Samaiyal

Man.......... Look at the transformation. Is this the girl who knew nothing but only to prepare buttermilk that too with loads of salt?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before marriage

I have given lots of anxious moments to my grandmother in the kitchen. Though she complains that i never would do things on my own she actually never gave any chance. i was the apple of her eye.

1. I would actually wonder how these ladies are boiling milk and how they would know that it had come to the saturation point. This was mainly because my grandmother was using the "pal cooker" and it would give the whistle sound - an old model in which we have to pour water removing the cover of the whistle. Then she would ask me to reduce the flame. I would wonder how does on earth she knows when to switch it off. but would never dare to ask her because then if i was to learn it means i have to do and give it a try. Kitchen was a place for me to take my plate and wash my hands.

2. Then the next best thing was the rice. She had a small paaththiram in which she would cook 1 cup of rice for both of us. Actually this sort of samaiyal was only after the death of my grandpa. Previously it was a joint family and the samaiyal on the whole would be for not less than 20 people per session. This excludes the number of the guests which my uncle, grandpa and i would bring very often without notice.

One day all of a sudden she was sick and was hospitalised. Then after recovery she didnt want to be a burden for her daughter-in-laws who gave rasam and rice for 3 days. so she asked me to keep the rice in the cooker. She gave me all the instructions properly but not the most important one.

Bang.................... went the cooker touching the ceiling and missing me by few seconds. I was asked several questions but i replied everything with utmost confidence.

Atlast we discovered that i hadnot kept water in the cooker for the vessel to float????????????????????????????



After marriage

Now I can prepare a whole of feast even for a gathering of 10 -20 people. Thanks to LIFCO samaiyal puthagam and not to leave the internet.

She is dumbstuck with my transformation and lavishly praises to all my relatives about my culinary skills though not even once she admitted it to me.

This time the kara adai and the vella adai was perfect to the T. And i would give full 10/10. But the rava kesari was a tragedy this time.

Though my hubby never complains he enthusiastically would go a bit farther by eating and relishes each and every dish i make.

Though i can cook all items with little help from cook book my trademark is

1. Filter coffee
2. Samabar - both ordinary and arachuvittathu
3. Paruppu usili
4. Potato fry
5. vetha kuzhambu
6. Not the least payasam

Always this would be my menu if someone comes to my house. So if anyone is to visit my home my in-laws are so sure of the menu that they would surprise the guests with the name of the items served.

I have taken a oath to change the menu atleast for the next get-to-together.

Gooseberry alais nellikkai

The very word Gooseberry alais "nellikkai " in tamil kindled all my childhood memories not to be mentioned rather sweet ones.
The other day i was teachin my pre-school kid all the fruits both orally as well visually through CD ROM of fruit rhymes. Rather i should say i was educating myself all the english acronyms of the fruits which i hadn't heard of.
Fine, now back to our topic. We moved to our new house which is surrounded by whole bunch of trees which includes mango, gooseberry , guava, plantain and not to leave behind cocunut.
My kid was asking the name of the trees and i was very ashamed to tell him those rather lettin him to discover on his own. Then, there aroused my memories of how independent i was and playful which is very much not at all provided to this generation kids.

I grew up in the locality of independent houses where the apartments were not so much heard of though in the heart of the city that too near the shopping paradise of T.Nagar. We, the children would never be at home in the evenings and should i mention anything about the holidays? There was one this house a not so huge one but well surrounded by trees of which the nellikkai maram would occupy considerable space. The inmates of the house were so sweet that they would never close their gate and would never mind us play there. We would climb the trees and would have the nellikkai and play all sort of games over there which are not at all heard now-a-days.
We would sit on the tree and chat for hours together and u bet we wud get the salt and chilli mixture from the aunty of the house itself. All the boys and girls together would be around 10 and we would play ; paandi, dog and the bone , Nondi, help, lock and key, Thayam, pallankuzhi . All these games we would play with loud screams and laughter, and not even once that aunty had ever scolded us. She would also give us water to drink though our houses were the opposite ones.
I dont remember her face or name but we would address her as uthra aunty since there was a baby called uthra there.

Imagine now for putting my boy to sleep, i close all the windows, doors, and switch off my mobile and lower the volume of telephone.

