baketitude

Moving..

2016-09-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

www.baketitude.com

Hey...
I've been here a long while.
Longer than I've ever been in one place before .
My blog Baketitude,has been my sanity , my sanctuary and my best friend.
I've poured my heart out on these web pages...and they will be cemented in history.
Times have been good...and bad , emotions have been crazy and the 40 year barrier has been crossed.
But Baketitude and you , my friends,you're not just readers..or passers by...
You've laughed at my dilemmas...
Probably got irritated by my too long ,often error ridden posts...
Sometimes enjoyed ,vicariously the craziness of my family and friends...
You've seen my skills develop...
You've seen pictures and presentation get better...(I hope)...
You've been the reason I can now confidently share my skills with others, encouraging a little of my Baketitude...
You're the reason I can now share my love by making and selling cakes...
You're the reason I can put away my red pens and school files in a cupboard and take more than a sabbatical from the profession I had to take up... being an army wife stationed in the smallest of small towns.
You've seen my child grow, his and my struggles witb academics... read of my battle against the bulge...
You've encouraged my drive to get fit...despite sinking nose deep in chocolate and butter...
You my dear blog reader are now my friend. I may not recognize you on the road...you mat not either...my hair doesn't generally behave itself...
They say that when you marry into the olive green... you imbibe the capacity to absorb all that you can.
Yes, I can credit most of my abilities and superb event management skills and catering capacities to the army and its amazing fraternity...
But you my reader, my friend...I owe you.
You and I have shared food and bits ,bites and bytes.
So that common thread of the same salt...
Please don't think this is the end.
I'm moving forward ,to a website of my own. So I don't have to worry about stolen content and pictures.
I can pull out all stops and do up www.baketitude.com like its my real home... not virtual home.
Bear with me while I air some out old stuff...and new. Join my Facebook community at Baketitude and some more and lets connect.
All my food posts have moved to www.baketitude.com and as I settle down and understand how WordPress treats me...I'll be leaving blogger behind.
Come... have a drink, you'll find many
I never knew I'd baked so many loaves of bread, so many tonnes of cookies and frosted so many cakes...
Oh and I have a ton of north Indian-Punjabi, Dogri, Kashmiri and Rajasthani curries that I never really catalogued.
No wonder,I need to work out so much...

So I'm sort of spring cleaning. I'll be chucking out the worms... and airing the good stuff. Come , walk with me to Baketitude .
See you there my friend.
Oh , and if you feel you need to say something or have a suggestion or just want to say hi... drop me a line at shalinids21@gmail.com .

So what are you baking today???

Let Imagination Run Wild Children and Colgate Magical Stories

2016-07-29T12:31:00.002-07:00

Sometimes, I envy this generation. They have everything they could possibly need. A million things to do and a million options to exercise. But then I thank the good god above for bringing me into this world when imagination could playback better movies and soundtracks than the multi billion dollar block busters we see on the silver screen today.

I still have memories of stories my mum told me when she tried to get me to sleep. And can still hear the notes of the songs my daddy used to sing to us and to himself... while driving ,while working..those are eternal.

I tried to recreate the same with my child. The minute he started asking "What this?" And snatching "Book" from my hands, I knew it was time to shelve my books for a while and concentrate on his.

Taking full advantage of being a stay at home mum, we did many toys and kitchen sets and sets of lego and Ladybird books. I'm proud of him today, when he scoffs at the lame renditions of cinematic versions of his favorite books.

When he scoffs at the limited imagination of his friends.

I know I did something right by spending almost all my time and energy with him .

Colgate has these wonderful characters printed on the inside of the Colgate Strong teeth Pack container.

And when they arrived at my doorstep...I knew who best to entrust those to. A little girl who has just come from a small town called Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan to live with her family in Mumbai. She loves it here and has many many friends who play together in the evening.

But horror of horrors , they discuss Hindi TV series like Naagin and women who turn knto snakes and boy girl romances like Ek Duje Ke Liye . She's only 9 years old.

She needs her mind to be free of someone's commercially aspiring thoughts.

She needs to let magic do the trick. So those packages went to her. I asked her if she would like to write a story for me... she agreed. But on one condition. She wanted that video up on you tube.

So this is her story.

Vineeta.

She wrote it down so that's he could say it all in English.

Her mermaid and other sea creatures live together in an underwater world and they are living her dream.

And when the pirates threaten the dolphin, all the creatures come together to save her. And they live happily ever after.

Oh and Vineeta is the little Mermaid.

These are her two minutes of fame. So listen to her and watch her expressions. The story is just long enough for it to not get boring. Vineeta took those colgate strong Teeth Packs to school and cut them out with her friend. So when they are forced to sit indoors because of the rain, instead of gossiping about the love story between Shrawan Mehta and Suman Tiwari ,they now talk sea turtles and Barracuda fish. (Yes, those names...she told me that the entire family watches that soap daily while eating their dinner. And no , I don't have cable TV. We're Netflix and Hotstar people.)

So give your kids a free rein with their imagination. Let them cut out the Colgate Strong teeth Pack and make their own stories. These flights of fantasy will be great fun . Let #colgatemagicalstories do their bit.

A little Push to help the little one grow

2016-07-10T00:33:00.001-07:00

Parents are cursed with the worry syndrome the moment their child announces his arrival in this world.
It begins from the first second of the babies life.
He cries too much,they worry -and often cry with the baby.
He sleeps too much, they worry. They don't realize that this is the babies signal to them so that they can catch up on their sleep.
He drinks too little ,they worry.
He drinks too much they worry. Not realizing that nature has equipped the babies tummy with a signal,that will tell it how much to drink and when to stop.
I've seen mothers try to force feed babies, only to have obese tweens with a lot of complexes.
Then they try to control the diet and force that child to join aerobic lessons and Zumba classes....
Its a crazy situation.
And I've seen this so often . At home with my child and the children of friends and neighbors.
And also in my teaching career.
Average heights and weights are rare nowadays.
I've seen too short and skinny kids more often than not.
Especially with girls.
There are so many reasons why.
The excuses start from early childhood. Even though milk is the primary focus, parents add sweet additives to make it more attractive and tasty to children.
Not realizing that sugar itself will not help growth and development of bones.
The children often require high quality whey protein and added nutrients that they do not get from their daily diet.
Most of our children relish processed foods. Even if their food choices can't be classified as junk food, they are deprived of the essential goodness of natural foods.
As a result, they lag behind their peers.
A child who is shorter than his friends will always have an inferiority complex. He or she may be better in academics,but that feeling of being shorter than normal will always prevail.
And they will Always be waiting for that growth spurt that. May never happen.
What they Actually need is a little push in the right direction.
A trusted brand like Horlicks has brought out Horlicks Growth +. Supported with years of research, trust and a global acceptance of this drink.
I am aware that genetics -parents height and health p!ays a part in the overall growth of a child. But if the child's growth and development can be aided with a little extra nutrition, why not?

“Horlicks Growth+ is a specialized nutrition product designed by international pediatric experts for children in age group of 3-9 years who are lagging behind in height and weight. It contains high quality whey protein with added nutrients that are known to enable children to catch up on lost growth. It has been clinically proven for visible growth in children in 6 months.”source Horlicks Growth plus

Image Indiblogger.in

Every parent would love to see their child as a happy individual. And only when children can match up physically and mentally with their peer group,will they become happy and confident adults.
So if you think your 3-9 year old is good meeting growth milestones despite a good diet ,Do check out Growth plus Horlicks . With two delicious flavours and high quality protein, Horlicks Growth + naturally enhances growth and healthy weight gain.

So with a visible increase in height you will also witness a change towards the positive in your child. He or she will be more actively participating in sports and games that the children of the peer group play.
Physical activity and games increases the acceptance of a child in their peer group. So once your child feels accepted and a part of his peer group,all inferiority complexes will disappear. So you'll soon witness holistic ,all around development in your child.
You'll still love your child as much.
You'll still be as proud of their accomplishments.
But you'll be happier knowing you ensured that your child is free of all self doubts and has confidence in themselves.
Just because you added one spoon of growth to their milk.

