HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!

Raining Season

The raining season is here.

It’s been raining heavily here for past one week.

I love watching the rain. There is only one song comes to my mind whenever it’s raining.

Indian Rain by Colonial Cousins.

A beautiful song by Hariharan and Leslie Lewis.

A song which gives me peaceful and serene feelings.

Abhi turns 8 months old!!!!!

Yup! Abhi now 8 months old.

He has been with us 6 months and successfully driving the whole household crazy!

Yet, all of us love him very much.

Especially me, till whenever he do things he is not supposed to do both of us getting scolded by our parents.

My whole family thinks he is spoiled because of me and I’m the reason he is soooo naughty.

Funny thing is he will listen to everyone in my family except for me.

But, he quick to find me if have done something which can get him in trouble.

Hahaha!!! Even Sabrina and Sri used to be like that.

They somehow knows that I can’t bring myself to really harsh with them =)

Some pictures of Abhi…

Pampered!!!

It has been a long weekend, as today is Aidiladha it is a holiday here. My bro came back for holidays, so we decided to check out The Times Square Christmas celebration. Hmmm, nothing grand. In fact, we went to Midvalley yesterday, but nothing much as well for Christmas decorations. Looks like the economy factor has hit our shores after all. The usual special, magical feeling that we can experience during this time is missing.

Anyway, we also stop by Borders when we are at Times Square. So thought of pamper myself a bit by getting

1) The Bride And The Beast by Teresa Medeiros
2) The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie

Guess, it will be my last purchases for this year. From, next year onwards I’ve decided to buy books strictly only during warehouse book sale or whenever the bookshops giving discounts. Hopefully, I can hold on to it =)

Book Giveaway: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Ruth from Bookish Ruth giving away brand new hardcover copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Standard Version) by J.K. Rowling to one reader.

Enter here.

Remix Songs...

Lately, there are many Remix songs of yesteryear hits being released. Some turns out very well like Madhai Thirandhu by Yogi B & Natchatra and Yedho Mogam by Chakrasonic. Today, when I was tuning in to one of the radio channel, they played a latest remix song. I was shocked, I can’t figure it whether these guys are singing or puking!

Ok-lah probably I exaggerate a bit the puking part but that’s what I can think when listening to the song. I was mad too, because these people have successfully ruined a beautiful song. I hope that people will just leave alone all the beautiful yesteryear songs and start making their own!!!

I can’t get the remix version of the song, but manage to get the original song. Just one thing, I find the video really funny =D yet it’s a lovely song!!! So enjoy it.

Happy Diwali

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY DIWALI!!!

A lovely song to everyone!

I love this song!

So thought of sharing it with everyone who cares to drop by my blog.

Enjoy the beautiful song!

p/s: kind of busy with work and Deepavali preparations.

Will try to blog whenever time permits.

Looks like I have couple of books to blog about.

In the mean time enjoy the above video till i'm back.=)

Free Handbag!!!!

Check this site Handbag Planet .

Don' stop there, sign up and have a chance to win a handbag for free.

I'm not kidding.

They are giving out free handbag every hour on their launch day Oct 15.

So grab the chance!!!

Actual Horror!!!

I was looking for a song from one of the local Indian movie which just released. It’s a horror movie. After looking in couple of places finally I came across the movie’s website. Now, I did not pay attention to the movie’s genre much because most movies don’t really fall into their said genres.

Something tells me this movie after all a real Horror movie. No, I have not watched the movie yet but, I can tell you it’s a scary scary scary movie by just reading their synopsis. I bet even you can come to that conclusion after reading it!

So are you ready to be spooked? Here is the link to the website.

Holidays!!!!

HOORAY!!!!! Holidays!!!!!

Yup! Next week onwards I'll be FREE!!!

ONE Week Holiday!!!

Not really holiday-lah but work wise nothing much so I'll be FREE!!!

MPH Stock Clearance Sale

Finally dragged my dad, sis and brother to MPH Stock Clearance sale on 31st August 2008 at the Bandar Utama community hall. Thank god, they provided a map with the ad. Crowd still small when we reach the place but grew steadily with the minute passing. Browsing the books was quite easy, almost all of them were stacked up neatly, I was soooo glad. Spend almost 3 hours there browsing each and every, part of the hall.

At Iast, did come away with couple of books:
Evening Is The Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan
Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Eh! Wat Yu Talking: Chronicles of Malay Humor by Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas

My sis got herself 2 books which I can’t remember the titles.

While we are on the subject of book, I’m finished with Honk! If you’re Malaysian by Lydia Teh. Currently, still undecided which book to pick next =)

HAPPY VINAYAGAR CHATURTHI!!!

WISHING EVERYONE A BLESSED VINAYAGAR CHATURTHI!!!

Some mothagam, which I make from scratch for Vinayagar Chaturthi today!

What am I doing?

Kind of, busy this couple of days. Anyway, my sis is here. She got me some books and lots of presents…hehehehehe suppose to be my birthday presents.

The books, which she got me:-
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

(I love the cover, we don’t get this cover here!!!)

No Onions Nor Garlic by Srividya Natarajan

I have finish reading Marley and Me by John Grogan. It’s a fabulous book!!! Loved every bit of it. I will write about the book later.

Currently, I’m reading Honk! If You’re Malaysian by Lydia Teh. It’s a non-fiction covering the lifestyles of Malaysians in humorous way. So far so good. Though the book can be finished in one sitting, I’m taking my own sweet time to finish it =)

Ciao! For now!!!

