Saturday, December 20, 2008

New Look for the New Year/ Festive Season

mm ok so ive been working on my blog this holiday season. a new look : a new magical template downloaded from bloggerbuster.com, a snowflake widget also from the same site and this is the first time im using a widget on my blog.... i know i still have a long way 2 go for colour and all otherwise comments and criticisms are welcome...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Indian Style Pasta

mmm ok i just made this dish randomly at an impromptue art of living volunteers part/ meet ( yup we aol wallas nyways party every minute) so mmm there were very few ingredients basic semolina pasta and a small pan available so as we are taught to make best use of what is available to us and be happy heres what i did: goodlifle milk( well thats what was the fancy milk that was in the fridge ), jeera , butter, cornflour, onions, capsicum, carrot and green onions and ginger were the only veggies available and of course salt n pepper.
ok so first boil the pasta with a little oil and then let cool , then in the pan sautee jeera and once its starts to pop n crinkle add the onions , green onions , carrots nd capsicum. then keep aside. Add butter and once its starts to melt add milkand let boil / cook for a few mins ... then sautee the boiled pasta with the jeera and veggie mix , add salt nd pepper and the milky sauce and a little cornflour to thicken and cook for about 3 minutes and voila indian style pasta is ready..

Friday, December 12, 2008

Dance in the Rain


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

One Crazy Week

ok so i havent blogged for almost a month.... been too busy back home .won't say no more. This last week has been the craziest scariest week for an entire nation that is still reeling from the shock of the cycle of events in Mumbai . The whole world watched with shock and tears as terror took the nation's commercial capital by storm . My heart goes out to Moshe(the two year old Jewish orphan) and all those brave Indians who lost their lives. Terror has once again shaken a peaceful race and peaceful nation and its high time we as Indians should stand United in the war against terror , more so now. We must as a multicultural , mutiethnic religiously and racially diverse nation stand united at least for the sake of India we must forget our racial, caste, religious, linguistic differences for once-to fight terror. Mumbai is returning to normalcy and the spirit of Mumbaikars and all Indiandians living in Mumbai should be saluted.Terror is the face of misguided youth and corruption and creates fear in people. We must now stand united to fight this menace. The episode of 27/11 (India's 9/11) has not only brought Indians togther in grief but 4 whole nations US,UK,Isreal and INdia together on a world platform.
The entire cycle of events in Mumbai shows that the need of the day and age is the message of Love and Peace , Grace, Enligtenment,The value of Life . However, all is not lost there still is hope and His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankarji( Guruji) one of the biggest messiahs of this message still giving the world and us Indians hope that all is not lost there can still be peace and love in this world. We should,nt get too shaken up by such events instead its time to Stand Up and Take Action against the menace of terrorism once and for all as a nation and as a race we must stand united and fight against terror and simultaneously spread the message of Peace.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cheesy Guacamole Dip....its yummm

mmm .. so you have a few avocados rotting away in your fridge and dont know what to do with them? just go ahead and make guacamole its the simplest , easiest and tastiest and most nutritious avocado dish around..so what exactly is guacamole? an avocado dip, essentially mexican and american in nature....
what u need: one semi ripe to ripe avocado
salt,pepper,grated ginger,finely chopped onions, garlic and tomatoes,lemon juice, lemon rind and a tsp of sugar and two amul cheese singles. Cut the avocado from the centre into two halves.. scoop out the green fleshy part into a bowl and mash a little.. add allthe other ingredients except the cheese and mix then put into a blender and add the cheese and whirr for 2-3 mins and its ready ..you can make this one without the cheese too .. same ingredients except for cheese no need of a blender but texture might differ and onions and tomatoes remain whole...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Simplest Easiest Potato Cutlet

well according to me it is..
all u need is boiled and peeled and grated potatoes, finely chopped garlic, ginger,basil,capsicum, salt and pepper to taste and raw bread crumbs as a binder if u wish . mix all the ingredients together, shape in2 an oval/circle well mine were squre basically any shape that appeals and lightlyshallow pan fry them in olive oil until a light golden brownish...... turned out yumm will post a pic whenever i have the time....and dont forget to top it up with some thai sweet chilli sauce or hot and sour sauce while serving or eating........ you could also add lightly sauteed onions to the potato mix and even peas or corn or both.... you could even indianise this one : no basil add peas and garam massala and some freshly finely chopped methi and onions and serve with imili chutney ...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Punjabi Food

