Pretty much..

For some reason I have not been having an active life. There isn't much happening in my life and I have become lazy.

Yet let me share whatever bit I have been doing. I spotted a shop where they teach to knit, crochet and stitch during one of walks. I joined and it's been a nice thing I did. They don't charge for teaching but you have to buy the supplies from there. Most of all, I got to meet new people. Of course all are females; and it was so astonishing to note that everybody was working, had their careers yet all were working on at least one project - knit, cross stitch or crochet. A few sample careers are a high school teacher, a forensic expert, a multi faceted person who paints, act and decorates, a mechanical engineering student who also teaches maths part time so on. People knit their own sweaters, make baby blankets for new babies, crochet bedspreads and table cloths and other projects for decoration, cross stitched purses or knitted dolls etc. We just chit chat and share stories of our lives. There are many who have migrated to the US at some point of time. So I get to hear about their countries and cultures too. Ad of course, I have learnt the basics of crochet and knitting. My first project was a crocheted cell phone pouch. There is so much to learn though.

The other new thing I tried - home made cake for my husband's birthday - Black forest egg less cake. I tried other dishes too like Kozhkattai for Vinayaka chathurthi, arachivitta sambhar and beans usili. Will update those recipes in my other blog.

What I'm excited about - Trip to India next month for a close relative's wedding. Am all excited to meet everyone back home, indulge in a wide variety of foods, dress up for the wedding events so on. We also started out to shop for India trip but mostly ended up window shopping. Anything and everything is labelled "Made in China" or "Thailand, Pakistan, India". Did not find anything worth the price. As everyone does, will buy chocolates before we leave.

These days my husband gets lost into the series "LOST". I don't follow it so closely but do watch it quite often and get the gist of what I missed from hubby. Earlier I was watching Desperate Housewives and am waiting for the next season to start this weekend. Airtel Super Singer 3 and Neeya Naana keeps me entertained too. Some afternoons, if this site works http://livetvchannelsfree.net , I watch movies telecast in sun tv or just see sun music. We had a great time at the ARR concert and it's the first time I get to see so many Indians flocked in one place.

And if we decide to eat out, it always turns out to be a Thai restaurant ordering Potstickers, Pad Kee Maw with soft tofu and Thai Iced Tea.

That's pretty much what I have been doing.

Have been..

1. Listening to Hello FM(Chennai/Pondy) n Oli(Singapore) radio stations through Wunder Radio app in Iphone. Was delighted to hear Suchi's voice. They also played some instrumentals I could recognise..the classic Chinna chiru kiliyea, Theeradha vilayatu pillai, Mahaganapathim. And lovely songs from the 90's such as from Roja, Bombay, Indian. Apart from Radio, I also listen to fmworldmusic . With its varied channels, I always find some favourite song being played.

2. Reading Joy in the morning by PG Wodehouse and Emma by Jane Austen rented from the local library. Wonderful system here.. no joining fees or rent for books. Everything is free! Only if u miss a book or bring it late, you ought to pay a fine.
The library also has DVDs, audio books etc.

3. Watching old movies such as Agni Natchathiram, Poovellam Ketupar, Thiruda thiruda.

4. Using Logitach Vid than Skype of late for video calling. It doesnt seem to have texting option however.

5. Having Begetarian(thats how the person at the counter says it) Chalupa from Taco Bell and Dominos Crispy Thin crust veg pizza often.

6. Seeing the FIFA craziness catching up on Facebook.

7. Disappointed that Google voice doesn't support sending sms'es anymore.

That's all for now about me.. So what have you been doing?

Mangal Sutra /Thaali

All of us tamilians know the significance of thaali. I just want to share two episodes that happened with my thaali.

First was when we went to Darjeeling trip and visited a friend of my dad's while returning. The lady of the house fed us well with rice, dal, panneer and vegetables.
After food and talk, she wanted to see my mangal sutra. She was fascinated to see it. According to her custom, after marriage she has to wear a particular bangle which her mother in law brings. The mangal sutra is optional. She always wanted to make a thaali like the South Indians. She asked for all the details and even made a drawing of my thaali. I was so excited to see someone who was so fascinated by the South Indian thaali (not the food plate which is also thali..lol).

The next incident happened recently near the swimming pool here. The girl walked to me and said "Your necklace is so beautiful." She was amazed and was looking into it. She was asking if it was gold and she could recognise one pink colour stone as ruby. Then I told her that those are the images of deities. She did not understand much but was keen on knowing which was the man and which the woman. Then she touched it and admired it. Then she said its lovely and told me to put it in and keep it safe.

It surprises me to find people who are so fascinated by our so common thaali. I was also happy to give them a mini-lecture about it.

Sea World

Sea World, San Diego
This place is a few hours drive from home. We drove to this place and upon entering the parking lot, we found out that certain rides and shows were cancelled for the day due to maintenance work. Disappointed, we proceeded however.

First we saw the sea lion. At every feeding point (sea lions, bat ray, dolphin etc) there would be a counter where they sell food for these animals (small fish) which we can buy and feed the animals. We just watched others feed.



We went to see the Bat rays, eels and the stars of the sea. These are our palm sized star fishes in different colours. They look like stones. You can close you fingers ,lift them and place on top of your hand. After about a minute, they cling to your hand. Only then do you realise that they are living creatures. We took one in hand and took pictures. The water was damn freezing and I couldnt hold it until it changed shape. My husband held one for a while and it clung to his hand. But by that time, his palm started freezing. Then we left the star fish back in the pond, washed our hands and moved on. We went into the fresh water aquarium and watched the varied species of fishes.We saw orange coloured beautiful flamingos in the Flamingo Cove.
There was a ride called Shipwreck rapids. It was not so thrilling but an enjoyable one.