A Reason to Celebrate!!!!!

My sis coming for holidays on 23rd August in morning flight.

It's been almost 6 months since I last saw her.

Waiting anxiously for her returns.

No plans in particular but will try to come up with something once she is here.

The best thing is my bro also getting 2 weeks holidays & will be joining us on 1st sept.

It's been loooooong time since we gathered as one whole family! YIPPPPIE!!!!

Postcard...Oh...Postcard!

Today I received a postcard from MPH bookstore. As I’m a member of MPH I’m entitled to get 15% discount on all books, the sale is starting on 30th July 2008 till 3rd August 2008. SIGH!!! Unfortunately, I have to go to MPH Midvalley to get the books in my list. Of course, the sale is nationwide but we only get the full titles in MPH Midvalley and MPH 1 Utama.

Just the top 10 books which I really want to get my hands on (actually the list way tooo long so just limit it to the 1st 10 books).

1) Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan
2) Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai
3) The House Of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar
4) Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
5) Gently Falls The Bakula by Sudha Murty
6) Whitney, My Love by Judith Mcnaught
7) Brida by Paulo Coelho
8) The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
9) Two Mirrors At The Ashram by Shiv K. Kumar
10) The Financial Expert by RK Narayanan

Actually, I love to get my hands on all the books written by RK Narayanan. He is such a great writer. Will do post on his books later.

Anyway this is my little wish list at time being. :-)

A Birthday Wish to a Far Far Far Away Friend!!!

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THILAK!!!

WISHING YOU ANOTHER YEAR OF HAPPINESS, PROSPERITY

& GOOD HEALTH!!!

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!!

ENJOY YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!

A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern

Finally, I finish reading A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern today. No, no don’t blame the book. It’s just me. I’m a slow reader and with the busy schedule, I’ve become slower than usual. I’m always surprised how some people can finish a book with 300+ pages in 4 hours!!! Definitely, I can’t do that, and not interested too.

Anyway, I really enjoy A Place Called Here. My first book of Ms. Ahern is If You Could See Me Now. I love the book too. I was quite hesitant when picking up A Place Called Here. I was wandering whether Ms. Ahern can deliver the magic of If You Could See Me Now again in her new book. I am so glad I did purchase her book.

It’s a story about Sandy Shortt (though her last name is Shortt, Sandy actually 6 feet). A woman who scared of loosing her belongings since young age and will do whatever it takes to find them back. It has all started when her childhood classmate disappear one day without a trace. Since than, Sandy gets very obsessed with missing things. Her only goal in life is to find all the missing things, which led her to open a Missing Person Agency when she grew up. She even detached herself from her parents and friends to pursue her goal.

On the other hand, we have Jack Ruttle, who is looking for his lost brother, Donal. He has been searching for his brother desperately for one year. When none of his frantic, sleepless search bore any results, he seeks Sandy’s help. They decided to meet in person after couple of conversation on phone to discuss in details about Jack’s brother.

On the day, Jack and Sandy suppose to meet, Sandy disappears. Jack embarks on a quest to find her. Sandy, find herself stranded in a new place. A place where all the missing things goes. It’s a world of its own. She meet all the people, she is been searching all her life, except Donal. She was surprised to see people from different nation, race and background work together here. How they make best of everything, they find it here.
She is very amused and happy to find all her lost belongings from her socks to toys here however, old habits die hard. She once again starts her searching habit. This time she starts searching for her way back to the normal world where she actually belongs.

It’s actually a simple book. Very easy to understand as the author has penned it down very well the difference between the real world and the world where all missing thing goes. Although, I find some parts a draggy but overall I’m very happy with the book. I’m disappointed that this book has been classified as chick-lit, probably it’s because of her earlier books it’s been categorized in the same theme. So, if you are a fan of chick-lit I doubt you will enjoy this book because it’s not chick-lit.

Currently, I’m reading Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan and love every bit of it. Just started though, but already falling in love with it. I will do a write up on it once done with this book.

What's My Name's Hidden Meaning...

I found this while surfing some websites. Quite fun cos some of it are true..hehehehe! Try it out and discover what's your name's hidden meaning!

What My Name Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Gloomy days…

Nah!!! I’m not talking about our Malaysian politics. It has been gloomy as long as I can remember. We thought the sunshine would be there once TDM step down but it got worst. We thought the sunshine would be there during the 12th general election. The election has come and goes. It has been almost 4 months since the election over. Yet, both the parties are not done with their bickering and getting at each other’s throat. SIGH!!!!!

Well, I’m talking about the weather here.

We had heavy rains in the early morning today, which lasted till late morning. Quite nice to see the rain in the morning, the best part is there is no thunder at all. I totally love it. The downside of the morning rain, they tend to make your system go slow. In my case very slow. I don’t feel like start my day even after dumping 1 and half cup of coffee into my system. It just refused to start and get on with the day.

However, I have lot of things to do, so whether I want or not, I need to finish the jobs today. What happen in the end? Well I drag myself to face the day and finish the works.

I’m happy atleast I can fight my urges to give in to my lazy self.

HIGH FIVE FOR ME!!!!!

Anyway, need to get my sleep now.

GOOD NIGHT WORLD!!!!

ZZZzzzzzz……

Untouched books...

As we are now in the fourth quarter of the year, I thought of doing a list of the books that I had bought and still have not lay my hands or fingers on it. Yet, I do make sure they don’t collect dust-lah. They are all neatly stacked in the shelf, waiting for me.

1) Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
2) Marley & Me by John Grogan
3) Waiting for Mahathma by RK Narayan
4) Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
5) The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S.Sharma
6) Honk! If You’re Malaysian by Lydia Teh
7) MAY 13: Declassified documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969

by Kua Kia Soong
8) Ramayana India’s Immortal Tale Of Adventure, Love, and Wisdon Retold

by Krishna Dharma
9) The Science Of Self-Realization His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada

Yay, I have 9 books to finish reading, now I have to make other excuses to my mom before going book purchasing. My mom believes I should finish reading all my books before buying new one.
Sigh! Anyway, for the time being, I’m not thinking of buying any new books either.

Currently, I’m buried with Cecelia Ahern’s A Place Called Here. Nowadays, my work requires me to travel a lot, the only time I get to read is in the weekends. Unfortunately, even on these days I have many other works to do. SIGH!!!

Anyway, when I have enough time will try to write my 2 cents opinion about books, which I have read.

Adios, for now!

Choosing the right Cookbook.

I came across articles in the local newspaper regarding cookbooks. The link for the articles, Never judge a cookbook by its cover and another link for the related story Camera trick.

I can’t agree more with the writer as I myself have come across many cookbook which contains flashy photos of foods. The pictures will be very perfect and tempting too, but one look at the recipe you will have your head spinning. Either the ingredients are something which you never heard off or it has so many confusing methods to follow. Sometimes makes me wonder whether the person who writes the book really has tried the recipe or just put it up there.

I’m not a pro in cooking. I’m still learning about the art of cooking. Yes, cooking is an art for me. I believe when I’m cooking I have to put my mind and soul into it. Not only that we have to enjoy the whole process to come up with a good dish.

Usually when I buy cookbook I always check the ingredients and also the recipe method before purchasing them. Another way was checking with family and friends whether they have the same book and seek their opinion about the book. Other than this there is our bloggers who have tried recipes from various cookbooks and kind enough to post them on their blog. We can try the recipes from the blog and see whether it applies to our tastebud before purchasing the book.

When comes to food it’s a tricky question, because one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Simply means everyone has different tastebud. So at the end of the day everything is about you. Whether you will enjoy the food cooked from the recipe book or not.

Of course all this won’t apply if you are purchasing cookbooks just to feast your eyes.

If you are buying cookbooks just for recipes and not for collection then it’ll be wise to look them in the internet. As there is millions of food blogs on the net with great recipes. Even I learn to make Mothagam from net (Hehehe my mom very proud of it). Some food bloggers even very kind enough to post pictures of the recipe preparation steps on their blog. Now, how many cookbooks have done that? As far as I know, quite hard to find those kind of books, and bet you it comes with a hefty price tag too.

Another important point when purchasing cookbooks is the price. Here in Malaysia books don’t come with cheap tags. A basic cookbook will cost around RM40 (I purchase my cookbooks when I was in Bangalore ;-) ), so it’s another factor to consider when purchasing cookbooks.

So what I have on my shelf?

1) Indian Food Today by Dhershini Govin Winodan
This is my first and only cookbook before purchasing the others in Bangalore. I’m very fond of it also possessive. I have it on my shelf for past 9 years, bought by my mom for me. I started my food experiment with this book and the recipes never let me down. It has both the simple and difficult dishes to try out. The book mainly covers Kerala cuisines, probably because of the author’s family background. Apart from this it also has some North Indian dishes and Malaysian-Singaporean version of Indian dishes. Of course, till date I have not tried all the dishes in the book. It comprises vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. Quite easy to follow and has tempting pictures too. Highly recommended.

2) The Best of Samaithu Paar by S.Meenakshi Ammal
This particular book is highly recommended by a friend. It comprises Vegetarian dishes cooked in authentic Brahmin style. I have tried some recipes from this book and it turns out very well. It’s very easy to follow the instructions and the recipes don’t require much ingredients. The best part is you can cook up a meal in short amount of time, this is blessing in disguise. The Best of Samaithu Paar is perfect companion to those who are starting to venture in to the art of cooking and for those who enjoy simple meals. Thanks to Thilak who introduce me to this book. It’s another favorite of mine.

3) Cooking at Home with Pedatha by Jigyasa Giri
This book largely covers authentic traditional Andhra vegetarian dishes. The recipes, which have been incorporated in this book, are from the era of grandmothers. The ingredients and the instructions are quite easy to follow too. What makes me to grab this book is the way it was presented. It has the flow of a storybook. In each section, Pedatha (grandmother) will explain the importance of the different type of foods. She also shares her experience of food preparing in those days. Each recipe comes complete with the picture of the food, health tips, and substitute for the ingredients. This book not only gives us insights of traditional Andhra vegetarian cuisines but also makes a perfect coffee table book. I’ll recommend this for those who love to learn about traditional food of other culture and for those who seek to have a good coffee table book.

4) Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan
What I like about this book is, the author have come up with a menu plan at the end of the book. That is quite helpful for those who are taking up South Indian cooking for the first time. Some of the recipes have a long list of ingredients, but finding them in the local Indian grocery store will not be a problem. The instructions are straight forward, so should not be a problem following them too.

5) Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Viji Varadarajan
This is another book, which covers largely on South Indian Brahmin Cuisines. Again all the recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to get. This is a basic cookbook like Samaithu Paar.

6) PRASHAD-Cooking with Indian Masters by J. Inder Singh Kalra
I have not gone through fully of this particular book. It contains compilation of recipes from India’s famous Chefs. Not much pictures. The recipes have been classified by Indian states and some were by utensils used for the cooking. I will try to update on this book once I have tried recipes from it.