ok so its so obvious that am a punjabi at heart and i love my punjabi khana never mind that sometimes there is a tad bit too much ghee and tail(oil) but yup thanks to the punjabi diaspora , the rozi punjajabi khana has become a major part of say the biritish cuisine culture or canadian cuisine or wherever there is a huge punjabi diaspora. well every one is familiar with most of the daily food of what we punjjus eat in our everyday lives: things like rajma chawal, mutter paneer, paneer makhani, dal makhani or as we call it maa ki dal,kofte, tikkas, naan, various style of pulavs the most popular being matarale chawal(peas pulav) and chole biryani( a biryani with chole in it)this chole biryani is well an authenically punjabi invention . i mean we love chole . we cant live with out this pulse called channa(maize).its probably one of the most healtier pulses around.oh and did i mention we love wheat and bajra too. infact punjab is known as the bread basket of india almost 70%of indian wheat comes punjab and india is 2nd largest producer of wheat in the world. Punjabi cuisine is as varied as say gujrati cuisine while the gujjus have such things as khakra and dhokla we have our papdi chat( well yes this one originated in punjab) and chole biryani . Sarson da saag and makki(corn) di roti and bajre di roti are also quite popular .Baigan ka bhartha and gobi bhartha are also unique punjabi dishes. "Kulche " and "pranthe"is the staple daily food diet basically. I mean we even make mushroom pranhas and rabdi wale pranthe thats how much we love pranthe : be it alu, mooli, gajar or saag or even a simple piyaz and dhaniya parantha.Kulche chole, kulche alu are also the simplest things one can eat and even the tastiest esp with rasse wale alu.Chole bhature , chole with plain rice , chole alu, chole paneer .chole with just about anything. didnt i just mention that chole is the staple for most of us? ok apart from chole and saag and dal we veggies also love pakore i mean saag and palak ke and piyaz ke pakore. We also love dairy produce especially buffalos mik( bhais ka doodh in slang punjabi), ghee( well without iit no prantha, roti or dal is complete),dahi(curd),paneer,butter. and every other possible dairy product .The average punjabi (living in punjab)has the highest consumption of dairy products in India.For those non veggies out there its tikkas and butter chicken and chicken achari well paneer achari is tasatier tough and those who love fish and seafood punjab being the land offive rivers aint dissappainting theres plenty of yummy ri ver fish and freahwater prawns and all for all of you . Lassi, gulab jamuns,gajar ka halwa, besan de laddu , patesha, rabdi, phirni,kheer ,badam and kaju burfi , dry fruit mix, sharbat esp badam and litchi wali are also an essential part of punjabi cuisine. give me an alu prantha with some good ol' aam da achar or chole bhature with imli chutney with a good glass of chilled meethi lassi followed by gajar ka halwa/rabdi/phirni anytime of the day id lap it all up in a matter of a few seconds..

Sydney.Summer . Sunscreen.

Sydneys getting hotter by day. its Summer now and theres almost a festive tinge in the air here as australians have their seasons and festivals upside down ....a summer chistmas and autumn easter (well almost autumn).OK so summer is the season associated with cool beaches, flowy skirts and tuinics and dresses and of course loads of ice tea but if ur a true to heart punjju kudi then its ice cold meethi lassi or nimbu paani(the aussie lemonade comes as close tough). Back home sunscreen is requiredv like uva uvb 15 spf is cool for asians and us Indians in general during summers back home.Sunscreen. Here in sydney you need loads of it . the ozone layer here has a huge hole in it thanks to the absurd phenomenon of global warming. the suns rays can damage the skin really badly and lead to irreversible skin cancer and freckles . Ok so i have gentical freckles on my face. i wouldnt want anymore . so heres what every indian student in sydney does during summers in sydney : use sunscreen . and use loads nd loads of it . the uva uvb+ozone safe and cfc free sunscreean of spf30/45 ++with a skin whitening lotion and after sun treatment.seriously man u practically end up using gallons and gallons of this damn thing called a "sunscreen lotion" and " after sun complex"for your face especially.I mean ive been here 3 .5 months and have usewd 6 bottles including skin whitening.its craziness....But then again out here you get sunscreen for even your hair .. for chirssake the human hair is the last thing that i would think expects spf protection seriously..but then i guess people here have to be extra careful thanks to a phenomenon called global warming.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I have 2 blogs now

www.komalkapur.wordpress.com
thats my other blog . i will now be blogging on both this one and the above mentioned one ....ive still got a lot of work to do on the wordpress blog tough..