We had lunch in a cafe over there. I managed to get a Burger and chocolate drink. My husband got some kind of fish. Then we went to the Shamu show. I thought these to be large dolphins but later realised they were whales and dangerous creatures too. All of these black and white animals have the stage name "Shamu". The show was fantastic and we were amazed at how well these were trained. Unfortunately a few weeks later, one of these whales in a different Sea World location killed it's trainer. We were shocked to hear the news. You can search the net for "Shamu" and will get lot of information. Here is one such link.



We saw a short 4 D movie at the Mission Bay 4 D theatre. It was about Sesame Street titled "Lights, Camera, Imagination". The kids would love it. There was also a play area called as the Bay of Play based on Sesame street characters having rides for kids. We also went to the Shark Encounter, where varieties of shark are found. A lot of information boards are kept around the place having interesting details about sharks.

We then headed to the Penguin Encounter. They really looked like dolls. There was also ride to the Wild Artic. The Beluga Interaction where you can see white whales, polar bears and walruses living in the artificial snow world. I pity them, as why should they be fooled throughout their lives for our entertainment.


There were few other shows we missed because of the specific timings. And one nice ride was not functioning. As it started getting dark, we too started back towards the entrance. We saw a rainbow. I was too happy as I'm seeing one after so long. Overall the trip was informative, not too entertaining. It is mostly for the kids who would have a great time.

Please go through more photos below: http://picasaweb.google.com/tamilarasanramya/SeaWorld#

I - a universe of atoms; an atom in the universe.

The following are the words from Richard P Feynman quoted from the book "What do you care what other people think?" I liked them , so sharing with you.

The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man. For instance, how much more remarkable it is for us all to be stuck - half of us upside down - by a mysterious attraction to a spinning ball that has been swinging in space for billions of years.

There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing;
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiousity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering : I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.

My school day memories and siblings

While I was talking to my first sister a few days back, she was saying how we became close after we grew up. She even teased me saying she wouldn't ever forget those days when she had to sit behind me while I rode my cycle (a maroon Ladybird) and the numerous occasions when I used to pinch her and shout at her as I rode to school or back home.

I was in my 7th std and she in 2nd std. I had a big bag on my back, she used to sit behind it. Now if I think of it, I feel that she must have been a poor tiny thing trying to find some place in the back seat (there was no seat, just a steel carrier). And she too used to have a bag of her own. She must have been in pain and discomfort too. Then our lunch bags went in to the front basket. Our home was very near by; may be 10 min by cycle, but it seemed forever to reach home due to the luggage and hot weather. I really don't remember why I used to pinch her, but I used to have a very bad temper those days. Probably in the mornings, she must have been late or in the evenings she would'nt adjust and give me enough space. Whatever was the reason, I have to ask her forgiveness for those "loss of temper and pinching her" moments. I was too young; but she was younger than me which I never understood that time.

We also had many days when we used to take the bus or walk home. Those days we used to have "Pepsi Ice" or those honey filled sweets "Thean Mittai". The Pepsi ice was 50 or 75 paise and thaen mittai 5 or 10 paise a piece. We didn't get much pocket money but we used to buy some once a while and relish and also fight as to who had the max.
Those days, there was no aqua guard or can water. Metro water used to be boiled in a vessel at home and then cooled, sometimes filtered and used for drinking. So after a hot day, and riding the cycle with my sister behind me, we would come home to find that the water is still hot. That would be the end of my little patience; I used to shout at my mother for not having cold water ready, and I would be in tears out of anger. The other thing for which I would loose temper was when my mother offered me rice and curry after school instead of tiffin which was my favourite.

Prior to the cycle days, when I was in fifth std, my mom used to come by bus, and pick us both and took us home by bus for a few days after which we learnt to go on our own. Those bus days, our dad used to drop us in the mornings. We had free Govt bus passes.

Somehow, mom never could give us lunch in the morning itself. So she used to come in the lunch break and give us food in those typical lunch bag (plastic moulded coloured baskets with a lunch towel and spoon) or dad would leave the bag with the watchman while he went to office. It was my sister's turn to take the lunch and come to my class(u see I was the elder :)). She used to join us with my friends. I used to blast her some days for being late. (Now I realise she was too small and did not deserve such treatment). She says even to this day that she was never once angry with me for not treating her right those days; she just wondered why akka is behaving that way. But she was a younger kid than us and my friends used to be friendly to her, some used to tease her too. We weren't close then, we were typical siblings.

After a few years, my other sister came to our life and there is this year that I would never forget. The year when we 3 were in the same school. I was in 12th, one in 7th and the last in 1st. I used to drive the TVS 50 by now (junior license), kutti sister in front; she used to stand and the other one behind and all our bags. As usual, mom used to bring lunch, feed the kutti one while we ate(most memorable). We four used to sit on the play ground. (It was the only year when I did not have lunch with my friends). And on teacher's day, I went to both their classes as their teacher. It was a good experience. The 12th stds would act as teachers on that particular day and we had to wear saree.

All my friends will remember my first sis and some my second sis, coz for any information regarding their studies, I would be called. I used to pay their fees as they were too young to handle money.

Later they grew up, got their own cycles, or walked home or took the bus. They had their own lives and similar instances between them. In fact they both are now in the "just siblings" stage. Life will give them more experiences and they both too will someday become more closer to each other as I'm to each of them now. Years have passed by since I left school but the above memories are precious and I cherish them. Now my sisters have grown up and are very close to me. We are not just siblings; we share a special relationship and hope we will continue this forever. Cheers to my sisters!!

Oh, I'm a victim of your sweet talk and good lies!