Datsun and Urban Cross

2016-06-03T01:38:00.001-07:00

"Oh my god! That's a woman behind the wheel!
Mataji /Auntyji, careful!!!"
Yup...this comes from hubby dear mostly.
And if you are a guy...if you haven't said that aloud you've thought that.
No ifs or buts...it is in your genetic makeup.
God told us....
And some writer did too when he wrote about the differences between the sexes. And why women aren't apparently good drivers.
I'm not planning to counter the statement,but I've seen enough bad male drivers too.
Me?
Well I'm among the better women drivers! Mind you , hubby dear doesn't subscribe to this idea though. But my dad does. After all he's the one who taught me to drive. And he has no inhibition in handing over the wheel to me and relaxing in the back seat.
That doesn't stop him back seat driving though .
Well,the men have immense faith in Sedans. Me, I've been haranguing for my own car.

And these new babies look pretty good. The lime green Neon type cute Datsun redi-GO Urban Cross looks especially happening.

I love the fact that the price is so competitive. A small amount of money, with the base model starting at 2.4 lakhs, which is a small amount for a car this richly endowed with features. So for a second car in the family this is a fantastic excuse to take the car out for a spin.

I love the fact that it is higher than cars in its segment. The ground clearance is high. And the seats are high. Also the wind screen is V.A.S.T. Huge. You can be sitting atop Mt Everest and driving in a city.
That seems to be a fabulous feeling. That and the fact that I will not have crouch or hitch up my sari even just a tiny bit to display my sexy legs to all and sundry while getting in to drive the car. Also I will not need to take my heels off, the leg room and the height will make it easier o drive in stilettos or wedges.

The other thing I love about this cute car is the fact that the steering wheel is light and dexterous. A small turning radius and a light steering wheel will allow me to park the car super easily. Its a nightmare parking a big car. Even with the sensors. For this car, I don't think I'll need to spend 20000 rupees to install a sensor.
And of course that steering wheel would allow me to drive with ease in the necessity to change gears. So the arm work out will be done in the gym, right where it should be done.

After driving an antiquated old small car, I'd love to take this cute little redi-GO for a long drive. With my Punjabi bhangra rap and maybe a Soul sister type friend for company on the Noida -Greater Noida expressway. All 24 km of smooth ribbon like road and back to the maddeningly crazy Delhi drive.
Those 48 km would be so much fun...with the car running super efficiently on the fifth gear ,the engine humming in pleasure,in tune to the beat of my music and the suspension absorbing all the jerks that there are. I'm sure I won't be weaving in and out of lanes, no that's for city driving. What I would love to see is how stable the car is at speeds like 90kmph . I'm not looking to go faster... but it would be interesting to see if the car wobbles, as most small cars do at high speeds.
Oh and I would love to see if the air conditioning is effective in the Indian summer . It's only going to get warmer. And of course ,I'd love to verify the claim of the 25 plus km to a litre of petrol.
And I'd like to see if this is a girl friendly car too. I hate it when cars expect you to move too many muscles while driving. And is the storage space enough for a woman drivers hairbrush and her tote bag and that extra pair of shoes...

Being able to drive and not having to depend on a hubby or brother or cab driver is such a blessing. The confidence that it gives is amazing. And all girls deserve it. If this car can give you the fun, the freedom and confidence...redi-GO for it.

Image Courtesy www.datsun.co.in

Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback.'

Laundry Odd and Even ,Blues and Ariel

2016-05-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

We've all got the blues. It's too hot to play outdoors , there's a water shortage so the swimming pool is temporarily closed, school off for the vacations and there's absolutely nothing more to do than play video games and read comics.

Yes.

That's the routine these poor overwhelmed, overworked teenagers follow.

And then we hear stuff about stress and peer group pressure.

We've just returned from Delhi after a short vacation with the parents. So sweet child was all spoilt and pampered,however enjoying every moment with the grandparents. And my mother has always ensured that children never have any free time...he was assigned the job of operating appliances.

Dishwasher, Washing machine and the likes.

This was deemed to be an Odd even activity with for members of a family. Well ,the mother, me ,I am the female here.

I don't believe in doing much of the work anymore. I'm like a senior bureaucrat here at home. I give directions and expect the chores to be completed.

So the package of Ariel detergent had to be put to good use.

So all the cushion covers were removed and bedcovers were taken off and the bucket was to be emptied into the washing machine.

So the boys video games were interrupted and they were put to some work.

Sweet Child's male chauvinism has been nipped in the bud a long time ago. But he was reluctant to go all the dirty work.

So he roped in his friend.

The even tempered person was wielding the camera and the odd men were sorting the dirty clothes.

That one carton of Ariel was tossed around bit and once the playing had ended they did manage to get the clothes in the buckets to be loaded into the machine.

Supreme heat waves were taken as the reason the chores would be done indoors in air conditioning.

There was quite alot of clowning around that went into that one chore... but the cushions were straightened with zippers closed and buttons done up.
And because the boys were having so much fun, sweet dog Romeo also decided to join them.
In retrospect and in GIF ,even washing clothes is fun.
A word of advice here,these bed covers and cushion covers are all made of cotton and are safely dumped into any washing machine witha safe detergent like Ariel.

You can be sure that the boys shenanigans will not lead to their white Tshirts becoming pink and blue or Tie Dyed.

I wish mothers al made their boys do the chores they make thier daughters do.

After all the boys may need to manage all their work alone. And when they have a detergent like Ariel, you can rest easy that your child will be wearing clean clothes, even when you aren't around to supervise their Laundry.

And when they have families, its only fair that they help out their partners in all the house work

After all,you do need clean clothes.

So why should you expect the lady of the house to be lifting the dirty Laundry to load the washing machine.

Its not that difficult ,is it?

So all motbera should be like me. Even though we are fortunate enough to have hired help...the boys and girls must be able to do their own Laundry.
We had a great time washing clothes. The boys washed...er loaded and like a maestro conducting an orchestra,all tunes played well and the job was done.

Quite a slave driver I am, aren't I? But thats how youve got to teach them. A teacher has to be a task master.

And I do so enjoy myself.

I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda.

I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda.'

Soya Chaap - Lesser Known Jewels of Delhi

2016-05-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Summer time, time for our annual visit home. The vacations are getting shorter and the Delhi summers warmer. Hotter , I should say.

Roomali Roti and Soya Chaap

And everytime I return, there is a new fad in town.

Chaap has been a fad for the longest time now...but it's been made over quite jazzily in this part of town.
Now if you're from any other city, the food available is similar throughout the length and breadth of the city.
But North and West Delhi have different palates as compared with the rest of Delhi.
Here its the greasy ,spicy ,butter chicken type street food.
A little Ghaint- punjabi for stylish... those of you from south Delhi would definitely not understand the stuff.
They don't have our Chola Bhaturas or Dahi Bhallas or Soya Chaaps.
No sir, they know not what they are missing. That's why the North Campus area and Kamla Nagar have such amazing good joints. Not fine Dine, just fine dining... happy ,spicy ,healthy food.

Soya Chaaps were available in the Som Bazaars or weekly street vegetable markets earlier.
Weekly markets are a greta tradition in Delhi where vendors selling fresh vegetables,fruits, pickles,cheap plastics and ceramics, street food , small scale cottage industry type bakers etc come together one day of the week.
Its an infectious atmosphere,to be seen to be believed.

Soya flour kneaded and stretched and wrapped on ice cream sticks and boiled.

Then these were bought from the exotic veggie vendors and cooked with copious amounts of tomatoes and cream.
Now the new food stylists have begun stuffing the soya chaaps with paneer or cottage cheese and roasted in tandoors and then tossed in a plethora of spices, ready gravy and ghee or butter or cream.
Oh and they are marinated in similar spices as the non vegetarians use for chicken and meat.

So one of the lesser know jewels in my neighborhood is this outfit called BABA Chaap Wala, Shalimar Bagh.
A clean kitchen, with a chef that literally has hands coated with silicone... doesn't need a dish cloth to hold a hot dish.

He places a seekh of stuffed Soya Chaap over the tandoor,as the high heat will burn the soya.
He cuts them and tosses them in spices and ghee or butter and serves them with Roomali Roti.
Home Delivered fresh and piping hot.
A healthy specialty of North West Delhi.
Mind it, you'll get chaap other places, but you'll never get this taste and flavor.