A Wednesday

Saw this one yesterday evening once i was absolutely fed up of working on maya 9 a 3d animation software)for my homework.
Its a movie. with great substance. great actors or in the case of such calibre id like to call them artists: naseerudin shah, anupam kher, jimmy shergill ,Aamir Bashir and deepal shaw in an itsy bitsy role.
What the movie is about: in three simple words: the common manor as we law abiding disciplined indians like to call ourselves:aam aadmi.yes you got it right the common man .in another four words: stand up, speak out.
yes , its about the common man, standing up and speaking out and cleaning up the system. i wont spoil anyones surprise about the story too much. watch it for its a movie with substance and if only to see the brilliant acting by anupam kher,shergill and shah.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Bachna Ae Haseeno

The film follows the journey of Raj Sharma played by Ranbir Kapoor, from the age of 18 to 30. He meets three girls at different stages of his life: Mahi , played by Minissha Lamba - a small-town girl from Punjab, Radhika ,played by Bipasha Basu - a model from Mumbai and Gayatri . Deepika Padukone, an NRI taxidriver from Australia. The film is about a boy who goes from one love affair to another, only to run into true love.Hmm the plot sounds like a run off the mill hindi fillum except that its yash raj bollystyle , a good looking hereo, great heroines and awesome locales : right from the golden temple and gullies of amritsar and the opera house in sydeny to the beautiful mountains of switzerland.....
Watch it for timpepass and Ranbir Kapoor . Minnisha Lamba and Bipasha Basu look good and fit their characters, its good to see that Dipika Padukone hasnt repeated any of the crazy OSO histrionics this time round but has a lot to learn as an actress, she portrays the role of of an indian student in Sydney managing two jobs for her M.B.A and also acting like a punjaban kudi by saying she always keeps a made in jallundar hockey stick in the boot of her taxi.. she ultimately is ranbir kapoors true love...they make a cute pair.. the story has a few interesting twists and turns ... and is good for mere time pass and is lighthearted.....watch it at your own risk..

Monday, September 29, 2008

Potatoes with Herbs..

this is one dish which is just an anytime tossup that is if u have boiled potatoes or baby potatoes lying in your fridge...
heres what you need:
butter, salt and pepper, mint,chives and parsely(you could use any other herbs of your choice and even sbstitute with onions ),and of course potatoes which are boiled and peeled (in the case of baby potatoes and in case you are using normal potatoes , chop them roughly..
heres the next step:
melt the butter in a pn, ad dthe herbs and salt and pepper and sautee for 2 mins then add the potatoes nd cook for a few mins .. and voila a quick snack/side dish is ready..you could also make this as salad :to do this just chill in the fridge and then serve or serve hot...will post a picture up soon as am still trying to figure out how to embed pictures..

Potatoes with Herbs..

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

My Favourite Top 10 Hindi Movies

This ones gonna be a very long post.... top ten why because there are just about 10 movies i can watch over and over again..
1. Dil Wale Dulhania Leyjayenge :why:because it reminds me of my punjabi roots and not only that it also teaches to be rooted in indian values"some of the best in the world"wherever an indian goes.. it drives home the message that "you can take an indian out of india but you can never take india out of an indian"
2.Swades : another powerful perfomance by Shahrukh Khan a.k.a Mohan Bhargava, who gives up the big american drem to develop his village in India.. a truly inspirational story which has influenced the lives of many NRI'S....and Indian youth
3.Rang De Basanti: again a story delivering a powerful message to everyone:stand up for your rights no matter what happens.
4.Dil Chata Hai: Teaches about friendship, relationships,following your heart,living dreams,speaking ones own mind
5.Kal Ho Na Ho:I just like the title song apart from the story , drives home the message that life is ever changing, live evervday to the fullest you may or may not be around forever.. and smile...
also about deep friendships and being there for others..
6Hum Aapke Hain Kaun: a bygone era of Bollywood... and for Madhuri Dixit and the songs..
7. Rock On.. read my previous podt and you'll know why
8.Chak De India: that each an every individual has the potential to be , to get what they want in in life..and women have it too..
9.Veer Zaara:An enduring story of love ,friendship and two nations...
10.Parineeta and Devdas: i really donno why but can watch em a hundred times..