Those are the lyrics of some song but I felt how apt it is sometimes. How we trust people and treat them as friends but later discover that they do complain, crib and talk behind our backs. I really don't understand this - if they don't like you, why should they try to be sweet and nice to you, trying to catch up with your life. In those moments, we think, oh my God, how sweet the person is, with whom we have shared close times, is trying to be concerned about our lives. And we tend to be true and frank but later we realize that they don't agree with our opinion. It is okay if they do not agree. Each one has a different perspective and has a right to have. But going and telling someone else that our view is wrong or their view is right or complain about us is certainly not sane behaviour.

But we still love and live b'coz we were friends once. We again and again do the same mistake, being frank and feeling warm while talking to such people and feeling hurt when discovering what they talk about us later.

I think you are my friend and Oh, I'm a victim of your sweet talk and good lies!

More College Nostalgia

The last post received good response. Everybody could relate themselves somehow. So here are some more moments of nostalgia.

Awaiting for a break to rush to the coffee outlet and grab a cup of coffee.
Taking turns to xerox all study material.
Getting caught for some stupid reason and the whole class writes an apology letter.
Paying fines for being late, as a whole class for some silly thing.
Change of building and parking lots.
How we always planned trips and never worked it out.
Field Trip to Tidel Park.
Lucknow trip for Quality Circle Convention.
Leo Club meetings.
How my friend's mobile was seized and she retrieved it after final year only.
How people used to stand outside Princi's room late hours.
So many days of wearing saree and a day of half saree. - There was no dress code for our batch.
Numerous photo sessions.
How the boys got caught for playing holi.
Buying birthday gifts from DOK's dollar shop
Treats around our college area.
Copying so much lab observations, records and assignments.
Sample classes by new lecturers.
Seminars
Alumni Association Initiation - All girls bought same kind of saree.
Sad Ending to our Farewell Party.

Please add more to this list whatever you remember... :)

Gals Grow Up !!!

Recent developments amongst my girl friends inspired me to write this post. Guys, I m sure this post would n't make any sense to you :) .
Back in college first year, friendships formed on where we found our seats, how we met up on Day 1, who will sit next to whom, who they decide to share their secrets with, their lifestyles, how they dress up, common interests so on. Some used to hang out with the other in station or bus stops to wait for the other to get their train or bus. Sometimes two or more would plan and wear the same colour dress or buy same pattern of dresses. Some were close enough that the mothers would pack up an extra lunch or buy the friend too a dress after a vacation. Some stayed at other person's house just for fun or in the pretext of group study. Outings would be planned as a gang, but people would pair up on reaching the destination which would irritate a few others. Lot of petty fights - who would stand next to whom in a group photo or why din't you tell me first or why did you spend time with her or why dint you buy me that gift so on. By end of Year 4 of engineering, lot of things happened. Possesiveness prevailed amongst the gang, there was no Gang effect achieved. Inspite of the efforts of few members of the gang, there were individual friendships formed. The "GANG" remained a namesake.

After engineering and as years passed by, everything was changing. People who were not close became close; and thickest of friends had problems in understanding each other. Some became dormant and cut off from other - no one knew what goes on in their lives. Some worked together in the same company but instead of becoming more closer, that made their friendship worser with no one to blame but office gossips going around. Some became closer with just email contacts; some catching up over the phone once a while. It takes years to know who your true friends are. We grow up as individuals and experiences teach us to see our friends lives in a different perspective too. What we thought they did was wrong back then seem perfectly fine now and vice versa.

Even though each one strived to keep their secrets within just their close friends, the rest of the gang eventually would come to know. After all, we were girls and were friends. Secrets such as their crushes, friends and boy friends, getting jobs, when they are getting engaged, break offs if any, when they are marrying, who they are marrying.. the list goes on. The latest in the list is being pregnant. Pregnancy is such a nice thing and discovering that you are on the way to be a mom is a happy moment. To share this life changing event with girl friends is the best thing to do. But what's happening is some try to hide it, some let a few know and the few who know try to show off with the others that they know first or they keep it as a big secret. How does it matter who became pregnant first or who came to know first about the new joy. But some do seem to make it a big deal. :(

So I just have to say this to them: Gals grow up..!! We were friends coz we are here to help each other, empathise and lend a listening ear to sorrows and joys. To make life easier. There isn't any jealousy involved here. So what if you are pregnant..or your marriage is fixed or anything of that sort, let your friends know. They will be more than happy for you. And to the people who know the secret - we don't care if you knew first. Coz we too know now through some other way.

What are girl friends for if they are not when commitments happen, or relationships break off, taking part in the weddings, sharing daily life events, sharing most wonderful phase changes of life, understanding the other's feelings... and friendship is not certainly to gossip about others, or wondering about the other's life or showing off that they know something first; or to probe what's going on in their life or passing rumours or chatting to get information or just inviting others to every damn irrelevant functions just as a formality!! If you are a friend, you will get to know direct from the person. And if you are the one who came to know first, let the others know in a nice way. Don't ruin friendships.

Here is the nice forward I received. Dedicated to all Girl friends in the world..

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

Don't forget your girlfriends," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to
the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No
matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the
children you'll have, you are still going to need girlfriends. Remember
to go places with them now and then; do things with them. And remember
that "girlfriends" are not only your friends, but your sisters, your
daughters, and other relatives too. You'll need other women. Women
always do.

What a funny piece of advice,' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just
gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake, a grownup, not a young girl who needs girlfriends! Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother; she kept contact with her girlfriends
and made more each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she
gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was
talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries
upon a woman, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life. After 50 years
of living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:

Girlfriends bring you curry when you need help.

Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.

Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it, sometimes you don't. Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually honest.

Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.

Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the
laughter.

Girlfriends pull you out of jams. Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.

Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help
you move.

Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get
married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes!

Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times come.

Girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend.

Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.

Girlfriends listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail.

Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.

Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.

Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and
kill what makes you unhappy.

Times passes. Life happens. Distance separates.

Children grow up. Love waxes and wanes.

Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come and go. Parents die.

