khan and am a big fan of Madhuri dixit. The age old chitrahaar on wednesday nights used to cast that song once or twice in a month or in Rangoli on sunday mornings. That once in a month darshan of madhuri's hit song was itself a big thing and where do we ask for the movie ?
In 6 years time, came "nimbuda nimbuda nimbuda.. (1996)", where Aishwarya danced the ditto sequences of hip swaying, dhak dhaks, knee up kick kick sequences - the same Saroj Khan choreography and the same-to-same steps one after the other. And guess what, i still remember Saroj Khan winning the Filmfare for best choreography for both these 2 dances which were more or less the same, net-net she got an award for her original composition in 1994 and then copied it over to once again grab the award.
Anyways, all that ain't matter now. What am trying to figure out is, when Madhuri did the same number, the song was not accepted by any parent, neither was it a song for those school day/annual day celebrations. Everywhere it faced a 'no', school to college to home to parents to grand parents. Only because, it starts with "choli ke peeche kya hai". Ofcourse, the very next line makes it clear to the perverted minds, "choli mein dil hai mera". So, what was the big deal ?
When Aishwarya, wore the same kind of clothes, did the same hip sways, it became a family thing,a family movie. Why ? Because Nandini was from a very traditional background of musicians ? Because Ganga danced for the villian whereas Nandini dance for the hero ? Or has the attitude towards dressing changed ? Have the Indian families become more liberal in just a span 5 years ? Choli was a sinful word ? But, every bride these days wears only a lehenga - choli for her wedding reception ? Effect of westernization ? But lehenga-choli is very much Indian, so do we call it Northernisation within India, where the the whole of India accepted the north indies (rajasthani here) dresses ? If such is the case, may be i should argue as, for the rest of India to agree upon and accept north indian dresses, has it taken them holy 50 years time from 1947 ?
Yes, of course now they are and have adapted to the westernization because every kuppan and suppan has crossed the Atlantic. Post Y2k, the world has shrunk and so has everything on and in it. Its a mad mad mad world, no one knows why and when and how people change and what makes them change.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Weekends are for car wash...
Who said car wash is only for big cars ? His hot wheels need some cleaning too, says A!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The sinusoidal wave
Am talking about the love-hate-love wave of little A with his play school. The first day he thought was a bliss and was the happiest ever kid on earth. So many kids to play with, umpteen number of puzzles and blocks and bikes and skate boards and what not. Actually the whole first week went well, we gradually increased his time at school, 2 hrs, 4 hrs and the he willing did 6 hrs, i.e the fun packed 9-12 morning hours and post lunch siesta from 12-3pm. In spite of not understanding a word of hebrew, he coped very well and i was going ga ga over it. Then came the big interval, the Pesach or Easter break for about 1 week and the real movie starts here. He had totally forgotten about school!
Every morning was a saga to wake him up and get him to get ready and we saw the other side - the cry baby in him! Never has he cried so much, not a drop of tear when he gets his vaccine shots, he used to take them like tiny mosquito bites. OK, he did cry a bit when we got him tonsured, but that too towards the end of it for a few minutes when the falling hair irritated his eyes. The next time was when his ears were pierced, even this didn't last long. Some bitter crying was during my sis's wedding when A and I had disappeared early in the morning to welcome the then groom's side. But all those are excused since he was hardly 18 months old. But this 'no school war cry' was something which we never anticipated from him. He got more and more aggressive and it came to dislike-> hate -> abhor! Every morning we got into a deal, "Today, if you stay a good boy at school, then i would take you to the pool in the evening", then some mall, a park, a zoo, a great weekend trip and what not. This went on for 2 weeks. He didn't know their language, nor did the other kids understood English and he was frustrated to a large extent. He used to yell at his teachers, only 1 among the 4 understood and spoke English, so only she fell a prey to his screams, "call my mom, call my dad, call them now, i don't want to be here, i want to go home..." kinds. In fact Israeli kids are known to be very aggressive at school, so all the more and he learnt the worst :-(. One month of play schooling and he was getting no where.