If we look closely, Samaithu Paar, Dakshin and Samayal contains some similar recipes with some slight difference in ingredients. Other than that, each book do have totally different recipes to indulge. So do check the recipes of each book before purchasing them.

ABHI who?

Abhi is the new member of my family. My little baby brother with four legs and a mini tail. He has born on 9 April 2008. He came into our life on 29 May 2008, Thursday. I still remember vividly the day we went to pick him up. He traveled all the way from Ipoh, Perak to be with us. It was in a heavy rain we brought him home. He was shivering out of coldness. His tiny face make our hearts melt. Thank god, we brought some cloth with us. I gingerly wrap it round his body to make him warm. It only takes him few minutes to familiarize himself with us. The first thing he did was scolding me for taking his picture. Only then I realize he don’t like people snapping his pictures. Hmmm so much for making him comfortable, but he is still a baby.

From that day onwards, our entire household timing and chores have been changed. Our main priority of the moment is Abhi. Whether my parents remember to give me food on time or not but they always makes sure Abhi get his food on time. He even gets to sleep with my parents at night.

At times (actually all the times) we get exhausted by just attending to him. Nevertheless, we are very happy and glad to have him as part of the family. He is the sunshine for us after losing Sabrina on 24th October 2007 & Sri on 31st May 2008. Only because of him we don’t feel the sorrow and emptiness which surround our home.

Abhi loves traveling. He enjoys most when he goes riding on the motorcycle with my dad. Abhi is very naughty but smart too. He tends to pick up very quickly and fast learner. We have trained him to use the toilet to do his business, so every time he’ll just rush to the toilet and after finishing his work he’ll let us know. He also knows sit command and come command. Not bad, for a 2 months old pup, eh!

I guess enough of talking about Abhi. Here some pictures of Abhi.

This are the first pictures of Abhi we received from his then parents from Ipoh, Perak. Melts our hearts like ice-cream (yum!)

This one taken on the day he arrive to be with us. He is very angry when i start taking his pictures. The second picture actually he is scolding me. Probably he is worried someone will be jealous of his beauty.

This is Abhi's day time bed, well it used to be. Now it become his playstation. Nowdays he sleep soundly on our sofa with a pillow.

Once upon a time when Abhi still used to sleep in his then called bed.

This was taken when the King finally woke up from him deep slumber and getting ready to pounce on the spy who is busy snapping his pictures.

This is where the King take his rest in the daytime nowdays. During this shot the King has been awaken from his sleep unexpectedly, thus the curious look on his face.

THE END.

What’s with the ‘lah’?

I was watching clips from a latest Tamil movie titled ‘Kuruvi’. Nowadays I don’t bother to watch the whole movie, thanks to the various shows by various television channels. You can figure out and watch almost ¾ of the movie through these shows. Of course, it won’t be in order though but is that really matters?

Anyway, back to this particular movie. There are few characters played as Malaysians in this movie. How do we establish that they are Malaysians? That’s easy. They speak with excessive ‘lahs’ in their conversation.

Firstly, when we Malaysians speak we don’t insert ‘lah’ at the ending of every word. Secondly, we don’t insert ‘lah’ at the ending of every single sentence. I hope the dialogue writers will pay attention to this. It’s very annoying when the characters keep on uttering every single word with ‘lah’ attach to it.

I think this is one of the most ridiculous ways to describe Malaysians.

Vanga-lah, Ponga-lah, Eat-lah, Aiyayoo-lah kepala-lah saya-lah pening-lah, macam ini-lah, mana-lah ada-lah Malaysian-lah, speak-lah!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

WISHING NOT ONLY MY MOM, YOUR MOM BUT EVERYONE’S MOM

A VERY HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.

This rose bouquet goes to all the moms.

Though rose is a common flower but it’s a very special.

Just as special as our mother!

So do we only cherish our mom and dad on these special days?

I believe we should cherish our parents every single day.

Why? Because….

Only these two souls will always blessing us whole heartedly

on this whole wide world.

Only these two souls will always love us whole heartedly

without seeking anything in return.

Only these two souls will always pray for our well beings

without seeking anything in return.

Only these two souls will always be happy for us

though at times we have hurt them.

Only these two souls will always forgive us first

if we have made any mistakes.

Do we need more reasons than this to cherish them?

Do you need a reason to be happy?

I’m soooo HAPPY today.

No, the Rain God has not replied to my letter yet!

I did not meet any interesting people today!

I did not win anything!

It’s not a special day!

No lucky thing happens to me today!

No, it’s not because today is Friday.

Yet, I’m very HAPPY.

A small smile lingering on my lips since morning.

I feel like go up to a mountain (Err, hill will be better, I guess) and scream my heart out.

Why? I don’t know. I was feeling like that since I woke up at 5.30 in the morning.

I watered my plants and smell the sweet scent emits from the wet plants.

It adds more happiness to me.

When the sun starts shinning, it’s another beautiful sunny day.

The afternoon, I realize it’s hazy but the weather did not bother me

The smile on my lip just does not want to leave.

I reach home, thought of making a cinnamon tea which I want to make long time ago.

But, with the tea I can only share my happiness with my family.

I want to share my happiness with my Creators as well.

I decided to make something sweet and chose to do Sweet Ponggal as prasadham.

I start washing the rice and keep aside.

Next, I took some cashews and raisins from the fridge and keep it aside.

Everything is ready but I don’t have milk which is the main ingredient of the ponggal.