Colleagues forget favours. Men don't call when they say they will.

BUT girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles
are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

So my dear girl friends, please GROW UP and be a true Girl friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to all the new moms to be, Congratulations and wishing you Good Luck. May God Bless You!

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon - A rugged beauty and a remarkable record of Paleozoic Era. This post is about our trip to this beautiful place. I remember this place as shown in "Hai Rabba" song from the movie Jeans. To cover this place by car would take 4 days; so we decided to take a flight to Las Vegas, stay there and then take a tour arranged by http://www.grandcanyon.com

We started on a friday night and reached Las Vegas in an hour by flight. We had to stand in queue at the McCarran Airport for a taxi as Vegas is a very happening place and crowded, not to mention on a weekend. The taxi charges were pretty high. Our hotel was near by; we checked in and had a good night's sleep. The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, we left for a nearby resort where the Tour bus would pick us up.

At 10 am, the bus took us from the resort to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where we had a mini flight (which can carry up to 14 members) waiting for us. This flight was 30 min long and we could see Lake Mead very well. My husband and I got seats 2A and 3A; adjacent to the window. It was awkward to board this small flight and settle down; too small that one couldn't even stand up straight.

After we were dropped at the Canyon Airport, we were guided to a helicopter which took us for a flight into the Canyon. It was a beautiful experience to watch the majestic Canyon from a higher altitude as well as near it; this being my first helicopter ride (I got the front seat besides the pilot - an added excitement), I enjoyed it a lot. You can see the different shades of colours on the Canyon and its minute layerings formed by the river along millions of years - simple soil erosion yet so beautiful.

The helicopter dropped us near River Colorado. We walked down to the river where a boat was awaiting us. The boat ride was pleasant. It was serene atmosphere except for the occasional helicopters flying around. From the boat, we saw the highest point of the Canyon which is about a mile deep i.e. this is compared with the 3 times the height of the Stratosphere tower in Vegas!

The Canyon is occupied by the native tribe Hualapai and you could see signboards mentioning - "No trespassing- Hualapai Nation". The Hualapai people believe that the rivr water brought luck, our boat driver gave a bucket of river water and asked us to apply afew drops on our cheeks. The river water was cold and refreshing.

After the boat ride, we walked back the small path from the river to a slightly higher place to board the helicopter. Then the helicopter dropped us back at Airport from where we took the bus to The Eagle point. It was named so as there is a formation on the Canyon in the shape of the eagle. The majestic Skywalk is the major attraction here because :

It can withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes
Can survive an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles
Suspended 4000 ft above Colorado River on the edge of the Grand Canyon
Immune to winds in excess of 100 miles per hour

The floor of the Skywalk is made of glass alone and when you walk over it and look beneath, its a thrilling experience. The Canyon is a natural wonder ; along with it, the Skywalk stands as a man made wonder.

After that, the bus took us to The Guana point, where you can see a different part of the Canyon; it is another view point. Then back to the Airport and to Las Vegas. What we covered was the West Rim of the Canyon. There is the South Rim of the Canyon too to be explored.

You can stand in the Canyon and keep viewing it and it will never be enough; such is the beauty of it with brilliant colours, its sheer majestic size and the layered patterns. You get a different experience in different point and rides - the boat, helicopter and by walk. It was never enough for me, however we had to catch the flight back to Vegas and so had to leave. The Grand Canyon - beautiful indeed and a must see place!

More pics here

Golfing!!!

What's the most posh game that's played? Well, it is the Golf. And a common man's version of it "The Mini Golf". On a weekend, we went to a park where there was this Mini Golf facility. There were few other sports too. Mini Golfing was a first time experience for me. I used to think what's the big deal in hitting a ball into a hole. But learnt the mini version of the game and had a fun experience.


There are various mazes and a hole in each. There were 3 courses and each course had 18 holes. We should attempt to hit the ball into the hole within a minimum number of strokes. They give a score card per group. A group is limited to 4 people. People come here , have casual talk, linger around and play the game too. Some very small kids just hit the balls and have fun. I noticed that a lot of adult groups too do not keep score; they play for fun.

Nothing more to say, have a look at the snaps. Click on the images to see the enlarged version. If you get a chance, try this game. Happy Golfing!

This evening...

We have been planning to visit Costco since long. We need to have a member card to go there. After applying online and a wait time of two weeks, the card arrived finally and we decided to go shopping this evening. My hubby reached home by six;, we had crackers and tea; got ready and reached there by 8 PM. Unfortunately we couldn't even go through the whole shop as they started closing by 8.45 PM. We wasted quite some time in the clothing section as there was no trial room. After picking up whatever we could, we went to the billing counter. The number of items were too less after having come to Costco. We had found the place today; quite near by and decided that we will come again soon.

We thought of having dinner outside but the fact that there was Dosa maavu and sambhar at home tempted me a lot. And so headed home directly unusually (We mostly end up having dinner outside if we go shopping). Quickly made coconut chutney and had dosas along with sambar. Was a wonderful satisfying dinner.

I was so happy as yesterday too I got Jalebis and Mini rasagullas from an Indian sweet stall. Today's lunch was also good ; Drumstick sambhar and Sepangkelangu fry followed by vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberry pieces for dessert. It's been treat after treats for my taste buds since yesterday. My husband also got me a three fourth trousers and a matching top for our on coming trip from Costco. I think I can call it a wonderful day. I do wish to make another trip to Costco and have a detailed shopping. Looking forward to that day soon...