So the next time you're in Delhi, do come up north and try these lesser known jewels.
Oh and if you are in Shalimar Bagh, do try Baba Chaap, BP Market .

He's one of the best in this locality. Vouched for by many.

Disclaimer : The soya chaap was purchased, eaten ,purchased again and re ordered ,all in the space of three hours. Repeat orders ,Stuffed Soya Chaap and Roomali Roti.

Office Spaces

2016-04-13T08:40:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you need to know...

More than 750 office space leases in Mumbai are set to expire in 2016.

According to PROPSTACK, a commercial real estate information and analytics company, the amount involved in the lease renewal, comprising 36 months average duration, will be around Rs 50 crore a month. Although 77% of 750 office space lease renewal are below 5,000 sq ft, the transactions range from as low as 500 sq ft to 2,35,000 sq ft.

Sectors like IT-ITeS and BFSI sector continue to dominate the leasing activity in Mumbai. “Mumbai has remained a financial capital hub where IT-ITeS and BFSI companies have continued to dominate the office space take-up. Last year BFSI, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sector played a major role in leasing apart from the technology firms. This trend is expected to continue in 2016 as well,” says Raja Seetharaman, director of PROPSTACK.

Raja acknowledged that the office rentals were at its peak in 2008 and since then the average rentals in key locations of Mumbai across all grade buildings have dropped. “The 35%-40% fall in the average rentals is spurred by softer market conditions and demand dearth in the first quarter of 2015,” he said.

“Office rentals are expected to remain nearly stable with 3-4% increase in certain key locations with low vacancies. However, at a city level, since a lot of large take-ups are happening in peripheral areas, weighted average rentals are expected to remain status quo,” Raja said.

The company further expects brokers to take home over Rs 300 crore a year from the aforementioned number of deals. “Considering that around 30% of renewals will be direct between the existing tenant and the landlord and at an average of 15-30 day brokerage; expected broker earnings just on renewals could vary from Rs 290 crore to Rs340 crore,” Raja observed.

Pause Wines-Life Can Wait

2016-04-06T08:20:00.001-07:00

Shiraz.

For all those who know not, is a wine produced from the Shiraz grape.

And well, in India,the best grapes grow in and around Nasik, Maharashtra. Therefore,all premium vintners (those who make wine) are based around here.

So when a Mumbai based Vintner asked if they could send me a bottle of their prize winning Shiraz, how could I refuse.

I have dabbled in wine...

But I must confess that a sommelier,I am not.

I know my reds from my white. I know a white wine must be chilled,whereas a red wine may be had at room temperature.

I know you must swirl the wine in the glass and catch the whiff of the aromas it has immersed in each drop.

And I know that I must simply not gulp it down, but swirl it around my mouth too.

Well for someone who appreciates a pint of beer , and why an expensive Vodka doesn't need a juice and has just discerned why single malt is worth every rupee you pay for ...wine never figured in the must try list.

Oh, we've done the polite one glass of wine stuff...but never with the intent to appreciate it for what it was.

So this bottle arrives at my door,just when the food delivery guy brought I the tandoori chicken.

And I do know that spicy Indian cuisine is perfect with Red Wine.

Pinot Noir to be precise.(Googled it)

So we open this bottle.

And poured out a glass.

And that food blogger curse...photo before food.

And the mandatory swirl and sniff and swigs in the mouth...

So, I have the last glass beside me...
Right now.

And it is tangy.

It smells of fruit and summer and dry skies.

It's a deep purple red.

The alcohol content is 13%, which is more than the strongest beer.

And it pairs well with tandoori chicken.
And other spicy Indian food. The wine should be cold ,but not chilled. That made the taste better.

It doesn't leave a sour after taste.

The information provided by www.pausewines.com on this Shiraz and a wide array of other beautiful sounding wines.

At Rs675 for 750mils and Rs350 for 375 mils , the wine is not too expensive.

It's a lovely experience in every sip.

I'm not an experienced wine drinker, but I was happy...am happy.

And the sommeliers have awarded this a Silver Medal at the 2009 SIWC.

So pick up that bottle of Shiraz Pause Wines from that aisle in the Liquor store -and if someone brings it to your home, open it and serve it for dinner.
Or maybe, just enjoy it yourself.
You deserve some special time and wine for yourself.

Whatever else may be there in store for you.

Life can wait.

Book Review- Second Spring by Sandhya Jane

2016-02-05T06:12:00.001-08:00

Book Review

ISBN :978-0-9906-3740-0 (India Book House)

Genre : Romance

Pages :288

Published by India Book House

I joined the #BrunchBookChallenge at the beginning of the year 2016 , if only to keep track of the books I read.

Looking back on the years gone by, the genres of my choice have been so predictable- blood, murder,crime ,conspiracy theories, historical crimes and all that blah.

Oh and I love romance too. Mills and Boon romances have always been the lifter of my sagging spirits. They reiterate my optimism and belief in the indomitable female spirit.

So when hubby dear went to check out the new library in his office, he picked up an intense Crime fiction written by James Rollins for me,knowing for sure I would read it.

My heart was warmed plenty by the gesture,but I could only ask myself,"Am I that predictable?"

That doesn't bode too well for the woman in me.

So I need to dither from the path oft traveled.

So I saw Blogadda offering copies of a romantic story written by an Indian author, I so needed to click on the link.

Absolutely no crime,not even a slap. No, Not a passionate "I couldn't help myself but have sex with him" kind of a story either.

And it's not yet a soon to be a motion picture story either. I know it's not good news financially for the writer, but it's an unadulterated story.

I'm not going to put in spoilers ,only that the ending is happy.

I started the book with few expectations .

And wasn't too thrilled with the book being written in first person almost as a diary entry.

Two versions, one the female perspective and the other the male protagonists side.

The characters well thought out.

The lady ,very strong,independent,individualistic and focused.

The man, ambitious,rooted ,aware of his shortcomings and not conniving. He is portrayed to have very strong family ties.

That Mes Amis, is rare to see nowadays.

Youngsters are generally portrayed to be opportunistic and ruthless. Especially when they see an older woman in play.

Well, he seems like a boy with a good value system.

I hope my son turns out like that too.

As the pages turned quickly by,the narrative grew on me. Circumstances portrayed are exceptionally really life like. It doesn't feel far fetched at all.

While reading this book , Nida Fazli's couplet rang well in my mind...

Kabhi kissi ko mukkamal jahan nahi milta,

Kahin zameen to Kahin aasaman nahin milta...

(Nobody ever gets it all in life. There'll always be just one thing missing...)

A successful young professional, with an adorable son and a wonderfully supportive family doesn't have a man in her life. And then he enters , And wrecks havoc.

Then he leaves and takes away all that she has painstakingly built.

She tries to build it up once again, but makes sacrifices on the professional front and then it all works out in the end.

That's the most of the story.

Sandhya Jane has taken an unorthodox approach to the love story, keeping the love alive . The plot and interesting people she weaves into the story keep the pages turning.

And as a good love story should end...

All is well that ends well.

Suffice to say, I will be recommending this book to many. Not because of the love story type angle. But because the words made me all fuzzy and warm and happy inside.

It's rare ,you see a book like so,from an Indian author.

So kudos to you,Sandhya Jane.

May you write many more such warm fuzzy stories.

Be sure to send them to me to review .

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review -Ramayana: The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book 3) by ShubhaVilas

2016-01-18T04:08:00.001-08:00

Title: Ramayana: The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book 3)

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publisher: Jaico Publishing House

ISBN: 978-81-8495-532-3

Number of Pages: 312

Price: 299 [INR]

Genre: Mythology

Seek Courage when everything,including hope,is stolen.

This is what I call a perfect pitch!

And of course a personalised note by the author.

Appreciate that.

This is a book that ones highly recommended by stalwarts like Mr Anup Jalota ,Mr Mahesh Jethmalani and Ms Namita Gokhale. This is all about religion and philosophy and belief in Karma and a huge chasm between good and evil.

Exactly.

Hubby dear did a double take...

Well, I'm a Game of Thrones person. Where was I getting entrenched in the game of life?

But books must be read, and reviews must be written.

A little rewind to my review of the previous book by Mr Shubha Vilas -Shattered Dreams ,will tell you what a disbeliever I am.

Cynical is not such a good word.