I totally forgot to buy milk to make the ponggal.

I’m not going to the shop as the traffic will be very heavy at this time.

It’s funny how you can think up of alternatives when you are HAPPY.

Still smiling to myself, I took out a pot, boil some water.

Reached up to the instant full cream Fernleaf milk powder.

Mix the boiled water and the milk powder, taadaah! The milk is ready.

I set the vessel on the stove, put the washed rice, a pinch of salt, and pour in the milk.

Gave the mixture couple of stir and half cover it.

I turn the fire into very small simmer.

As the rice cooking slowly, I thought I’ll attend my dog while the rice cooks

I woke him up from his deep sleep.

Wash the porch and make sure it’s dry for my dog to continue his disturbed sleep.

When I reached the stove the milk have spill out. It’s all over my stove.

I switch off the fire. Look at the mess I have caused.

Smile to myself and start cleaning it.

I transfer the whole contents to a new vessel.

Scrub the stove and clean the whole part of it.

I put the new vessel on the stove and continue with the cooking.

After the rice three quarter done I put in the rock sugar.

Stir them from time to time.

Once the rice is done, in a pan I heated one and a half teaspoon of ghee.

Fried the cashews and raisins in the heated ghee.

Add them to the rice and mixed them well.

Oh! One more key ingredient, the powdered cardamom.

Add a dash of it and give a mix again.

Voila! The sweet ponggal is ready to be served.

I offered the sweet ponggal to the Gods, then to my parents and had it myself.

I want to share the happiness with others.

Thus, I posted the sweet ponggal on my blog.

Enjoy it.

The rice just melts down into my mouth. It’s sooo delicious (really!!! It tastes soo good)

The smile has not faded away from my lips.

It’s still there even while I’m typing this post.

I’m still in the feel good mood. I’m still feeling very happy. Yet I don’t know the reason.

Suddenly I hear somebody screaming my name.

I searched everywhere but can’t see anyone.

I heard the scream again, it’s odd.

I only hear it when I start thinking the reason of the smile on my lips refusing to go away.
The reason of me being so happy. Feeling so calm. Feeling so good.

Guess who is it? It’s my inner voice screaming to me.

I asked her the reason she screaming my name, actually our name.

Then she told me to stop questioning. There are certain things need no reason.

To feel happy, calm and feel good you don’t need a reason.

Just enjoy the moment to the fullest.

And, I agree with her. :-)

I wish everyone will have a Happy, Sweet and Safe weekends!!!!!

p/s: I can’t give the recipe for the sweet ponggal. No, no it’s not a secret recipe. It’s just that I did not write it down. I just listen to my heart when cooking this dish. It turns out superbly. So when you are cooking, make sure you are in a happy mood. Everything will turn out good. Even I learn about this secret today ;-)

A Letter to Rain God…..

Dear Rain God,

I was really hoping it’ll rain today. After all that eeny, minny tiny dots of water start drizzling for few minutes and all that roars of thunder the skies making. But then again there is still no rain. It has been cloudy since morning, yet no rain.

Is it so hard to shed some water from those clouds at my area? It’s been 4 days since I saw a proper rain. I’m really frustrated.

Look I don’t know how or what you going to do, but you better bring rain to my area. See this is not a threat. No, not at all. I love you soooo muccch that I miss you and wanted to see you. So I do really hope you WILL consider my letter.

I’m not asking you to flood my place or rain cats and dogs. Just make the drizzles heavier and stay for couple of hours. That’s enough. I don’t think I’m asking for something impossible, right?

WITH LOTS OF LOVE,
RAIN LOVER.

The sweet smell...

The smell of wet greens…

In the morning, before the sun start to flexes his rays.

A gentle breeze carries a sweet smell in the quiet misty morning.

A smell that is so pure, so innocent, and so fresh.


This is what I feel when the plants have been showered by the rain in the night. The sweetness of the scent floats through the air. It’s very hard to describe, you just have to experience it to feel the joy. I’m really, really, really missing the rain. Hope it’ll come soon. I love to watch rains falling down, how the small drops of water from the sky struggle with each other to be first to touch the surface of earth, I’m not very fond of the thunder though.

I love to watch waterfalls too. They are so beautiful. Whether flowing elegantly or powerfully, they are just a feast to eyes. Listening to the sound of water trickle when they come down the hills is feast to the ears.

There so many things I love to see and hear, unfortunately I can’t yet. It’s really eating me up, to stuck in place where traffics get horrible day by day. The pollutions, the sound of car honks, hand phone ring tones, the sight of cars, the sight of people, the sight of tall buildings, the sight of computers and gadgets.

I hope that one day I can escape all this things. I’ll be able to sit and enjoy all things mother nature has been offering us all this while. Oh before I sign off. I love to watch sun set and sun rise too. And, where do I plan to watch it? Santorini, Greece. I don’t know whether it’s the perfect place, but for me it’s a magical place. Something like a fairytale comes true.

Vegetarian Chicken Khaadhai

My brother is here with us in KL since Friday and today he is going back to Melaka. Mom and I decided to cook his favorite dishes. One of his favorite is Vegetarian Chicken Khaadhai. Of course cooked by me :-D

This recipe is actually a recipe for Chicken, but as we can get Soya made vegetarian chicken here, so I substitute the real chicken. I think this recipe will go well with potatoes and tofu too. (Err, just a word of caution, try it with this two substitutes on your own risk, as I have not try yet making with tofu & potatoes.)

Anyway, here is the recipe.