Monday, September 15, 2008

ROCK ON.......


i just saw this movie last evening .... the music rocks... the story rocks.... arjun rampal and farhan akhtar rocked the movie..... rock on is not just about a rock band, of cool music and cool hairstyles of rampal and akhtar.. its a movie with substance... with a story.. a bit offbeat from the regular bolly masala movies ..... arjun rampal does some great acting in the character of joe....and farhan akhtar, the director of substance movies like dil chata hai has substance as an actor.. he really brings his character aditya to life.....rock on is about: life .. ,dreams, living ones dreams , accepting success and failure, stories of friendship, betrayal ,the transition and transformation of people from a wild youth to a sober adult life , about cool music, secrets and with a deep lesson for the youth of today... the greatest lesson i learnt from watching rock on:live your dreams as a youth cos thats when you have no responsibility...... life life the way you want to because you dont know really what the future holds for you....live life the way you want to. meanwhile, the lyrics also strike a chord.... socha hai .... and pichle saat dino main happen to be my favorite......

Rock On .. the tagline of the movie is .. live your dream....

its a must watch ...

Friday, August 29, 2008

Time Flies!

mmm i didnt even realise that its meen almost more than one month since ive been in this beautiful city called sydney.i dont know where and how 6 weeks have flown by ....

Friday, August 15, 2008

India

since its 15th august, Indian Independance Day, though of posting a 2nd post and this is going to be some of my favourite quotations on this Great Nation that is.

This is indeed India!
The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendour and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterday's bear date with the modering antiquities for the rest of nations-the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the oQuotationsne land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined.~~~ Mark Twain


In religion, India is the only millionaire......the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.
~~~ Mark Twain (American writer)



We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.~~~ Albert Einstein (German Physicist)



When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous.~~~ Albert Einstein

Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?~~~ Abdul Kalam (President of India)
She (India) has left indelible imprints on one fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries. She has the right to reclaim ... her place amongst the great nations summarizing and symbolizing the spirit of humanity. From Persia to the Chinese sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to Islands of Java and Borneo, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales, and her civilization!~~~ Sylvia Levi
If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.
~~~ Max Mueller (German scholar)

There has been no more revolutionary contribution than the one which the Hindus (Indians) made when they invented zero.~~~ Lancelot Hogben (English mathematician)

India – The land of Vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life, but also facts which science has proved true. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the Vedas.~~~ Wheeler Wilcox (American poet)

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!
~~~ Mark Twain (American writer)


The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity is of wonderful structure, more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin and more exquisitely refined than either.~~~Sir William Jones (English scholar)

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.
~~~ Gandhi

India is not an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay~~~ Shashi Tharoor (Indian author . In his ‘The Great Indian Novel’)


It is not only a country and something geographical, but the home and the youth of the soul, the everywhere and nowhere, the oneness of all times. ~~~ Herman Hesse (German poet and novelist)