I am entrenched in faith. Krishna is my support system. And were Mr Shubha Vilas not an Iskon person, I would have scoffed some and more.

This book took me a while ,so bear with me...

My Review

The story begins in a forest of Central India , with Araja ,the daughter of Sage Sukracharya having been ravaged by the banished King Danda of the SuryaVansh. The sage cursed the King and that forest with a rain of fire ,destroying everything it touched. So then this forest rejuvenated as the Dandakarnya forest or the forest of King Danda's misdeeds or the jungle of punishment.

Long after, sages and hermits made this forest their home,but were constantly troubled by demons or Rakshasas. Until Lord Rama came to rid this forest of all their evil.

Essentially,the book is about Ram, Sita and Lakshmana's exile in the forest.

How they encounter the demons and deal with them , freeing the sages from the

This is where the trio are spending the last days of their exile.

Shubha Vilas has beautifully highlighted the relationship of Ram and Sita. Wherein the two believe themselves to be two parts of a whole. One breathing for the other. One living for the other. One thinking for the other . The same thoughts and the same simplicity and the same adoration.

Then there is the relationship of Rama and Laxman. For once,Laxman is portrayed as a normal young man. Not servile, not subservient or just a blind follower. Intelligent and creative. He's the one who makes their lives comfortable. With superbly designed houses made out of organic material. The rapport between the brothers is also natural,with humour,anger and camaraderie shining through.

The incident in which a fat and ugly , narcissistic demoness called Srupnakha falls lustily in love with Rama.He gently revokes her affections even though she calls Sita scrawny and ugly. (That is called godly behaviour. If any one, ever ,makes fun of my spouse, I will have his/her eye balls for breakfast.)

And then Lakshmana cuts off her nose. And she goes crying to her brothers Khara nd Dushana ,who in their arrogance move to slaughter Ram and Lakshmana.

And then their defeat brings in Ravana.

Well, the story we all know...

What I never knew was why Marich agreed to become the elusive deer...

And how Ravana, who I believe was an educated and sensible Brahmin , fell from glory.

Well ,he was the son of the learned sage Vishravas and Rakshasi Kaikashi. He was destined to be great. But the Ramayana portrays him as the antagonist. Someone has to be the anti hero, we cannot all be good.

But I have also read otherwise, and in the states of South India ,the festival of Dussera is not celebrated because they revered Ravana.

Contradictions.

Whether you are a sceptic or a believer, there is a lot for you to learn from this book. And the author ends the book with a little statement...

Just as only extraordinary species are caged in a zoo for people to view in wonder,the mind only captures the memories of special souls to recollect in wonder.

Just so you know - I do not approve of zoos. Now ,a sanctuary is fine.

Don't read this book as a part of the Ramayana. You already know the story.

Read this for the nuances that you never knew.

And read it also for some insight into the way an unblemished mind functions.

And also to remember that one must always pay his debts. And that hope is what drives you out of the abyss.

So begin Stolen Hope with an open mind. Only then will you appreciate a work like this.

So what are you reading today???

The Best seller She Wrote -Book Review

2015-12-23T00:49:00.002-08:00

A Book review.

I have been living on a diet of thrillers and murder mysteries for the past month or so. Ruth Rendall and Patricia Cornwell have been keeping my spectacles company, thanks to my friendly neighbourhood librarian. Dr Scarpetta seems to be walking in the ridges of my grey matter.

More words to wander in.

"The BestSeller She Wrote" arrived in the mail a few days back.

So I set my part mouldy, part dog eared books aside to make room for an Indian author. Full attention to Mr Ravi Subramanian.

After all Mr Modi insists that we must Make in India.

First impressions are hard to shake.

So I'll put those down first.

Yellow.

Ugh.

Not a very reader friendly colour.

"Soon to be a motion picture."

Obviously,next we'll hear of the author being embroiled in a brouhaha about movie rights and script rights etc. Been there,seen that.

What was the big idea of releasing a book if it must be made into a script?

Fame? Money? Vanity?

Ravi Subramanian revealed some secrets of the publishing industry in this book. So all he budding authors, read this book.

Next on, the guy on the cover. You can't pass a 25 something to be 40 years old.

This is not a Mills and Boon Romance.

It took me a day to get over the cover.

Time was ticking, I had to review the book in 7 days and also be part of two events.

Sleep deprivation and reading in the washroom was so not worth it.

I don't want to be the toxic bitch here, but I'll try to put in some nice words.

The books revolves around a successful author-full time banker, part time family man, part time author, almost Chetan Bhagat like in stature- only this one is supposed to be handsome.

How he manages to write his books and work in a bank that needs all your attention seems to be akin to Hawkeye from The Avengers.

Superhuman.

Someone give me that power.

Or maybe a couple of pairs of invisible arms.

So much to do and so less time.

Happy family, wife Maya, is the contented IIM lady involved in social work ,working for guess who? Neeta Ambani.

Young Child ,Aryan, who never finds a mention,except for his name.

Banker and author Aditya Kapoor is a superbly charming guy who is VAIN, Selfie conscious and all that.

He has the bestest friend a man can have ,Sanjay ,who always has his back.

And who is a voracious reader.

Chance encounter with a young lady Shreya, who is arrogant and rude but converts to his bestest fan overnight when she reads his books.

So ,she joins his bank ,Hindi movie style and then hooks her talons into his helpless (sic) skin.

And Aditya falls hook ,line and sinker.

And then there is seduction ,of the style of the 70's Hindi movies. When two flowers were shown coming together because the censor board did not permit it.

We have a reference to eroticism and Aditya's inability to express a sexual encounter. And EL James is even there.

So where's the sex?

Oh yes, we're Indian, we just do sex in erotic bestsellers.

And then the author weaves a sordid tale where he justifies attraction and betrayal .

Then Aditya's wife falls ill. And he realises his mistake and tries to get away from the leech.

But she has other things on her mind.

She needs to ensure blackmailing him to get her book published.

And the book gets published. Before time .

And then becomes a bestseller because of all the sordid interest created by the gutter press.

And the Aditya Kapoor redeems himself by offering the truth to the whole world and ends up painting Shreya with muck.

Intentional?

She was bad, but the entire million odd words had nothing good about Aditya Kapoor. He finally realises that Cheating on his spouse is like throwing away a diamond and picking up fool's gold. So he was greedy. I knew it.

So well, I don't want this post to be a spoiler, because the end is the best part of the book.

Aditya Kapoor acknowledges that cheating is not a mistake,it's a choice.

But the blatant violation his marriage vows and continuation of the affair was what put me off. That and repeated references to authors like Amish , Chetan Bhagat and Ravi Subramanium himself was another cheesy bit.

The friend was not really a friend,if she went along with that neurotic ,obsessive,possessive tendencies that Shreya possesses.

The end reinstates that what goes around,comes around.

And that by vitiating someone's reputation and family life , it's not going to spell something good for you either.

But as a woman, I need to know...

Why did Aditya walk away and Shreya take the brunt of the ill will?

You'll need to read this to know the way out.

My verdict.

I'm all about Love ,sex and dhoka.

And blood and murders and complicated relationships.

And loneliness.

And bad childhood memories.

And good books.

If I had to buy this book to read it.... I wouldn't have been really happy.

I'll give this book 2 stars out of 5.

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Bombay Canteen and Burrp

2015-12-21T22:37:00.003-08:00

My first restaurant review with the FBAI and Burrp at The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai.
Super excited.
My boys and I eat out often ,but its generally Mughlai ,Punjabi , Chinese, Mangalorean ,the usual same old ,same old.
And we generally just move around a radius of 5 km.
But as they say Nothing Ventured , Nothing Gained.
This was just one of those experiences.

So this lunch was just about that .
An introduction to a curated menu, with the comfort of familiar desi Indian food and the zing of the unfamiliar, different tadka.

And the chef behind this global desi fusion restaurant is Top Chef Masters Winner Floyd Cardoz.

Pic www.wikinewsindia.com

I was super enthusiastic,primarily because I generally don't indulge in Fusion with Indian.

But the mustard oil worked well.Yes ,there was a lot of mustard.