Vegetarian Chicken Khaadhai

Ingredients
Vegetarian Chicken -
Onion – 1 medium sliced
Tomatoes – 2 chopped
Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
Black Peppercorns – 1 tsp coarsely powdered
Curry Leaves – 2 strings
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – as per taste
Oil – 7 tbsp
Water – 1 cup

To be made into powder (I call it the 3C powder)
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Cardamom – 6
Clove – 2

To be made into paste
Ginger – 1 inch
Garlic – 7 cloves
Cumin seed – 1 tsp
Fennel seed – 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 ½ tsp

Method:-
Firstly, we make the powder. I prefer to use the stone mortar and pestle to make the powder. Of course, one can use the dry ingredient blender too. Keep the powder aside.

Secondly, we prepare the paste. Heat the wok with 1 ½ tsp oil, fry the ginger, garlic, cumin seed, fennel seed, and black peppercorns for a minute. Dish out and wait until the ingredients cool down. Use a blender to make the paste. Use stone mortar and pestle to make the paste, as it gives a unique taste to the dish. Keep the paste aside.

Now to the main dish. Heat the oil in a wok, fry the vegetarian chicken until it turns dark golden brown. Dish them out. There will be excessive oil so just leave 3-tablespoon oil in the wok.

In the heated oil, fry the onions until it turn golden. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Cover the lid for few minutes, to soften the tomatoes. Open the lid and smash the tomatoes well. Add in the paste, chilli powder, sugar, salt, and the 3C powder. Mix the ingredients well. Pour in 1 cup of water. Mix it well and cover with lid. After 10 minutes uncover the lid give it a quick stir and add the vege chickens, mix them well, cover again with lid.

Simmer them for another 10 minutes, in order for the vege chickens to absorb the flavors. Then toss in the coarsely crushed black peppercorns and curry leaves. Stir them well and cover again with the lid for one final time, for 5 minutes.

Then stir it well and dish out. Have a piping hot rice, sambar, and serve this as a side dish.

Sorry for the not very clear photo. I snap it with my Motorola Rarz2 V9. My canon digi cam out of battery and I only realise it when I want to snap this :-)

A Simple Hope of the Citizen...

I was watching the news yesterday at 8 p.m., usually I skip it, but I got nothing to do at that time so I just sat with my parents and catch up the latest stuffs happened in my country. Usually it’ll be boring just the same court cases, which come back to hearings after a long break, accidents, some ministers cutting red, blue, green ribbons here and there.

Nevertheless, yesterday’s news was quite interesting. They showed a clip with lots of commotion in it. First thing which will comes up to a person’s mind without looking at the clip but by just listening to it ,will be something…….Hear that, it’s a fight between some animals in jungle, Noooo It’s a sound of zooo, but after viewing the clip you will be NOOooo it’s our parliament’s first session after the March 2008, 12th general election.

Here we have hundreds of grown-up people who have been elected as people’s representatives calling each other names like school kids. I wonder when they’ll settle down and start debating on real matters.

Looks like since the general election we still have many MPs who are in denial mode. Of course, it has been one hell of election. Almost everyone was shocked with the result. In 2004 election, we had only 19 or 20 something representatives from opposition, this time around, we have 92 or so opposition members sitting in the parliament.

I know it’s quite hard to accept it, but hey! It’s over a month already so just grab that life and start running the country. Hopefully they’ll recover soon and this time around will serve the rakyat and only the rakyat who elected them.

It is just a simple wish of a humble citizen who has practiced her rights on the voting day. Is this too much to ask? I just want my country back on track. However, looks like my fellow YBs are more interested in name calling and bickering at each other.

Sighhhh!!!!! Hopefully, on next seating they’ll start discussing about more pressing matters which the nation faces today.

A hope, a genuine hope of a citizen who loves her country very much.

A Journey Of Book Purchasing......

This is quite a belated post. I’ve been sooo pre-occupied with my work, till I almost forget about it.

23 April 2008 is the World Book Day.

In conjunction with the World Book Day, MPH Bookstore giving out 20% discounts for members & 10% discounts for non-member on selected titles nationwide.

Err, I can’t remember when the promotion starts, but it ends on 4th May 2008.

I just can’t resist the visit to the bookstore on top of it I’ll get 20% discount.

However, 1st I have to face my mom. My mom thinks I’m spending quite lot on books these days, so every time before going out shopping she reminds me not to go near the bookstores.

Even a peek is not allowed. Sigh!!!!

Of course, I have my own ways to pacify my mom ;)

Once we are done with shopping, I pleaded to my mom to allow me just to have a look around for 10 minutes. My mom can’t stand me pleading, so eventually she agreed, but strictly telling me ONLY 10 MINUTES no more than that & no spending more than RM100 (but mom, that’s my salary, isk..isk, yet not complaing abt. it. My mom very good with finance)

So there I go happily ever after…….errr, not ever after….but happily…

Thank god, all the titles entitle for discount has been arranged right at the front section of the store. That’ll make my job easier, or so I thought, but it turns outs to be a nightmare.

They have piled up lots of books there. Most of them are the titles, which I’m looking forward to get my hands on.

It’s like one of those TV competitions where they give you a limited time & a budget to meet. They’ll dump you in a grocery store & you have to pick items, which you think will meet the budget.

With RM100 budget & 10 minutes, I quickly pick up the titles & start analyzing them.

After much consideration, I make up my mind & pick 3 books out of 11 books that I took.