HAS TIME CHANGED OR WE PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED.

Wish i would try being like uthra aunty.

If tomorrow comes

I remember reading this novel some 13 years back.During my earlier stint it was just the rush to read a thriller and knowing the end of the story. Again i got a chance of going through it. Though it is a typical tamil movie story, some of the contents are thought provoking. The basic story is of revenge by the girl who is dumped by few men and how she then manages to take it back to the society which just almost buried her. I found lot of logic missing when i read it again.

Fine. Let me first put the positive points together.
1. How the girl i.e the central character maintains her dignity and self-respect when she goes to meet her in-laws at the very beginning of the story, though she wants to impress them.
2. The way she changes herself in the prison with all those mental strength and poise. Particularly this was the most wonderful part of the story. i.e Fighting back the most difficult encounter with a focussed mind and the positive approach from no point of return.Never give-up is the central theme of this part.


The rest of the part are so cinematic and you can see them in all Rajini movies and especially "SIVAJI"

P.S - I have a great doubt whether shankar is an ardent fan of Sidney Sheldon. Somehow i feel that the movie plots are more or less based on his novel.

MY SCHOOL

Today went to my school where i wandered, learnt so many things apart from studies. Just thoughts kept on pouring from the moment i stepped in to the school. My God!!!!!!!!!!!!! The whole wing which i studied had vanished and the school ground which would talk about so many fights, crushes and girlie gossips, pains and vains , fear and the celebrations and what not could not be found. I would always boast of our schools prayer and the assembly in the morning. Gosh only the stage is the which is left there with huge buildings. My heart sank like the titanic.



I would rather say and even boast that nobody would have enjoyed their what is called their 'TEENS" like we friends did. Though it was a girls gang, the fun we enjoyed was unlimited. We would just go to school every morning with one adventure which we would like to share with our freinds. Even the whole pathway i.e the route from home to school was like an adventure.



The nicknames which we would keep for the boys were the most annoying ones. the derivation of such nickname was most fascinating.



Though we were the most nottiest gang we kept people at their feet with our marks. people around us and all the studious ones would wonder whether we would be sleeping and moving with our books in hand once we reach home. Man! That was a fantastic life.............



Little did I realise when our teachers said that school life was the best and utilise the most..........



IF I GET ONE MORE CHANCE I WOULD SURE LIKE TO LIVE THE LIFE ONCE AGAIN WITH THE SAME SET OF FRIENDS... ITS A TREASURE FOR ME TO CHERISH ALL ALONG

Juggling Mind - Temper

Of late, I have been wondering whether i have gone insane. Wandering mind...... restlesness........losing temper........ u name it i have it all.
YEAR 2007 - I JUST HATE IT

i just dont know the reason. Though was going out every weekend maybe would have missed a very few. Doing shopping .... Filling the house with gadgets. Going to office.. doing hell lot of work..... still i dont find anything amusing.... It was rather dull

Let me hope for a better 2008. Watchaa i have already handfull of plans to keep me busy throughout the year.Ya i do literally mean it..Busy till December 31st 2008.

Keeping my fingers crossed. Lets see how things work

Birthday

After 364 days of counting endlessly finally my birthday arrived with a bang!!!!!!!!!!!! Was watching the mobile calender endlessly for the dot to arrive. Atlast it came....... Dug myself into the pillow and was waiting for my hubby to wish me as usual........ After 5 minutes though it appeared as though 5 years had passed lifted my head. Alas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my hubby was there nicely hugging my kid and sleeping there in his warmthness as though he had not slept for ages.......... As i didnt have anything to do at that time just wished myself a nice happy birthday and went to sleep

PS. He compensated this with nice compliments from GRT Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.................... the next evening. so this time mannichu vittudalam.

Benazir

Bodies scattered....blood all over..people crying endlessly....This is what all the TV channels were showing for the past 24hours ultimately. Just was wondering for a long time what purpose does this actually serve. Though the primary aim is to convey flash news to the people, most of the channels were actually capitalising this and saw this as their primary object of drawing viewership. little do they understand that showing the turmoils repeatedly would actually spoil as well wound the young minds watching this. Neither the news channels understand nor the people watching endlessly in their TV sets realise the impact this would make on the young minds.