Burrp.com at is a relaunched player into a market that is already full of apps offering similar facilities. Well ,what I found different was the What to Eat ,Where feature In this app. That's a feature designed to review the best dishes of the restaurants. So when you go through the list, you'll know that the toffee and candied Carrot was the most amazing at the Bombay Canteen.

Just saying.

When you see this at the entrance of a restaurant,with a lot of kitschy colourful stuff placed around,you know someone has done something good.

A lot of attention to detail has been paid to set up a happy ambiance, the servers are enthusiastic,quite- they never wanted to wait when the first round of drinks was over. "Another? " sounds like music to the ears when you aren't driving.

This was a specially curated menu for the 15 food bloggers and once the basic intros were done... All were most interested in the drinks. And photographs.

So there was a list of Fancy Drinks for the Winter like Season.

Mine was the GANGA JAMUNA MARGARITA,fresh orange and mosambi and lemon juice with tequila and with a cactus leaf stirrer. Cute!

Fresh and mildly sweet and citrusy with just the right amount of tequila .

Something you can keep drinking. The other was an WINTER APPLE CIDER SANGRIA. White wine and apples and strawberries and a hint of brandy. That tasted of cold ,almost mulled wine with a kick of fresh fruit flavour. I never got the brandy. And I can smell brandy. Anyone can,right?

So there was a MASALA COKE with desi flavours and a CINNAMON & CURRY LEAF ICED TEA.

I have a very simple philosophy when I'm eating out. I'm a non vegetarian and I avoid mocktails and Coke. I mean if you have to take the calories,you might as well get the best deal.

So I skipped.

The food started with the CHHOTA :the small eats or the appetisers or the bite sized bytes.
We started with KEJRIWAL TOAST.
Its a standard in most clubs in Mumbai and on my blog too. And like the versions...
Well this one was a wee bit different.
The egg was perfectly fried and the cheese was done beautifully. But the difference was in the coconut and coriander chutney that accompanied the toast.
The first bite was yolk, same old, same old...then came the kick of the chutney.
Mildly spiced, it was a smooth combination with the mozarella cheese.
Since we are so used to the salsa type cheesy topping on Eggs Kejriwal, this was a definite plus.
The best part was that the coconut was just there. not clashing with the bread. So we started well.

The second appetiser was the CHEESLING BHEL. It had cheesling, which are small squares of fried four and cheese dough along with some green apples and Kohl Rabi. Now, I've been missing the kohl Rabi here in Mumbai,and I guess I missed it here too. The mustard oil was a little too much for my overloaded senses. For a Bengali, this comes across as a version of Jhol Murri(Bhel made Kolkata style with extra virgin Mustard Oil) . We in north India smoke the oil. So,I couldn't really get what I was looking for in this.

But here, the smoking stuff was ,well ,smoking .
SMOKED MUSHROOM SEEKH.
Very well made, not pasty at all, as most vegetarian seekhs are.
Not doughy at all. Just light and gently held together.
Just like a melting the mouth mutton seekh kebab. The smokiness of the mushrooms was complementing the salsa-Kachumber salad. And you could make out that these were not just button mushrooms. Definitely worth tasting. And ordering again.

Next on the SPICY CHETTINAD CHICKEN DESI TACOS on methi theplas.

OK ,very pretty and yum.

I loved the combination of the gujarati theplas and the south Indian Chettinad chicken. With a tiny bit of briney purple cabbage.

Only, it wasn't spicy enough for me. I love smoking hot ,spicy.

But that not withstanding, definitely one plus on the menu.

So starting with the BADA section of the menu. Or the mains...

The icing on the cake.

CHORIZ PER EEDU.

Goan pork sausage ,cooked to mushy goodness with some herbs I never bothered with and a soft egg (the eedu for the non mumbaikars).

Awesome!

It was just one complete dish. And served with Buttered Pao bread.

With a bowl of this you don't really need anything else. I wish it were cooler here, would totally justify this heavenly pool of cholesterol and fat.

Awesome! Did I say that already?

The pork was perfectly cooked and the egg took on the taste of the choriz and then there was butter and peppered mashed potatoes within or something. It was so fabulously done that the flavours married with each other. I didn't really need the bread. And I could definitely have had more.

With or without the salli.

And then came what I was waiting for. The SARSON KA SAAG with corn bread , jaggery and white butter.

And some radish sticks.

The saag was good. I have to say that. After having made saag for almost 20 years , I know a good saag when I taste one.

Caramelised onions and a little jaggery syrup floating on melted white butter.

Good job!

The totally American tasting corn bread felt a little alien to my taste buds accompanying the saag. But that's only because I have a thing against sweets in the main course. The bread was well made and standing alone was perfect, but the Saag takes the cake! So the next time you crave a good sarson ka saag, come to Bombay Canteen.

It is a difficult job to cook saag,the pureed mustard ,spinach and bathua greens must just come together without clumping or leaving a watery edge. And this was just right.

So kudos to the chef.

This was the VIDESHI STYLE BAINGAN BAKE .

finely sliced aubergines or Baingans baked and served with a light mustard dahi and spicy tamatar chutney and peanut masala.

For me, I don't like Aubergines at all. Period.

And I did taste a bit , but I could not be converted. But the mustard dahi was great. Very light, tangy and mustard ey. And the tamatar chutney with peanut masala was fabulous.

The accompanying sauce and peanut chutney was fantastic. And I loved the flavour of the mustard dahi. Where the Cheesling bhel was like a bowlful of Dijon mustard, this was a perfect marriage of the delicate tang of the yogurt and the perfect mustard sauce.

Even the colour was so pretty.

I would've had some more.

And he saved the best for last.

That's why I have dessert first.

So this was GAJAR HALWA TOFFEE PUDDING. With candied dilli carrots, roasted cashews and tamarind toffee sauce.

OK, simple put ...

Carrot cake, topped with chopped gajar ka murabba. That was where ordinary ended and spectacular began.

I am not a nuts person and cashew nuts figure way too low on my list to bother with then.

But these were so well toasted or roasted, I had em all.

And then I touched the Tamarind Toffee Sauce.

I could have just died.

Toffee sauce is cloyingly sweet. Well this one was not. It was just sweet and just tangy, tamarind fragrance was still there. And you could taste the butter or the ghee used to make the sauce.

I scraped the bowl and went all Oliver Twist out here. I just had to have some more.

OK, there was a dollop ,rather a quinelle of cream too. It went well with the gajar ka murrabba. The candied carrots tasted different from the regular stuff too. Maybe they were candied in house. they were just mildly sweetened so went well with the cream .

The cake, well...that would've been better. But the toffee sauce was something you can drown in.

And if the calories were lost in the Realm of Chaos, I would have made my dinner of a bucket full of that sauce.

Now if I have to ever grovel to learn how to make that sauce(I tried making it at home...but it was either too gooey, to sour or too whatever:not even close to that bowl)I will.

I need to go drown my senses in that sauce again.

So once you check out the Burrp App, you can check out what I recommend. I recommend the GAJAR HALWA TOFFEE PUDDING : you must!

And also go for the CHORIZ PER EEDU,SARSON KA SAAG and the SMOKED MUSHROOM SEEKH.

In whichever order your heart desires.

And by the end of the meal you'll realise why the man was one of the Top Chef Masters.

So go on try a fusion meal at Bombay Canteen. You certainly won't be disappointed.

Royal Selangor Pewter Factory, Kuala Lumpur

2015-09-28T05:04:00.002-07:00

The Royal Selangor Pewter Factory is a must visit museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It is one of the best known Pewter brands in the world.

Even Harry Potter bought a pewter cauldron ,standard size 2 and I'll bet my book case,that that cauldron came from here.

A dull grey alloy, that can be shaped to make durable objects and some objets d'art.

A guided tour of the factory reveals its colonial history and how one family and some royal patronage has gone on to shape such widely exported products.
They export to India too BTW. We were informed by the almost invisible employees of the museum.
Such concentration...
Had i ever toiled with such concentration, i would have cracked the exams of the entire world. All I can garner at the moment -scant scenes from my English lit class...

Double,double toil and trouble
Fire burn and caldron bubble...

OK, the lady was making beakers...

Passing them on to her neighbor who hammered them so...I so wonder who she was thinking of, when she hammered those even wedges onto the glass?