Perhaps in return for conquest, arrogance and spoilation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of the understanding spirit, and a unifying, a pacifying love for all living things.
~~~ Will Durant ( American Historian)

INDIA@61-What a great Glorious Nation

Date:15 August 1947:"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."
quoted Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , who eventually came to be the first prime minister of a free and independant nation that is INDIA today.India was once upon a time ruled by first the invaders-the mughalsfor alm ost a thousand years or more,by the british for almost 200.
Yet today, despite being supressed and oppressed, India is amongst the largest in resources,manpower and probably the most powerful economy in Asia today. Not even Nehru could have envisioned this back in 1947.
India, has always been rich in Human Values over all the civilisations and cultures of the world.
The worlds first civilisation took birth in India.And it is not very surprising that India has become a leader where human values,spirituality,economics ,modern urban villages ,a plethora of religious beliefs, people of different races,colours, linguistic families ,etc co-exist harmoniously and peacefully.
India, today is home to the maximum number of millionaires,the worlds largest IT and spirituality hub, home to the worlds largest and fastest growing Media Industry,secon largest in manpower resources and its a very loonog list. India ,today with all its multicultural social systems has still maintained her values thanks to its traditions of spirituality and strong value systems in a world where almost all is lost.Today , we have an Indian Diaspora in practically every nook and corner of the globe, a temple, a buddhist shrine,gurudwara or a number of yoga centres in every nook and corner of the world. Today the Indian Bhangra dominates the music scene and a Shahrukh Khan Movie almost grosses as much in London as a hollywood multistarer.
Indian Men and Women have made their mark in every aspect and sphere of Human life.Be it Indira Nooyi or Mata Amritanandamayi, Amartya Sen or Shri Shri Ravishankar. Today these are regared and respected and Honoured as the great daughters and sons of the Indian soil.
India at 61 is still young. It is still strong and steeply immersed in the philosophies of Krishna,Nanak, Buddha,Allah,Adi Shankaracharya,Jesus and still moves on in a bustling world raring to go.
On this Independance day , all Indians should remeber and feel the gratitude to their forefathers and the modern indians who have built and are still building this great glorious nation
We should also salute our personal independance and freedom and also salute the youth who are taking this great nation forward by leaps and bounds.
Some of My Favorite quotes on this Great Nation that IS:

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. While the world sleeps a dynamic and a pulsating India is emerging. Its time to fly India. ~ Bhavin Rawal,London)

India is probably the best country in the world, both scenic and peaceful, it truly is god's country. ~ Kobe Bryant
If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. ~ Romain Rolland (French Nobel Laureate)

With one foot grounded in time-honored traditions and the other fervently striding into the entrepreneurial e-age, India embraces diversity passionately as few other countries on earth could.
- Lonely Planet (Travel guide book)
It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else. ~ A Rough Guide to India (a travel book [1])

Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?~~~ Abdul Kalam (President of India)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Choices

I was recntly watching a talk by Rishi Nityapragyaji on Choices.Well, i could apply every aspect of the talk to my life. What i like about Guruji and Rishiji's talks is that they are very practical to the modern day and age..
What rishiji was basically saying was that people generally make choices based on comfort and convienience and therefore have short term happiness and donot lead a high value lifebut he also said that those who make choices based on challenges tend to lead a higher value life in teh long term.heres the link to the talk...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryViIaeG9no
it is a must watch for not only those of art of living but for everybody....

Tomato, Basil and Pine Nut Pesto

this one is quite easy:
heres what you need:
2 ripe fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
sundried tomatoes cut into about 8-10 strips
fresh green olives about 8-10
a handful of pinenuts well if u dont have access to pine nuts use almonds as a substitute
sunflower or olive oil
salt
pepper and mixed herbs you could also use fresh basil leaves as per taste
a few drops of lime juice
garlic (optional tough i dint add any)but it makes the pesto quite tasty
whirr all the ingredients together in a mixie or hand blender and voila the pesto is ready you could use this as a dressing ,as pasta sauce,on bread or as a dip...ill put a pic up really soon..

Friday, August 8, 2008

Quick and Easy Tomato and Cheesy Pasta


hmm i decided to try this recipe last night for dinner.. its quick and easy pasta as the name suggests..you could use leftover boiled pasta (if you use pasta made of durrum wheat or whole wheat like i do then its just healthier and cuts out half the calories as there are other ingredients that make it rich)