Mind you, I did all this in 9 minutes. Oh yes, I do keep counting every minute. Till the Chinese uncle beside me thought I’m counting countdown.

Anyway, I put back the remaining books in its place (hate it when people don’t put things where they belong, feels like giving this kind of people couple of knocks on their head) & walks to the counter to pay for my books.

The queue at the counter quite long but luckily they opened the second counter. I produce the books with my member card & pay the cash. All together, I’m done with the book purchasing in whopping 20 minutes (the last time I went book purchasing I spent almost 2 hours).

Phew! Mom was not mad as I expected. She is enjoying a little chitchat with some makcik-makcik when I reached her.

We bid goodbye to them & drove off to home.

Now that’s a happily ever after………atleast, for the day ………and it’ll be continue…..

The books, which I purchased:-

1) Honk! If You're Malaysian by Lydia The

2) The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny by Robin S.Sharma

3) A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern
There you go, 2 non-fictions and 1 fiction.

p/s: i've decided to stop purchasing books for a moment. i think i'll just wait till the warehouse sales kick-in ;)

Sri Rama Navami

Today is Sri Rama Navami. Incarnation of Lord Vishnu as a human on this earth as Sri Rama. A day celebrated with joy by all the Sri Rama worshippers all around the world. In Ayodhya, the birthplace of Sri Rama, the day will be celebrated in grand scale.

My family usually celebrates this auspicious day at home. We will offer neivedyam and perform a small pooja. The following picture is the neivedyam of this year’s Sri Rama Navami. We just made some vaadai and panakam.

Panakam is a beverage also known as sweet drink in Sanskrit. The drink deems to be a very important neivedyam during Sri Rama Navami, thus it’s a main prasadam in almost all the temple and home on Sri Rama Navami. This is a very delicious drink which best served on a hot days (for me any time will do, cos it’s sooo yummy) as it contains cooling properties. Perhaps we should call it Indian Lemonade.

I’ll skip the recipe for the Vaadai, as it has become an International Recipe by now.

How to make a delicious Panakam?

Jaggery / Vellam – 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper Crushed - 1 tsp
Ginger Grated - 1 tsp
Lemon / Lime Juice - 1 Squeeze (optional) – I don’t add the lemon juice to my
panakam, but some people prefers to add it.

1) Powder the Jaggery and mix with water. Make sure the Jaggery fully dissolved in the water. Then filter the water into a new container.
2) Add cardamom powder, black pepper, grated ginger and lemon juice.
3) Give it a stir and refrigerate.
4) Serve cool or skip the third method and serve it at room temperature.

There you have a DELCIOUS Panakam to drink.

I would suggest trying the recipe before the day one plans to offer the drink as neivedyam. Why? At my home we won’t taste the food cooked for prasadam / neivedyam till it offered to God, so we must follow our instincts when cooking. Of course it would not be too hard if we have tried the recipes beforehand. By trying the recipes beforehand we can adjust the ingredients to soothe our taste & take note of the changes. It’ll be helpful when cooking the same foods for neivedyam.

I would like to wish Inniya Sarvathari Puthandu Vaalthukkal to all my hindu friends who celebrate Chithirai Puthandu. May everyone blessed with prosperity, health, wealth & peace.

BIRTHDAY WISHES!

NITHIYA!!!

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY . . . AND MANY MORE!

MAY TODAY AND EVERDAY BE FILLED WITH SUNSHINE AND SMILES,

LAUGHTER AND LOVE.

Talking about being WeIRd!!!

On Sharon Bakar’s blog Bibliobiluli, she has posted about an article from New York Times.

I find it really funny. We can’t even judge a book by it’s cover, so how do you judge a person by the book he/she reads?

Myself I don’t keep up with one genre of books. I read from romance, mystery, legal fictions, general fictions, spirituality, non-fictions, & so forth.

So how do you judge me?

Breaking up with someone just because he/she never heard about one’s favourite author. I think this is quite too much lahh. Definetly I won’t do that though I love books sooo much.

Geez!!! I thought I’m weird, looks like there are people weirder than me…..hahahaa that’s really nice to know :-)

Rain...Rain Please Come Again!

Another rainy day in K.L. (sigh!!!)

No, no I’m not complaining about the rain.

But the weather was sooooooooooo nice, which is sooooo perfect to cuddle up with a book or just watch the rain dropping while listening to Colonial Cousin’s Indian Rain perhaps :D

I know, I know……….i’m becoming weirder this days. Probably not enough caffeine this mornig.

Hmmmmmm…..

WAHHHH!!!! CURTIS STONE IN KL LIAO!!!!!

I just saw the ad on astro......CURTIS STONE will be in KL Hilton on 22nd April 2008, 7 p.m.

I almost scream when saw the ad, mom got really shocked seeing me like tat.

Neway for those who don't know who Curtis Stone is, he is the good looking guy in 'Take Home Chef' which air on Travel & Living Astro Channel 707. Usually i catch it on Saturday 11am :)

He is not only good looking but his cooking also very good. Unfortunatley he cooks only non-veg, but i'm vegetarian, yet i do watch the showlah :D

Astro having a contest now so the 50 winners can dine with him and the food will be prepared by him also. Waaaahhhh!!!! still haven't come out from the shock laah.

C isn't he good looking? eh too much of drooling for 1 day...hahahahhahaha..

Neway for those who don't mind different taste bud do take part in the contest.

I'll try to helplah if they ask q's regarding his show or anything (aiyo ylah me soooo goood 1)

Ugadi Subhakankshalu

HAPPY UGADI SUBHAKANSHALU TO ALL MY TELUGU FRIENDS!!!!!