Cheese, grease and peace

This is another of my experiences in the kitchen as you probably might have guessed from the title. You know, I love to cook and do all the associated task that comes with it, grinding, chopping etc. But the thing I hate is to clean up the stove top which has got all of the stuff sticking to it like glue. Even my dearest hubby refused to take up this chore who usually helps with stuff in kitchen. So I had to do this all by myself on this Sunday night. Generally I keep postponing this stuff for as long as I can. I certainly would have loved to watch a movie after dinner than doing this but the sight was too pathetic that I decided to take it up right away. After using a good cleaning liquid, I finished up the task. Then the stove top looked nice and clean and would be a welcome sight for me when I start to cook Monday's lunch.

It reminded me of my grandmother and mother. My mother; no matter what starts the day after cleaning the gas stove every morning with a detergent followed by cleaning up the slab where the gas stove is placed and then boil milk for coffee. I was in awe of her patience coz I do this task once a week; twice rarely.

My grandmother's routine too would be to get up in the morning do the "vasal kooti, kolam pottu, adupu moluvi" and then start making coffee. In those days, she had a stove made of mud(she used a kerosene stove in the last few years of her life but kept using the mud stove also). Wood was bought and stored in the backyard, dried in the sun if there was a rain. Every morning, after removing the ashes of the previous day, the mud stove(mann adupu) would be dusted with a broomstick followed by a coating of water in which cowdung was dissolved.(Cow dung is used to line the floor and walls of buildings owing to its insect repellent properties, with some types of insects). Then it would be left to dry and over this she would do kolams. And then start the mud stove with few fresh wood and the rest the previous day's wood. The wood would be turned on with some dried coconut shell broken into pieces and dried cow dung cakes, dipped in kerosene and lighted with a match.

Reminiscing the above ,cleaning my electric stove top suddenly felt as a 'no big deal'. In my childhood, I got very few opportunities to stay with her as we lived far from home town. But in those few days, I have seen her daily regimen. She used to do it dutifully and with no complaints and with all sincerity. She is no more and there is no ancestral house anymore. But the memories are still afresh.

I know you must be now wondering about the title. I just did not find anything else.. meant to say the cheese on the stovetop turns greasy and takes away my peace. Now don't sulk, will find a better title next time :)

My experiences in the US kitchen :)

Like most city girls, I too was not a great cook. My visits to the kitchen were very limited. My mother was a very lenient person; never insisted us to cook. She used to ask us to study or go to some useful classes and encourage us in everything but cooking. And we too never found time - lots of playing as a child, tuition and special classes while in 10th and 12th, then college - unfortunately I ended up being in a first batch and we were treated like school kids and then a career demanding unusual work timings and long hours of work. Of course I know these are lame excuses because one can always find time for something that they are interested in. So basically I had little interest in cooking and hence I was in kindergarten as far as cooking was concerned and used to cook only if need arises or when I find some recipe really interesting.

Then I got married, had to live so far away from home and had to cook myself! Thanks to Skype and my sweet amma - she used to tell me one recipe per day and I used to note down meticulously every thing she said. But for her, I never could have cooked so many yummy dishes. And these days I also refer to the net for new recipes. There are good sites with videos too. I got very inspired from all these sources and now I have developed keen interest in cooking. I also discovered that the secret to good cooking is a good recipe, lot of time and patience.

But let me tell you some of the experiences I had while in the kitchen. Here there is no gas stove but the heating source is an electric filament. It was very new to me. I used to keep forgetting that it is a stove. Somehow without real fire or flames, it didn't appear to me as a "Stove".

One day after grinding, I just kept the small mixie jar directly on the stove. Only when the plastic melted and the smell of burning plastic came out, I realised that I had kept the jar on the stove. The stove wasn't on but it was hot. I felt so bad because I didn't have my little jar anymore. And we had brought it all the way from India. Similar incidents are - plastic jars, spoons loosing their shape as I had kept them close to the stove.

There are four stoves and even if few are not heated, the radiation keeps other stuff on those stoves hot and I once ended up burning my fingers by touching a plate on another stove which was not at all turned on.. but was very hot as the stove next to it had very hot oil in a kadai.

Then we had purchased wooden ladles for cooking. I washed one to use for tempering/seasoning. As you know for seasoning the oil will be hot and the ladle should be dry, otherwise the oil splutters. I felt the ladle was too wet and thought I can dry it by keeping it in the oven for a few seconds, but it turned out to be a bad idea.. it got burnt and the ladle broke. The oven was filled with so much smoke. I got very tensed but acted calmly and cleared of everything.

Another incident was like this.. quite of stupid of me though ; I tried to melt the butter along with the butter paper wrapped around it and it started burning. I panicked but I quickly turned off the oven, put off the fire and cleared up the mess.

That is how I had successfully filled the oven with smoke and fire. And after that I learnt to be more careful with the electric stove and the oven. I am very cautious when keeping stuff in the oven. I also keep the cooking area clear and with lot of space so that I don't have to end up keeping stuff on or near the stove.

Thus ends my experiences rather experiments in the kitchen :)

The Spanish Influence

Hola!!
We all know that India is a very diverse country with varied languanges and cultures. So is the USA. There are people from various countries making up the population. But there is one particular chunk of this population which has a great influence in the USA. And they are the Mexicans.

The infuences can be seen in the popularity of their language, cuisine, names of places etc. Almost a large percentage of products have labels in Spanish apart from English. Some of the stores have Entry/Exit signs in Spanish too - Entrada/ Salida. Many Mexican dishes are popular too such as the Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, Tortilla(pronounced Tortiya), Quesadilla (pronounced Quesadiya).



It was new to me to accept the Mexican pronunciation. La Jolla was a street name and the right pronounciation is La Hoya. "J" is considered as a "H" and "LL" is replaced with "Y". San Jose is said as San Hose. We can see that many places are named with a prefix of San and Santa.. e.g. Santa Cruz, San Diego. These words mean Saint or Holy in Spanish. Even Los Angeles is a Spanish term with an English meaning of "The Angels".