We arrived at a point where we had to start all over again from zero. I started accompanying him, stayed with him for the initial 1 hour saying that i was going to be his friend at school. With the little hebrew i know, made friends with his play school mates and patched them up with A, then assured him that i would be back in 2 hours time, before his lunch was served and promised to take him home before the other kids got to bed for their afternoon nap. Arranged play dates on weekends, this really helped to a great extent. This continued for about 2 weeks and at last triumphed!!
Now, its like I drop him at school, walk into his class with him, sit with him and do a puzzle or two as he finishes breakfast and he would by himself say, " Inum 4 minutes-la kilambiko", meaning, you can leave in four minutes, he is obsessed with 4 - his birth date! And eventually when i say, "its time" he would just give me a big hug and a loving kiss. Doesn't stop there, his orders before i leave still remain, "come before they sleep and take me home!".
So, It has taken solid 2 months for him to get used to the whole play school thing. First time play/preschoolers moms, celebrate not when you see your toddler loving the play school at first instance, the trouble is only after the first few days. They usually complete this love-abhor-love sinusoidal wave before starting to be OK with it. But, as we all know every kid is different and they take their own sweet time in coping and this may not be the case with kids who are used to day care.
Every morning was a saga to wake him up and get him to get ready and we saw the other side - the cry baby in him! Never has he cried so much, not a drop of tear when he gets his vaccine shots, he used to take them like tiny mosquito bites. OK, he did cry a bit when we got him tonsured, but that too towards the end of it for a few minutes when the falling hair irritated his eyes. The next time was when his ears were pierced, even this didn't last long. Some bitter crying was during my sis's wedding when A and I had disappeared early in the morning to welcome the then groom's side. But all those are excused since he was hardly 18 months old. But this 'no school war cry' was something which we never anticipated from him. He got more and more aggressive and it came to dislike-> hate -> abhor! Every morning we got into a deal, "Today, if you stay a good boy at school, then i would take you to the pool in the evening", then some mall, a park, a zoo, a great weekend trip and what not. This went on for 2 weeks. He didn't know their language, nor did the other kids understood English and he was frustrated to a large extent. He used to yell at his teachers, only 1 among the 4 understood and spoke English, so only she fell a prey to his screams, "call my mom, call my dad, call them now, i don't want to be here, i want to go home..." kinds. In fact Israeli kids are known to be very aggressive at school, so all the more and he learnt the worst :-(. One month of play schooling and he was getting no where.
We arrived at a point where we had to start all over again from zero. I started accompanying him, stayed with him for the initial 1 hour saying that i was going to be his friend at school. With the little hebrew i know, made friends with his play school mates and patched them up with A, then assured him that i would be back in 2 hours time, before his lunch was served and promised to take him home before the other kids got to bed for their afternoon nap. Arranged play dates on weekends, this really helped to a great extent. This continued for about 2 weeks and at last triumphed!!
Now, its like I drop him at school, walk into his class with him, sit with him and do a puzzle or two as he finishes breakfast and he would by himself say, " Inum 4 minutes-la kilambiko", meaning, you can leave in four minutes, he is obsessed with 4 - his birth date! And eventually when i say, "its time" he would just give me a big hug and a loving kiss. Doesn't stop there, his orders before i leave still remain, "come before they sleep and take me home!".
So, It has taken solid 2 months for him to get used to the whole play school thing. First time play/preschoolers moms, celebrate not when you see your toddler loving the play school at first instance, the trouble is only after the first few days. They usually complete this love-abhor-love sinusoidal wave before starting to be OK with it. But, as we all know every kid is different and they take their own sweet time in coping and this may not be the case with kids who are used to day care.