here goes the recipe:

pasta boiled

tomato puree 2-3 tbsps for a big quantity for 2 ppl(make sure its either organic/homemade or sugarfree)

mixed pasta herbs

cream cheese dissolved in 2 tbsps of milk and boiled for 2 mins..

salt ,pepper

butter

procedure:you could also toss this one up in the microwave including the cheesy sauce..like i did..

in a bowl /pan add some butter and let it melt for 2 mins.. plunk in the pasta and add the tomato puree,cheesy sauce ,salt ,pepper and herbs tossit up and then cook on a medium for 2-3 mins. if doing it in the microwave,use a microsafe bowl ..

heres a picture i know its not that gr8 ba pic but tasted yummm..

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Leaving Home

im leaving. leaving home. on the 22nd of july.
why you may ask. well ive reached a point where i can make my own decisions. the decision about future studies. im leaving for Sydney. Australia. a city i first visited when i was 16 and fell inlove with. Its my destiny thats taking me there. But why Sydney?i dont know. the only thing i know is that its pretty good for what i wanna study. Digital Media and 3D animation. i know u'll say why not us? as its the best i again dont know. i guess its just destiny again. I know deep down that somewhere i am going to miss home. Especially Dad. I guess every girl has a special connection with their fathers which just cant be expressed in words. I share an extremely deep bond with dad which all daughters do i guess. Leaving home is bringing me bittersweet memories. Altough am not a bangalorean but this place has become home in someways. Especially the Ashram: i just lovve going there its the most peaceful slice of heaven bang in the middle of a chaotic city. I'd miss my own bedroom, my friends : some of whom ive known all the 21.5 yrs ive lived on this planet , some of whom ive known only for a few months but share a deep bond with. some of whom ive known a few weeks.still in a way ill miss all of them.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Mind Matters

during one of the satsangs while i was doing my yes+ advanced course at the ashram, Guruji( His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar) was speaking about the most extraordinary thing- the human mind. Guruji was saying that one's own mind can be their best friend at times and the worst enemy at others.. we must learn to control our thoughts and accpet them as they are . Guruji also said that a meditative mind accepts situations and people as they are and brings in more focus into one's life. He said that being with the self and following what you think is right is the best way to focus on the goal ahead. Meditation and silence for a few minutes everyday can help bring the mind back to the present .. as the human mind plays the "wandering between past , present and future " game everyday. Meditation also helps soothe and calm the mind and th e body and helps one to accept present situation , etc as they are.After hearing this, i realised how practical and true to our lives the knowledge is and in all its simplicity. below is an extract from the book Mind Matters again authored by Guruji:
Mind and Meditation:
Focus sharpens the mind and relaxation expands the mind .An expanded mind without sharpnesscannot bring holistic development.At the same time ,a sharp mind without expansion causes tension,anger and frustration .
The balance of a focused mind and an expanded conciousness brings perfection.Expanded conciousness is peace and joy.Focused conciousness is love and creativity .Apoint of focused conciousness is individual self.When every atom of the expanded conciousness becomes sharp,focused,that is the awakening of Divinity.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Paneer Bhurjhi

this is one of my favorite punjabi dishes. can be eaten at any time of the day. preferably with a piyaz dhaniya patha paratha..
heres whats needed to cook it:
paneer ( soak it in luke warm water for a few minutes it becomes nice and soft)
salt as per taste
oil or ghee depending on how much you use but donot use more than 2 tablespoons of any
finely chopped tomatoes
salt as per taste
jeera(cumin powder)
turmeric powder
dhaniya(coriander) powder
finely chopped green capsicum
finely chopped onions
finely chopped fresh coriander
to cook:
in a non stick pan, add the ghee or oil, the onions, tomatoes , capsicum and sautee until the onions turn slightly whitish, then add the soft grated/ mashed up paneer and the masala and cook for a few minutes and its ready to eat.. you could also eat it with bread..

Friday, June 13, 2008

Quick and Easy version of Pasta Primavera

ok i used to think that pasta primavera is some complicated exotic italian pasta meant to be ordered and eaten in some niche boutique kinda italian restraunt until i came accross this quick and easy recipe given by a friend.. but i have made my own alterations:
ok what you need :
veggies of your choice: you could use brocolli, asparagus, zucchini, carrots
a few pods of crushed garlic
finely chopped leeks (even half a leek would do)
sauteed onions(sautee the onions in butter until they turnslighty whitish)
herbs of your choice:i use oregano/basil or thyme depending on the flavours i want to give it.
fresh cream : well use a low fat cream if your calorie concious...
some readymade pasta seasoning: easlylife one is good , but if you have masterfoods its the best.