We tried the same at the School of Hard Knocks. Just after the museum tour finished.
First the name is hammered onto the pewter disc...I hammered the boys names too. I was missing them.
And you try your best not to hammer your fingers...

Like Sneha here...

While posing for a group pic.

These were stationed at every table...they assume you know how to spell and hammer. These are slim metal rods with letters in reverse. Just like the type writer keys of yore.

Now that very disc is placed on that hole in the wooden block and you hammer away. I will never reveal whose head I was imagining under that pewter disc.
Never.
Ever.

And finally Smiles.
Shonita found the right use for her pewter disc.
Only it was too small.
We really needed this...

The largest beer tankard in the world.2796 litres weighing almost 1600kilos. Imagine the size of the hand that will be able to lift such a tankard. Maybe Orion?

That was the complete knock.

Collections and souvenirs and objects you can buy here are many. I loved this chess set...but it was way out of my budget.

royal selangor.com

This chess set is limited edition, from the Lord of The Rings series. Recognise the chess men? There are Hobbit glasses you can drink from and even Smegul/Golum shot glasses to drink from.

And you pay for them with INR. Check out the Lord Of The Rings Collections at the Royal Selangor.

This museum was time and money well spent.

Steeped in history, one will never know how many men have given their lives to mine this dull grey Malaysian treasure.

So what are you visiting today???

Some Shopping at the Mega Shopping Festival, KL and Penang

2015-09-28T03:30:00.000-07:00

#MalaysiaJao and Shopping. That's what we were here for.
So agenda on course.
Shopping.

This is the Mitsui Outlet Park,KLIA Sepang. Yes,the Japanese Mitsui.

So close to the KLIA ,that you can shop between flights. This outlet park has just a season old stuff.
On Sale.
And the deals are great. So its a fab way to spend time if you are waiting for a connecting flight.
The Mitsui Brand Outlet is Swanky and has discounts galore , I found a bag at an amazing price.
Le Creuset also had an outlet at almost 50% discount. But I had a lot to shop for before buying cast iron pans.

Yes ,I know ... make decisions in haste and cry every time you fry an egg later.
I cant believe that I chose a handbag over a cast iron pan.
Vanity !

I had an agenda.
An emotionally expensive agenda.
A story that deserves its own place in this blog post.
There was another bag too...
A backpack.
Nike.

Nike.com

The goddess of Victory.
Which I finally found at the Gurney Plaza Shopping Mall, under the moonlight ,by the sea.
The shopping mall at a hopping distance from the g hotel Kelawai where we were staying.
And when I actually found and bought what I was made to...it was that elusive feeling of having climber Mt Olympus.
The back packs ...were the subject of many calls and whatsapp messages. Let me just say that Calling and Internet services in Malaysia are just great.
And then the AirMax.
Even though these are the third on his shelf...

Which one do you think I bought? Ah the second...

Yes, the second. By virtue of the fact that EU size 45 is not available in black. Mine would have had heels BTW.
And after all the scouting in Bukit Bintang, KL( Pavilion, Berjaya Times Square, Fahrenheit 88, Starhill Gallery, Sephora,Lot 10 and Mitsui Brand Outlet Park), I finally found the AirMax2015 in Queensbay Mall, Penang .
One of the largest malls in Penang,here I also found what I had been looking for.

Porcelain.

And Tea.

And some tea pots...

Oolong tea...Somewhere in here,but my box definitely had Oolong.

And a lesson on how to brew and pour tea at the Purple cane Tea house, Queensbay Mall.

And some Korean sheet face masks and also some local perfumes in pretty recycled bottles that are painted.

The bottles are brought back by the customers for a discount of RM 5 .

And some employees paint them.

The perfumes were all for about RM 79.00. Not a bad deal at all.
After dinner at The Bayview Hotel Three Sixty° Revolving Restaurant and Sky Bar we went to visit Batu Ferrenghi, the night market in Penang.
Of course, some more shopping...

But my owls deserve another blog post.

So what are you shopping for today???

360° View- As High As You Can Get- Malaysian Holiday-Atmosphere 360°

2015-09-28T02:03:00.002-07:00

The climb may be tough ,but the view from the top is always worth it.

Our last evening in Kuala Lumpur ended in a truly spectacular place. The revolving restaurant @KL Tower,Atmosphere 360°.
The restaurant is atop a tower with an observation deck and the revolving restaurant on top. With probably the fastest elevator around(any lift is fast if you compare them to our lifts in Mumbai), the ride to the observation deck takes less than 40 secs.
The Menara Kuala Lumpur is the 7th tallest free standing tower in the world.

The entrance lobby is decorated breath takingly with the Muqarnas pattern with beautifully inlaid diamante crystals.

It was a little difficult to capture the image of the geometric patterns, primarily because of the lights and flashes going off everywhere. The pattern is based on a millennia old geometric pattern that is specifically done by the Iranian craftsmen from Isfahan.
The observation deck was full of families beautifully dressed in the Baju Melayu and Baju Kurung, patiently waiting for Iftaar.

This group of kids thought I was positively nuts, when I asked if they would smile for me for a picture...

You can see the Petronas Towers from here. Also visible was the shopping district , the Golden Triangle and Bukit Bintang ,and the Pavilion Shopping Mall and the Royale Chulan Hotel that we had just visited.
That is why its called the observation Deck.
Close to Iftaar time, we moved to the restaurant.
What struck me first was the view.

And then the food was another visual treat.
We had been introduced to the best of Malaysian Cuisines already, but this was a spread.
I only wish I had been 10 years younger, I would have eaten so much more.

Always start with desserts first.

But here, that is not a good idea. All these desserts and more you can eat again, but the fish...

OK ,this is where I tried the tuna carpaccio and the mussels and the scallops and there were oysters too.

The trick with raw fish is COLD and lots of lemon juice.

And if your nostrils can take it...wasabi.

OK, this was not my plate, just the other food blogger with us,this crab leg was what I really wanted to try, and it was fabulous.

That was my plate with the chicken satay and peanut sauce and the Roti Jala and Chicken Murtabak, the roti similar to our Baida Roti and the relish was pulled meat Serunding Daging.

The satays were super fast moving...

especially the Chicken satay.

And that was cooked shell fish.

And some fabulous Gado-Gado salad.

The company was good, the view fantastic and the food ,even better.Now that the palette had gotten used to the flavors of the region, the food was just WOW!

I only rue the fact that I couldn't eat any more of the crab.

The only thing I wouldn't have tried was the custard made with Durian. Was I grateful that my Allergic Rhinitis had played up exactly then allowing me to not smell the Durian.

So when are you going to Atmosphere 360°???

Advice from the pure of heart #SachchiAdvice

2015-09-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been fighting a loosing battle these last few years.

Every passing day, my clothes have become progressively tighter and I have switched my fashion sense to wearing loose ,ill fitting kurtis with ginormous salwars.

And then my favourite denims have been pushed to the back of my cupboards or stashed into suitcases never to be opened for years.

Do I see a tiny nod? Oh I so love you...at least you are acknowledging weight gain like me.

It's not my fault that I am a great cook and baker. My boys have superb metabolism,so they naturally don't put on weight.

But at times I feel as though the very air I am breathing is transforming into fat and getting stored in my adipose tissue.

The way out looks so easy.

All the weight loss pills and slimming clinics in the market can run the economy of a third world country.

And boy have I been tempted.

Have I succumbed?

I'd be lying,if I say no.

I have ,a few times.

Desperate situations call for desperate measures.

And then ,whenever I have discussed these issues with my mum...

All she ever said was a stern no.

Even though my money is for me to blow as I see fit,she has been been keeping track of all my expenses. Any big expenditure and she wants to know why I was wasting my hard earned blood money. The money I have burned my blood to earn.

She has been counselling me,about my diet and about the food I should be eating.

She has been sending me nuts and flours so I can eat healthier.

She has even bought me clothes a size smaller so that I would want to work out.

My mum is a yoga person, why those genes haven't tread my nerves and fibres ,I fail to understand?

But she has ensured that I don't take shortcuts.

My mum has been encouraging me to go for walks, but nice workout gym wear and shoes. She has been keeping track of how much I am am working hard to get fitter. For her this journey is not about #FatToThin ,it's all about being fit.