News
Nearly a week after the 2009 elections, i turned to some news pages to check upon whats happening back home and this is what i come across on http://ibnlive.in.com/,
Kolkata spared, Aila kills 24 in Bengal battering
Vienna Violence: Akal Takht appeals | 2 killed in Punjab
Tuesday twister: DMK in but oath-taking may be put off - equally tragic to TN
No bail for Satyam auditors, trouble at Satyam BPO
Assets worth millions seized from Delhi govt officers
Hmm, where is this taking India to ??? Looking at it from an other angle, so many people killed in natural calamities flood,storm etc etc, plus these unwanted politically, religiously motivated killings, burning of buses and vans and trains, accidents due to negligence and lack of proper infrastructure and security blah blah, the list is endless.... why hasn't India's population gone down per se ??
As i learnt it in school, "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country - JFK", know what, i feel i have done some good, by not voting for these irresponsible jugheads.
With great power comes great responsibility. Oh, does it, really ? Because with Indian politics we only experience, with great power comes greatest atrocities.
Kolkata spared, Aila kills 24 in Bengal battering
Vienna Violence: Akal Takht appeals | 2 killed in Punjab
Tuesday twister: DMK in but oath-taking may be put off - equally tragic to TN
No bail for Satyam auditors, trouble at Satyam BPO
Assets worth millions seized from Delhi govt officers
Hmm, where is this taking India to ??? Looking at it from an other angle, so many people killed in natural calamities flood,storm etc etc, plus these unwanted politically, religiously motivated killings, burning of buses and vans and trains, accidents due to negligence and lack of proper infrastructure and security blah blah, the list is endless.... why hasn't India's population gone down per se ??
As i learnt it in school, "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country - JFK", know what, i feel i have done some good, by not voting for these irresponsible jugheads.
With great power comes great responsibility. Oh, does it, really ? Because with Indian politics we only experience, with great power comes greatest atrocities.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Summer!!
Come summer, people freak out in such fancy vehicles... obviously with SPF 45+, else we would all turn into kaanja karuvaadus...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wisdom is pain! Ignorance is bliss!!
Am talking about that wisdom tooth jutting out of my gums tearing them apart! For God's sake, do i need them now ? - i mean, wisdom ? After all, what am i going to do with an extra pair of teeth ? Eat better or eat more ? No, thanks! am already doing enough of that now!
Just read on yahoo answers,
Why are they called wisdom teeth ?
Because they give wisdom to the dentist to make alot of money removing them.
So true, they appear after so much of a pain that can even be compared to the labor pain as a new born comes out and the end result only to get removed!!!
"Kudukkara deiyvam, gums-a kizhuchuttu kudukkum-a ??"
What a waste of wisdom ?!
Just read on yahoo answers,
Why are they called wisdom teeth ?
Because they give wisdom to the dentist to make alot of money removing them.
So true, they appear after so much of a pain that can even be compared to the labor pain as a new born comes out and the end result only to get removed!!!
"Kudukkara deiyvam, gums-a kizhuchuttu kudukkum-a ??"
What a waste of wisdom ?!
Bet She'an
Bet She'an, a valley bordering Israel and Jordan, has many interesting facts and places of visit. For a nature lover, there is Gan Hashlosha - a waterfall and a stream that surpasses the visitor with its aqua-bluish-greenish waters. It is a natural spring whose waters stay warm through out the year. It is also called Sachne in Arabic meaning 'warm' or Gan HaShlosha in Hebrew., meaning Garden of the Three. The name is in memory of three men that were killed in 1938 stepping on a mine, while guarding the area.
For the kids, there is the kangaroo park just adjacent to this water body and its called Gan-guru. In hebrew, Gan is park and combination of Gan and Kangaroo renders Gan-Guru.
The highlight of Bet She'an is the ancient roman city which is only half excavated. The entire city was destroyed in a massive earthquake in 749. This is exclusively for a person who can appreciate architecture and history.
By architecture i meant, even the simplest, bare essentials like toilets and baths were constructed and provided with utmost interest and care. Managed to capture a few signage that explained their stages of bath.
A much more interesting and a rather phenomenal excavationsat Bet She'an are the Roman public toilets. 