WISH EVERYONE A PROSPEROUS TELUGU NEW YEAR!!!!

To celebrate the Telugu New Year I want to dedicate a song for everyone.
Thought of dedicating a song from my personal favorites. Hehehehe thought to post Prince’s song.

Ok gals no drools here. I do not want my blog to get wet :D

But when speaking about personal-favorite-close-to heart-song, I pick the song from Bommarillu movie, the song title: Bommani Geesthe. (Man!!!!! how could they let Jayam Ravi play Sidhu’s role, Sidhu was sooooo cute in that movie, SIGH!!!! Errrr sorry can’t help it. Sidhu really good, I feel even in something something JR not as good as Sidhu. if you have watched something something telugu version, you will understand wat I’m talking about)

So enjoy the song…………………. :D

Judith McNaughts Books!!!

Okays, this will be my first review, which I have mentioned, in my earlier post. I have chosen Judith McNaught’s books. As I have read five books of Judith, I’ll do her books first.

Judith McNaught is a romance book author. She has authored both regency or historic romance novels and present time romance novels. I have read the earlier category, which is the historic romance. In fact, all the five books of hers, which I read are all historic romance. Total of her historic romance books will be 7, I still have not read Whitney, My Love & A Holiday of Love (also authored by Jude Deveraux & Jill Barnett)

What is so great about her writing? I believe when reading a fiction you must be able to live through every page (almost) to enjoy the book. Pretty dramatic, huh!!! Well that’s me, I think that’s the reason why we are reading fictions. To escape totally into something else, am I right? Anyway in my opinion Judith McNaught have done a terrific job in the details of describing the regency era. She have pin down quite well not only about the architectures, of those days, but also the clothing.

The common things in her books. Heroes will be rich, very very rich, have prestigious titles added to their name, dangerously good looking ;D, arrogant and have cynical sense of humor. They will be living their life to their hearts content (err… all in the negative way of course), do not believe in women. They think all the women are after their titles and wealth. Nevertheless, they have a heart of gold, which need to be discovered by our heroines :D

The heroines on the other hand will be young, well trained in riding horses, using weapons, well educated yet they will be naïve. Oh! They will also have a tragic past. Are they pretty? Well at first, they will be ugly duckling then they’ll turn into a beautiful swan. Got it?

Ok why do I read up to five books, which contains common traits among the heroes & heroines? The main things which set the difference among the books are, the situation the heroes & heroines meet, fall in love and get together after many crisis and living happily ever after :p Of course we have the supporting characters who try their level best to unite the couples and a fair share of villain/villains try to separate them.

Right for those who have not start reading Judith’s books I would recommend them to start on the following order: Kingdom of Dreams, Once & Always, Something Wonderful, Almost Heaven, Whitney, My Love, Until You, and finally A Holiday of Love.

However, I myself started on Until You first, but I think if you read in the orders given you will enjoy her books more, why? Because the supporting characters in one book are the hero & heroines in another book. For example, in Until You the main characters are Stephen & Sheridan. The supporting characters are:
> Clay & Whitney, hero & heroine of Whitney, My Love.
> Jordan & Alex, hero & heroine of Almost Heaven
> Jason & Victoria, hero & heroine of Once & Always.

If anyone wondering whether not all this books are a sequel, no not at all. You can start from any title & still enjoy the books. They are real page-turners, with good suspense (but not to the extreme of biting your nails off), some mystery, funny and of course lots of LOVE :D (hey, that’s what romantic novels all about!!!). Anyway, in short it makes great reading material.

Let’s see what each book offers.

Kingdom of Dreams – this particular story set in 15th century. It has the lush background of Scotland highlands, England countryside, and England courts. Hero is the fearsome knight Royce Westmoreland also known as ‘The Wolf’, has won many battles, & terrorized his enemies in sheer mentioning his name. The heroine is the daughter of Scot clan’s head Merrick, Jennifer. Now the hero & heroine meet in the battleground & the story work from there. Many politics involved in this particular book, because the story plotted during the battle between England & Scotland. What really makes the book a page-turner is the emotional roller coaster of the characters, it makes you laugh one moment and feel sad another moment. The highlight of course the climax of the story. I personally love the climax as it shows how much a tough guy like The Wolf will bend his will for the women he loves. That is really touching. Therefore, if you are looking for funny, good dose of history, romance, and touching story, this is one of it.


- I’ll update the rest of the books from time to time –

Books!!!

I have open up an account with LibraryThing. I think this site is really great. I can keep tab of the books which I have read and also got to know how many people have read or own the same book. Well I’ll update the books from time to time.

I still have quite number of titles to add in. At the same time I have couple of books still untouched seating on my shelf.

Currently I’m reading Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

So far I have only finish the first chapter & that is 2 weeks ago. Sighhhhh!!!! Hope to finish the book sooooon.

On my next post (wonder when that will be) I’ll try to come up with a small synopsis on the books which I have read.

If anyone have read the same books which I have in LibraryThing please drop down a comment. Will really appreciate it, thank you.

A Sweet Aroma!!!

Hmmmmm……the smell of cinnamon and honey!!!! I just love them both so much till the name just pop up when I want to name my blog though it’s the other way around Honey and Cinnamon.

What the purpose of this blog? Well I need a place to rant, to ramble, to thrash, to express.

Beforehand, I would like to apologize if my horrible grammar and English upsets anyone.

If that is so, kindly exit my site :D