It would have been so easy to fall for some scheme-y or real weight loss formula,but she has been constantly pushing and advising and encouraging me to burn it all away.

Even when I tell her that the weight loss till now has been dismal. She still tells me to carry on.

After all ...only someone who care will bother to give the right advice.

Thank god for her #SachchiAdvice ,I could have burnt thousands of rupees instead of fat and I could have been lying in hospital because of the ill effects of unscrupulous weight reduction medicines.

So I continue to burn away the fat , a few grams at a time.

I continue to bear with the sore muscles and sweaty Tees and sip on boring water.

Just so I can get back and call my mum and tell her I am closer to becoming physically fitter.

I may not be getting any younger, but I sure am getting the right advice.

I am shedding those ill fitting clothes, a shirt at a time.

And I am so much closer to my Purani Jeans.

Kyonki #SachchiAdvice Sirf Apney Hi Dete Hain.

“I am participating in the #SachchiAdvice Contest by MaxLife in Association with BlogAdda.”

A Burst of Colour to Brighten your Day -Bed Bath and More

2015-09-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

Colour is like food for the spirit- plus it's not addictive or fattening.
Isaac Mizrahi

Coming from a food blogger that is saying it all.
Imagine , your plate in front of you and not a wee bit of colour to entice you.
Totally unappetising.
Look around,if your walls are a plain, grazed , wasted shade of white or an industrial shade of chalky yellow,how monotonous your world would be.
No shiny pale white palate ,no a accented highlights wall, just plain ,boring ,dull un-coloured ,muted colours.
Instead of resigning oneself to a colourless existence because it is so difficult to reach a paint store and decide the colour of your bed room walls in dismal lights and sad surroundings, Bed Bath And More offer you an easy solution.
For those of us who love the virtual world ,this is a fantastic way to make what is virtual our reality.
All you need is the #PaintFinder on the Bed Bath And More website.
Of course the website has a whole hoard of tempting and inviting stuff to add beauty to the freshly painted walls that you will want after you run your fingers on the colours put here.
Did you even know colours had such appetising names?
And that Yellow Gold is the life of this world.

It's just so warm and enticing and gives such good vibes.
It shows that you are good natured and affable and enjoy a good sense of humour.
So naturally,there will always be laughter around you.
And where there is laughter, love and friends and food can never be far behind.
And when you're a part of a household that has love laugher friends and good food, happiness will always trail you.
I would love to bring this sunshine colour into my bedroom,so that the first Ray's of the sun can transfer their energy to my walls and I can draw from them through out the day.

And choosing the colour is so easy.

Jus choose the paint shade and then try out the various nuances and tones and hues.

And once you decide on what shade you want, feed in the wall area and doors and windows And Bed Bath and More will deliver your shade card to you ,so you can decide on your final choice.

The colour will be computer coded and made and Voilà,you have your own personal sunshine.

My other favourite room is my kitchen. Imagine as a food blogger this is where I should be spending most of my day.

Even when I am not baking for my blog, I am cooking for my boys and for friends.

So this my choice of brick red colour echoes my tenaciousness and flaunt my labor of love , my food.

In a room so serene and positive,I cannot but make the best of cakes and cookies and desserts. The will to live life fully is borrowed from the colours that surround us. And here ,the walls are a beautiful shade of red. It will drive away monotony and spread love.

Sit in front of the walls that bore you, imagine vivid colours with a little help from the #PaintFinder and start your journey to a newer ,transformed you . Allows Bed Bath and more's Colour Therapy to work its magic on you.

Surf the website, get stuck, book mark pages, check out your favourite decor elements that will make the wall paints stand out and do this.

“I am participating in the #PaintFinder activity in Association with BlogAdda & Bed Bath & More“

Airtel and the Need for Speed

2015-08-21T01:40:00.001-07:00

Take me for an example.
I am in love with the Internet.
I am simultaneously carrying on four relationships. One obviously to the man I married. Yup,that is the most important relationship in my life. And that runs with lots of love and happiness and tantrums thrown and the fights and making up and looking out for each other and stuff. He knows me well and panders to my idiosyncratic behaviour,as do I,well most of the time.

And one relationship is with sweet child. That has to be special,because I am a mom.

What is the real deal, is my clandestine relationship with my smart phone and my iPad. I ensure they are fed -as in charged, or carry a power bank. I ensure my wifi router is a super fast hyper router. And that my phone and internet bills are paid on time.

Even before my grocery bills and school fees are paid.

But what will the internet do for my phone if I am not home bound?then my smartphone would be hiccuping and I would not be able to access any website.
Now you see why I need my speed.
The speed of Airtel 4G.

Imagine ,I'm out for dinner and want to post my location on my social network sites. If the internet network is not super fast 4G speed ,I'll have left before my friends know I'm at that hip and happening restaurant. Awfully tragedy resulting from a handicapped network that does not have superb connectivity like the Airtel 4G network.
Imagine the loss to society and my fellow food bloggers if I don't tweet or Facebook or blog the pictures of the dishes I order at restaurants. I sacrifice so much for putting up those pictures. With most networks,I have to endure the curse of the food blogger. By the time the pictures are taken and uploaded and tweeted and I see a few likes, the food bloggers dish will be ice cold and clammy and unappetising.
But thanks to the airtel 4G Sabse tez,super fast network,I'll finally be able to taste my food while it's still hot. And enjoy the yummy dish a little more because of the innumerable likes my food pictures have got.
And just because the Airtel 4G network is super fast,it doesn't meant that I need to pay excessive Internet bills. It means that I will still be paying the same amount of money ,but will enjoy the super fast speed that Airtel 4G will give me .
So now as a blogger, a social media influencer and a friend to all those zaroori friends, I'll always be available.
And I am swanky👌.
Online.
Everytime.
And the best thing is that this Airtel 4G connection can be ordered with just a tweet #GetAirtel4G and your new connection sim card will be home delivered to you in as soon as 4 hours.
So that's a five star rating for a mobile network that works in all corners of the country -in 296 cities to be precise.
countrywide.
Now is this not something special ?
So go get your new Airtel 4G connection because remember if you can find a mobile network with Internet connectivity faster than Airtel4G , they'll pay your bills lifelong.
Isse tez aur kuch nahin

Penang Food Trail of Authentic Char Kuay Teow and Cendol

2015-08-20T01:26:00.001-07:00

The most interesting bit of my Malaysian Holiday was the trip to Penang. I know This was a shopping trip ,but my shopping was more of the curios kind. More of that later.

travelmalaysiaguide.com

The most authentic Malaysian meal was the one we sampled at Georgetown,Penang.

Just like our desi home style dhaba eateries, this one dished out the most fabulous stuff.

I had sampled Char Kuay Teow at KL and once before at a Malaysian Food festival in a hotel. I can safely say, this was by far the best.

Inspiring me to try out something similar.

So now that I have been reading about it, our Tour Guide John Khor knew his stuff.

This Mom and Pop joint serves the best.

We tried the Cendol-appropriate for the summertime heat.

After sampling this the third time,I still couldn't get over the Rajma-red Kidney beans in a sweet.

All I could think of was the spiciest curry served with rice or tortillas being dunked into mince spiked Red kidney bean Chilli.

Char Kuay teow and nutmeg drink

enjoy the char kuay teow and see the size of the sprouted mung bean

Laksa,super spicy fish soup.

Rojak

So I'll pass.

Then the Char Kuay Teow.

Served in a plastic plate and banana leaf,the thing that stood out were the jumbo prawns.

Jumbo.

And juicy.

And the giant mung bean sprouts.

I have been trying to sprout my mung beans or moong dal forever. But no matter how warm or how dark my chosen spot is, my sprouts are never the Jack and the beanstalk kind-plump and juicy.

These were.

the right way to use chopsticks

And according to John Khor,our tour guide ,these were OK, I should see the giant ones.

If the place had been crowded ,I would have fallen off the plastic chair.

And to cut the spicy heat ,nutmeg drink. This is a syrup that is made of boiling the outer soft nutmeg fruit and sugar almost 8 hours.

It was sweet ,fizzy and nice. I checked up,remember ,I am DIY mad.

jumbo prawns and fried tofu-boring

And this was rojak.
Fried and served with a sweet shrimp sauce and crushed peanuts.