Los Angeles and Mexico City were declared as Sister Cities in 1969. I got this data from a board in Little Mexico. This place in in LA downtown reflecting the Mexican culture. It has a market, restaurants, music and of course a lot of Mexican crowd.

All the snaps displayed in this blog were taken at Little Mexico.




Hope this article kindled in you a little interest to know more about Mexico and it's culture. Gracias. Buenos Dias!!

Entertainment is Universal!

Let's start with an easy question.. What is the famous entertainment theme park here in the LA area? Yes it is the Universal Studios. On a weekend, we decided to give it a visit. I have been to the campus before as it has the Citywalk and the AMC theatres and is about a ten min drive from home. But to enter the Universal Studios was a first time for me and I was very excited!!!!!!!!!!!



We went to the lowermost level first and took the Jurassic Park ride. The ride is on a boat in an artificial river. First are the Herbivores animals. Then we enter the dangerous carnivores zone where some sudden jerks in the ride happen and big Dinosaurs try to attack us. It's so thrilling for a first time. Some of the creatures are very realistic whereas others look like dolls. We went for a second time too!




Next was the Revenge of the Mummy Ride. My husband warned me saying that this one would be scary ; so much that I literally closed my eyes during the first time. All I could hear was loud voice "Your souls are mine" repeatedly and this was high speed ride with sudden turns and reverses inside total darkness. After the first time, curiosity got the better of me and I went for once more and enjoyed it. You can see more here http://revengeofthemummy.com
There were people dressed up as mummies, pharaohs and scaring away people around. They would pose for a snap if we wished to take one.



Then we saw the demo of how real fires are created for movies. How the fire fighters and artists and all the people on the sets risk themselves. A special short movie is shown about the Backdraft effect and is the name of this demo too. Technical definition of a backdraft "A situation which can occur when a fire is starved of oxygen; consequently combustion ceases but the fuel gases and smoke remain at high temperature. If oxygen is re-introduced to the fire, eg. by opening a door to a closed room, combustion can restart often resulting in an explosive effect as the gases heat and expand."
Some other fire effects demo are shown for real.

The next in this level was the Special effects show. How layering of 2 different scenes are done. For this few volunteers are chosen from the audience. There is a big screen with a background(say showing a Window). The volunteer then waves her hand. It looks like she is really doing it on the big screen. Her movements are mapped with the screen with an existing background/scene on the screen. The other effects were sound effects created with various instruments like moving of a barrel - the rotating motion creates a sound, different sounds created by metal clanks so on. Then they showed a vanishing act of a standing person being tied to a vertical board and an explosion occurs. Even before the smoke vanishes, the vertical board is present but in the place of the person is a skeleton; all this happens within seconds.

We went to the top level and after lunch we continued on. The major attractions here are The Simpsons Ride - Its dark inside, high speed but virtual visual effects are created. It was very good. There was a 4 D Shrek movie - a different story than from the movies. And the detailed studio tour in a moving open vehicle - the cars used for Fast and Furious, the Wisteria Lane - a fictional street appearing in the American television series Desperate Housewives, other buildings and miniature models, how rain and floods are created, cars in action, a plane crash site etc.

The other ones which we did not see are the Water World, UNIVERSAL Animal Actors and Terminator2 - 3 D, Curious George and House of Horrors.


It darkened by 5.30 PM and most of the shows and rides were closed. It was a wonderful experience. You can look up each of the rides and shows in the internet for further information but it would be great if you can personally experience and enjoy the suspenses in the rides!

My new favourite snacks..

After I reached the US and started a new life, everyday we used to go out somewhere to get things for the house or just to eat . Among these, the donut shop Krispy Kreme had become my favourite. Mostly during the evenings, the production will be on and you can see how the original glazed donuts are made. If you take kids along, they will get one hot donut for free. Oh how I wish I were a kid!
"No one can have just one" fits the hot original glazed donut. We usually have 2 or 3 donuts before buying a dozen to take home. There are other varieties such as the ones with cheese filled in, or chocolate covered or with banana or strawberry fillings. However my favourite is the hot original glazed. During Christmas, there was an offer; if we buy a dozen, we would get a dozen gift coupons ;against each coupon one donut of our choice would be free. So we instantly purchased a dozen and took the coupons. Now these would expire in a month and only one per visit is valid.

So every week I would find reasons to go to Empire Avenue where this shop is located along with other restaurants and supermarkets. We still have a few coupons left out. The dozen we buy for home would be used for breakfast or as an evening snack. Both me and my husband are crazy about the donuts from this shop and we never are generous when it comes to donuts. We make sure each of us get a fair share and none get the major share. I have had donuts earlier but nothing matches a hot original glazed from Krispy Kreme.



The other snacks I have tried here are the pretzels and cinnabon stiks. Pretzel is also soft but not so soft as the donuts and shaped liked a heart. The common flavour is cinnamon sugared one. Here you can find most of the snacks being coated by cinnamon sugar. I am not very fond of pretzels but I can have one once in a while. My other favourite are the Cinnabon stiks from the shop Cinnabon.

They come five a pack. How I came to like it - Once we were hanging out in the Universal Citywalk and reached this shop. My husband suggested that we buy this and that I will like it. Due to my earlier experiences with excess cinnamon flavoured snacks, I insisted that we buy just one. Even the lady at the counter said that two would come fr a chaper price but we were sure that we wanted just one. After tasting
and finishing the five sticks in a minute, we regretted not buying the other pack also. We then decided that whenever we come to Universal Citywalk, we should come and buy these. And we have been doing it without fail! These are like twisted bread sticks semi soft and coated with the right amount of cinnamon sugar. If you see these, do try to have a pack of these without fail and I am sure you will fall in love with these cinnabon stiks.