any pasta of your choice: i use penne or fusilior even spagetthi would do..
no to make the pasta:
in a non stick pan: add 2 spoons of olive oil, the crushed garlic pods, the vegetables and sautee for a few minutes,add the leeks and then add the cream and cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame. then add whatever boiled pasta you have to this sauce. add the herbs and the pasta seasoning... and its ready to serve.. you could go that extra step and add cheese as garnish-parmesan preferably if you like( it only makes it richer)....pasta primavera is ready..

Monday, June 2, 2008

Sab Maya Hai

pls note im reposting this from my old rediff iland blog over here.. had written this in 2006...

sab maya hai??
"Maya" simply means illusion. everything we do in our everday lives is an illusion. i am sure that the many of you reading this blog may be wondering why i am talking of such a mundane and inane concept of illusion. well, let me say that a wise learned man would say life itself is an illussion. we imagine things and when they actually come true ,we think its maya . afterall nothing is permanent right??life itself is the biggest maya...everything happening in life is also maya .....no.. in this case maya does not refer to a software used in animation but ,i am looking at maya from yhe viewpoint of someone who is of a high spiritual quotient..spiritual quotient. the new one in the power quotient line of i.q and e.q. today ,they say that a whole individual is one with i.q,e.q and s.q. the sankat moc-han temple gets bombed,iisc,bangalore experiences a terror attack,someone as important a leader as mahajan passes on.. yet the average man goes on with his own routine life. why?? because he knows everything is an illusion..................... sab maya hai.

Nature


nature??
i know the picture ive chosen is more akin to mother nature rather than what i am reffering to.... here are just some abstract thoughts on human nature...
a soft smile,
a loud scream of frustration,
mood swings,
tears of joy
greater tears of sorrow.... excitement
envy
jealousy
pride
greed
laughter
attachment
worry
relief
wonder
hatred
love
happiness
success
failure
shock
surprise........
some aspects of human nature..................

Learn

Learn

learn to be yourself
dont imitate others.set your own style statements ,dont bother what others think of it. always remember you are you and nobody can be you because you are unique. remember God made you with an objective in mind-to achieve a goal through a mission always remember-a smile costs nothing-its priceless
learn that while your on this planet, to respect it and preserve it its yours after all.
learn to listen rather than talk.
learn to do what you think is right, dont worry .
learn general etiquette.
learn not to shed tears over defeats but greater tears of joy over your victories
learn to walk as if the world belongs to you..
learn to live in the present for the future,
let bygones be bygones.
learn that academic education is only a slice of life, not the whole pizza..
learn to accept people for who they are-mental characteristicsnot what they have-materialistic possessions.
learn that learning occupies your whole life- from the cradle to the grave-its all a learning experience.
learn,
its an experience of life and time...

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Our Task is to discover our true essence once again

our task is to discover our true essence once again
once,a group of siamese monks covered their precious golden buddha with an outer covering of clay to keep their treasure from being looted.The golden figure lay hidden for centuries .We are all like the Golden Bhudda covered with a shell of hardness created out of fear,and yet underneath is a "golden essence",our real self.Sometime along the way we began to cover up our natural self.Our task now is to discover our true essence once again. excerpted from jack canfield.
So wrote the famous author Jack canfield. and indeed we are all like the beautiful Golden Bhudda whom the monks covered with clay. As far as each one of us is concerned,we have been conditioned to live in societies where, over a period of time,we start covering up our true identities and fear whats going to happen in our lives.we start building masks to cover ourselves .it is my belief that each one of us should start peeling back the layers of masks and rediscover our true selves as ,each one of us is beautiful inside and is not aware of our beauty..yes,its time again to rediscover ourselves,introspect and find little joys in the beauty of life...

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Life

Life
life: i'd consider the beginning of my life to be like a vast ,textured but blank white canvas ready to be painted on and explored-an empty canvas like that of an artists thats ready to be painted on... only here ,i am trying to unravel the mystery of what life means to me .i really dont know how to express the concept of life in a few simple short sentences but,here is what i think life is all about :lifes about good times and bad,
experiencing a gain and a loss at times,
'joy and sorrows
sharing and daring
chossing between the good and the bad,
the right and the wrong
its about being optimistic at times and pessimistic at others
leisure and hard work
its about living on the edge
Life-live it to the maximum

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