You can see the "toilet seats" sticking out from the wall. One cheek on one and one cheek on the other, and you're good to go! Underneath was flowing water, as irrigation was routed through this area as a public sewage system. The waste would be washed downstream. The groove in front of the seats was for the placement of leaves which would be used to wipe.
Additionally, the Romans believed in enjoying one's time in the restroom. Therefore, live musicians would play for the enjoyment of all, since they didn't have magazines to occupy their time while seated. Additionally, these public restrooms were for both men and women. When one was in the sitting position, his/her robe would cover the front side. Thus, the phrase, "cover my feet," would refer to going to the bathroom.
PS: Shan or She'an coincidentally means 'peace' both in hindi and as well in hebrew. Should i rename this post as Bet She'an - "bathroom mein shaan"...;-)
For the kids, there is the kangaroo park just adjacent to this water body and its called Gan-guru. In hebrew, Gan is park and combination of Gan and Kangaroo renders Gan-Guru.
The highlight of Bet She'an is the ancient roman city which is only half excavated. The entire city was destroyed in a massive earthquake in 749. This is exclusively for a person who can appreciate architecture and history.
By architecture i meant, even the simplest, bare essentials like toilets and baths were constructed and provided with utmost interest and care. Managed to capture a few signage that explained their stages of bath.
A much more interesting and a rather phenomenal excavationsat Bet She'an are the Roman public toilets. 
You can see the "toilet seats" sticking out from the wall. One cheek on one and one cheek on the other, and you're good to go! Underneath was flowing water, as irrigation was routed through this area as a public sewage system. The waste would be washed downstream. The groove in front of the seats was for the placement of leaves which would be used to wipe.
Additionally, the Romans believed in enjoying one's time in the restroom. Therefore, live musicians would play for the enjoyment of all, since they didn't have magazines to occupy their time while seated. Additionally, these public restrooms were for both men and women. When one was in the sitting position, his/her robe would cover the front side. Thus, the phrase, "cover my feet," would refer to going to the bathroom.
PS: Shan or She'an coincidentally means 'peace' both in hindi and as well in hebrew. Should i rename this post as Bet She'an - "bathroom mein shaan"...;-)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thopu karanam
Not long before they start teaching Sandhya Vandanam!
So, this is our age-old thopukaranam reinvented. When i was a toddler my grandma made us do it every day in the morning before heading to school and it was also a means of punishment when we cousins fought amongst us. A 108 thopukaranams is a practice or a prayer which is followed by many a men even now, for example one of my uncles does it as a special prayer when he prays for someone's speedy recovery of health. And i bet he has always had a blood clot on his thighs which wouldn't heal for the next couple of days. Three years ago, when i came back to India while i was heavily pregnant, in my last trimester with little A, my mom begged me to do at least 9 every morning in order that i have a normal delivery. It doesn't stop here, even the post pregnancy fat could also be gotten rid off with daily thopukaranams and it did work for me!
Hence the thopukaranam is not only the super brain yoga, but the head to toe rejuvenating yoga! After having written and realizing the goods of it, its high time i restarted my thopukaranam regimen.
PS: Thanks to Chiku who sent me this link and made me scribble today!
So, this is our age-old thopukaranam reinvented. When i was a toddler my grandma made us do it every day in the morning before heading to school and it was also a means of punishment when we cousins fought amongst us. A 108 thopukaranams is a practice or a prayer which is followed by many a men even now, for example one of my uncles does it as a special prayer when he prays for someone's speedy recovery of health. And i bet he has always had a blood clot on his thighs which wouldn't heal for the next couple of days. Three years ago, when i came back to India while i was heavily pregnant, in my last trimester with little A, my mom begged me to do at least 9 every morning in order that i have a normal delivery. It doesn't stop here, even the post pregnancy fat could also be gotten rid off with daily thopukaranams and it did work for me!
Hence the thopukaranam is not only the super brain yoga, but the head to toe rejuvenating yoga! After having written and realizing the goods of it, its high time i restarted my thopukaranam regimen.
PS: Thanks to Chiku who sent me this link and made me scribble today!
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