Other favourites are Vanilla Scones, Classic Coffee cake and Marshmallow bars from Starbucks Coffee. Marshallow bars are nothing but a family of our traditional "Pori Urundais". Instead of jaggery, some kind of sugar is used and the shape is not spherical but is similar to a cuboid. Being a coffee drinker, there are some favourites too - Vanilla Latte, Caramel Frappuchino(Cold coffee with anilla flavour), Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte, White Chocolate Latte and Green Tea Latte.
There ends my write up on my favourite snacks and coffee..Thanks for the patient reading..

Trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco

My husband and I decided to visit San Francisco for our Christmas holidays. It was my first visit and one of my dream come true as I have been hearing so much about this city. We started in our car from home and it was a 6 hour drive as there was traffic in most highways due to holiday season. We trusted our iphone and google maps for directions. After about 4.5 hours, we lost track.. We couldnt find out a Pacheco Pass..and we were kind of stuck within an area. Later we made it out and checked into our Hotel "The Domain" in E EL Camino Real, Sunnyvale. After snacking a "Make your own grand slam" dinner at Denny's, we went to sleep.

The hotel provided a complimentary breakfast; it consisted of muffins, juice, coffee, bread and danishes. We started by 10 am and picked up a friend on the way. We had to fill in gas as the fifteen gallons we filled the previous day sufficed only till the journey to reach Sunnyvale. Then we headed to San Francisco's Treasure Island to get a view of the Golden Gate bridge. We went through the Bay bridge. After a couple of snaps of the Golden gate and The Alcatraz from this point, we headed to a small hill nearer to the Bridge. The view was fantastic. And lucky me, there wasn't much fog on that day. What do you get when there is a newly married couple and an understanding friend who is a great photographer with an SLR camera : no dearth of snaps with scenic backgrounds - the best part of our trip. Then we left for Fisherman's wharf.

There are a lot of attractions in this area. We spotted the sea lions basking in the sun light on the boats that were tied here.



You could see birds too which come down ; guess for what.. there are lot of tourists here and hence food for the birds. After whiling away some time, we took the boat cruise about 30 min, with a recorded audio explanation of various buildings and places of San Francisco as seen from the boat. We headed directly to the open deck to feel the breeze and enjoy the 360 degree view of the San Francisco downtown from below the Golden gate. During the ride, the boat goes very near to the Alcatraz offering a closer view.

We then headed to the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. As this was my first visit to a wax museum, I was excited about it. After a couple of snaps inside the museum, we walked out and checked the local shops for souvenirs and found an apt souvenir - a half mug that stated "San Francisco was so expensive that I could afford only half of this".

After a tiring day of walking around, we went to an Indian restaurant Annapoorna in the E El Camino Real to fill our tummies. Food was just ok which was a little disappointing. Then we dropped our friend and reached our hotel to hit the bed.

The next day we started for the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. The route we took was very scenic and we reached the Mystery Spot in about 2 hours. We had booked our tour earlier through the internet and had taken a print out along with us.

It was fascinating to see the effects demonstrated, although you do tend to think if they are kind of optical illusions. You can check out more about it here: Mystery_Spot

After the Mystery spot, we started for Muir Woods, Mill Valley. It is famous for being home to old sequoia trees.

It started raining and we were in a dilemma whether to go ahead or not. As we did not have any thing else to do, we thought we would take a chance. It was a different experience reaching this place with rain around, dark woods and small pathways. We reached the Muir Woods but the rain hadn't stopped yet. We waited for a while for the rain to subside and then we decided to enter the park. It was an hour before the closing time and as there were no guides available to give us a tour, we weren't charged for an entry fee. We entered and were on our own. Only a few other groups were there along with us. We went around for a while and had a look at a giant Sequoia tree and a sample age ring of a 1000 years old tree on display. We departed Muir Woods with a hope that we would come along some other time for a leisurely tour. You can see more about this park here http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

We decided to go to the main city to have a look at the San Francisco roads. By the time we reached the city, the rain stopped. The roads of San Francisco are all hilly; most of the roads go uphill or downhill. The downhill view from any of the roads are beautiful. In some of the roads are beautiful big mansions. I have heard of and seen houses made of wood than concrete in California.
It was a different feeling to see the majestic mansions. And the main city is full of tall structures. I haven't seen such huge buildings in Burbank and it felt like the US as shown in the movies.. We then went to The Crooked street. In the intersection of The Lambord street with the Leavenworth street, is this crooked street. The down is inclined and is built in a zig zag manner. Cars are allowed only one way ; downhill. It was fun to ride down the road.


Well it was time for some food at last..We decided to give a feast to our taste buds and went to HSB - Hotel Saravana Bhavan in Sunnyvale. We ordered mini tiffin, pongal, kothu parota and coffee- everything had the authentic taste of HSB. After dinner, we retired for the day.

The next day we checked out and started back home.
On the way back, we stopped by at the Livermore shiva Vishnu temple. Being Vaikunda Ekadashi and a weekend, there was a lot of rush. After darshan, we had a variety of Prashadam consisting of Pongal, kheer etc.



We reached home by late evening satisfied with the trip and planning for the next one.

Whewwwwwww..........Finally I am done with this post. It took me quite a few days to complete this blog. Hope you enjoyed!

Visit to the dentist ... Ooucch!

Hmm..Reminds you of your last visit to your dentist? Or are you one of those who never got a chance to visit your dentist. Lucky you!

I have a cavity and had it filled about two years ago. It just wore off and troubled me; not by pain but the food particles simple stuck on to the cavity. I couldn't chew well on my right side. So I thought its time for a visit to the dentist. I told my husband and he discovered that we did not have a dental insurance. However he found a dentist referred in the web site our general insurance. And so fixed an appointment for today. I had my breakfast and brushed again and got ready.

The doctor examined by blowing air into the cavity. She asked how did my filling break. I said that it just wore off. She was surprised by the fact that the filling wore off in just less than two years. Then she asked me if I have taken a shot before. I was taken aback because I did not remember taking a shot when I got it filled back in India. But I do have experiences of taking injections in the mouth (it was when I got my teeth aligned during high school). She applied a gel (it did not taste good, but I was given a warning by the doctor about the taste). I wasn't ready for a shot, but...

The shot was for about 40 secs all over my right upper gum - minute prickles and little pain; thank god it wasn't like the "1 sec but painful" injections which I have had before. She asked me if I was alright and asked me to relax for a while. Then began the cleaning process; the doctor uses a small mirror and the blow pipe to clear your cavity. If you get the shot, there wont be any sensitivity otherwise it may be sensitive or painful depending on how big your cavity is. She went on cleaning for a while and I had to keep my mouth wide open. I have a small mouth, so she couldn't place the separators (some kind of a plastic thing that will hold your jaws open, placed vertically inside your mouth). After every minute or so, she would give me a break and I could close my mouth and rest. She had an assistant who will remove the saliva and the water used for cleaning using a miniature suction tube. Its indeed awkward when you keep your mouth open and things into your mouth and two people looking onto you. I just dread these visits!


Then she asked me to rinse with a weird tasting liquid. The next step was the actual filling. She said that I have to co operate and hold my jaws wide open as otherwise the filling may be sensitive. So I again went into concentrating on keeping my jaws open.. My temple started paining. Jaws were also hurting. The doctor took a little of the filling, spread it and used another device (I am not aware of what it is, probably dried the filling) set it. The device gave a beep once and after a while two beeps. I was happy that its done, but it was not so. She went on repeating this process about 8-9 times. She asked me to bite a piece of paper with the filled teeth. She also kept the piece of paper all over my mouth and checked if I was able to bite with all the teeth; just to ensure that the filling is of a proper level and it doesn't hinder other teeth from biting. Then she polished the filling. And whew..after what seemed ages(The session was forty minutes totally), she was done. My jaws had started paining by then. The doctor said that I can rinse if I want to before leaving. She advised me to be careful not to bite my cheeks or lips as they will be numb for a while but she gave no restrictions on food items. My husband then paid the fee using his credit card. I looked at the figure and regretted at not having done this procedure a few months back while I was in India. Would have been very cheaper; about ten times lesser the cost. But then I should not be making the comparison as every currency has its own value and differs from place to place. I still have the habit of converting the dollar value to the rupees!

My jaws hurt still and numbness on the right side of my mouth prevailed. But yippee..my visit to the dentist was over. Good luck to you if you have an appointment with your dentist. Otherwise keep brushing regularly and avoid these dreadful visits!

Hello there !

Hi there, welcome to my blog. I am just gonna pen down my experiences..and I guess this is going to be more of a diary entry. But I do hope it makes a happy reading for you!

The journey to the US.. let me begin about the flight experience. I am little alarmed when it comes to security checks for married Indian women. The "Thaali(mangal suthra) and Metti(ring worn on your toes)" makes the security guards suspicious. However the security check in Chennai airport got over easily. The first part of the flight from Chennai to Frankfurt went on easily. There was a TV screen in front of my seat and time flew by. We had a four hour break in Frankfurt where we made calls home using the pay phone and credit card. There wasn't much security check here, though we were advised to remove our belts before the security check. Women were advised to remove bangles too and I was worrying if I will have to remove all my glass bangles, a dozen on each hand, however the security official was considerate and she let me go. The second half of the journey was very difficult. I was advised to stay awake so I can cope with the Day Night shift easily and handle the jet lag. But it was going to be a difficult task. There was no TV for every seat. I did doze off for a while but not continuously. The airlines provided two meals in this flight and it did keep me busy for a while. Then I watched the Ice Age 3 relayed on the common TV and then part of the movie Julie and Julia. The map showed that we were near the zone where day ends and night begins. I was eagerly waiting to experience that change but some how our flight did not cross such a zone.

In the LA airport there was a very big queue in the Immigration. There were not much questions for me being on a dependent visa. Then there was a big queue to the exit. I noticed a peculiar sight - a lady official with a dog. The dog was wearing kind of a dress stating "Protection of American Agriculture". I came to know that this dog goes about sniffing baggages and if it suspects seeds, we will be questioned. And then there was one more counter where we have to declare if we have food items or not. If you have food items, you are sent to another counter where each of your food item is checked. This is to ensure that no disease causing stuff enters the US. These kind of security features fascinated me.

We reached outside the LA airport and booked for a shuttle. The shuttle is nothing but a van which transports you with your luggage and will be shared by other passengers if any, (kind of our share autos back in India but in a bigger manner).

It surprised me to be able to see the sky on all sides of me. Back home, we can see only buildings all over the place. All buildings were low rise , most of them not exceeding three floors. Only a few buildings were sky high. So I realized not all of the US is a concrete jungle.

Then the road system; every where there are lines, white, yellow and dotted white, proper arrows and signals everywhere. The lane system and people following the signals properly, signals for pedestrians was fascinating. I came to know of the term Jay walking existed after reaching here. Reason why people follow rules; you will be given a "ticket" if you do not abide by the rules ; this will happen immediately when a cop car watching you follows you or the cameras notice you breaking rules. The moment a cop car follows you, you have to stop and the cop then gives you a ticket.
This may be a fine in terms of cash or if in case of a severe violation, you may have to appear in a court. More than any of this, your violation will be tracked with your driver's license and your insurance premium will also increase.

After about an hour's drive, we reached Burbank to our new "Home Sweet Home" located in the first floor. The time was around 4.30 PM and it had started becoming dark. The temperature was about 20 degrees. A complete shift for me as I have been in a place where its hot hot hot all around the year except for a few weeks.

With a nice feeling of being in a new place and beginning of a new life, I stepped into our new home.