But I went back to the Char Kuay Teow.

she knows whos the boss!

The little lady who made this had a surprising amount of energy ,considering her wrinkle lined face. And the poor husband in the blue Tshirt was just being bossed around. At least that's what it sounded like. They were speaking the Hokkien dialect of Chinese here.

Similar stuff was up for grabs at the Perisian Gurney Food drive,Penang.

Only,by the time we reached they were cleaning up. So we had to just make do with the 7/11 store.

More coming up on what you must eat while in Malaysia.

So what are you baking today???

Del Monte Oceans Apart Pasta -From Italy to Malaysia Char Kuay TeowStyle Farfalle Pasta

2015-08-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

"Pass"ta aao na...

Literally jumping seven seas.

Pasta with an oriental flavour.

I am not obsessed,but ever since I returned from my Malaysian Holiday, I am being really daring with my food.

Those of you who follow Baketitude regularly,would know about my love for sea food.

However,as my boys -hubby dear and sweet child are mildly allergic to fish,I have to settle for desi Indian chicken ,mutton etc.

This trip to KL and Penang was a liberation in more ways than one.

Since I was alone,I could eat all the sea food I wanted without cribs about smell and upturned noses facing me.

So I tried the juiciest prawns and crab and mussels and oyster and scallops. But ,it had to end there when I came back to Amchi Mumbai.

I saw frozen prawns in my neighbourhood store, I picked up one packet to try out some flavours at home, and what I ended up googling was the Malaysian Char Kuay Teow.

No sign of cockles or ginormous mung bean sprouts here though. So close and no cigar.

There was this world famous Char Kuay Teow stall in Georgetown,Penang where we had lunch. And our Tour guide effortlessly warfing down the super spicy dish with his plastic chopsticks. I have never been able to sprout my moong beans to get such fat sprouts, and he very nonchalantly said that these were small.

😶😶😶

This hot dish was handled by a tiny lady using fresh flat noodles, duck eggs and bloody cockles with the huge prawns. All alone while conducting an angry diatribe directed to her blue t shirted husband.

This was served on banana leaf topped plastic plates and with pink forks with a nutmeg drink special to Penang to cool us off.

I am a Punjaban . I like my music loud and my food super spicy.

So I was ok with the prawns.

I still can't get over the prawns. Soft and sweet and crunchy and juicy.

Not dry and rubbery like you get here.

I tried sprouting the mound dal or mung beans, but my sprouts were nowhere near what we had in Georgetown,so I decided to skip them altogether. And bloody cockles were nowhere to be seen in the frozen section.

So it was just me and my prawns.

And when the Del Monte contest appeared on Indiblogger ,I knew without doubt what I had to make.

For the

Del Monte Oceans Apart Pasta -From Italy to Malaysia Char Kuay Style Farfalle Pasta

You need

125 gms Prawns-I found medium,but jumbo prawns would taste best

100 gms Farfalle pasta - or any other Del Monte Pasta

2 tsp chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped celery

1 tbsp vegetable oil- I used saffola

1 egg

2 tbsp red chilli paste ( made by blending dry Kashmiri red chillies soaked in hot water. Check out how to, here.)

1 tsp ready mix manchurian powder-I used Chings Manchurian Mix

3 spring onions- bulbs sliced and soaked in water to flower and spring onion greens cut 2 inches long

1/2 tsp white vinegar

Salt to taste

I used frozen prawns and while thawing them I placed them in a bowl of water with a spoonful of sugar. That's the secret that our tour guide told us...it's hardly a secret now.

The sugar ensures sweetness and perfect caramelising and the ice cold water keeps them fresh.

2 of the spring onion bulbs I shredded and used while one I to plate.

Mix the manchurian mix with a tablespoon of water and the vinegar and set aside.

Place a pot of salted water to boil and dunk in the pasta when the water comes to a rolling boil. Allow the pasta to cook to Al dente. Almost done. Not like mushy rice.

I time my pasta boiling.

I use my desi wok ,not a non stick pan to make my Chinese food.

It's all about the wok. An iron wok that has been seasoned well and can take the heat.

Make sure all your ingredients are cut and lined up...we need to work fast.

The chilli paste is nothing but whole red Kashmiri chillies soaked in hot water and blended in the blender. I use the chilli paste in my schezwan chutney that my boys love. Since I was about to make another batch the red chilli paste was handy. Check out how to here.

Keeping an eye on the pasta, add the oil to the wok.

In quick succession add first the garlic and the celery.

One hand on cell phone camera and one on the spatula.

I prefer to use a steel spatula , it cleans and lifts food easily off the base of the wok.

Prawns drained,now into the wok or Kadak.

No salt yet.

Once the prawns curl and pink up, add the chilli paste and stir. This is why that lady wore a face mask.she must be inhaling tones of chilli fumes a day.

So that's why chilli paste and not dry red chillies.

Ok stir.

And drain the pasta.

Pop in the pasta and stir to coat-pop in a handful of the spring onion greens and stir.

Now one handed again. Crack open the egg onto the wok, after clearing space. Don't drop the egg on the pasta, else you,lol have raw egg pasta. If you can't crack an egg open with one hand , first crack it into a bowl and then into the wok.

Stir to break the yolk and then mix into the pasta.

Add in the manchurian mix and vinegar and coat. Add in the shredded onion bulbs. Stir a few more more times and taste.

Plate.

Quickly plate.

My green tea was ready and I sprinkled the spring onion greens and placed my onion bulb flower on my platter.

Ready for my solitary meal.

And the pictures.

Ah, the curse of the food blogger.

Hot food=pretty pictures.

Cold food=eat.

That's why green tea.

To keep tasting my sweet prawns. I never liked sweetness in meat. Meat is supposed to be spicy and salty.

Not this time.

My platter had less salt. The pasta was salted from boiling in salted water. And whatever salt was in the manchurian mix was in my dish. That's all.

I never needed to add any more salt.

Even the Kashmiri red chillies paste was a smoky ,sweet ,spicy ,fragrant flavour.

The prawns juicy and bursting with taste. As though the crust had sealed in the taste of the sea.

It's so easy to bring people and places close. Take the best of what they have to offer and put it on a plate.

If only this was the solution to world peace!

Italian pasta and Malaysian flavours creating a great bonhomie on my platter with Del Monte Oceans Apart Pasta -From Italy to Malaysia Char Kuay Teow Style Farfalle Pasta.

For much more ,Like Del Monte Facebook and bring the world closer.

"Pass"ta aao na...

This post was acknowledged.💞💞💞💞💞

So what are you frying today ???

It's not FAST it's SUPER FAST-Airtel 4G

2015-08-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

All us smart phone junkies and Internet addicts know what gets our blood boiling.
Connectivity.
If it's super charged , there's nothing better. And we still believe that there is nothing better than 3G.
A little status update , a quick phone call , a funny sign that must be tweeted...
Only this generation can understand that pressing need to have connectivity Right Now.
The smiles stay till the towers stay.
And when those towers begin to fade and disappear...all the curses one can think of come sliding down ones tongue.
But hey ,the next time your GPS begins to look like a beeping blue dot and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere,remember ,help is at hand.
Help in the form of those two beautiful letters...4G.
You've graduated from 2G to 3G taking for granted the better speed and the fast downloads. Always wishing for that extra edge.
There's nothing wrong with your phone baby ,don't shake it like Shakira.
3G can only allow you so many bits and bytes per second.
What you really should be doing is switching over to 4G. After lustfully coveting the SUPERFAST download speed on your super smartphone,it's time to earn your 4G.
There's no need to worry about your prepaid balance or the data charges of your post paid mobile phone.
Airtel now offers 4G speed and you'll be surprised that you are billed at 3G rates only.
So no added expense.
You can still have that Macchiato and shop till you drop,knowing that your Airtel 4G data pack is cheap.
You have the support of India's most trusted mobile network that works even in the remotest of places- believe me ,I know how far and remote airtel reaches. That's why I choose Airtel,every time.
Just like this time. My phone is powered with a 4G SIM and it's so fast that I can't make out if it's really on a mobile network data pack.
And even after exiting the mobile connectivity,I'm relaxing.... Because my pre paid balance is still intact.
That calls for a happy dance.

Try it for yourself.
Log on to Airtel.in/4G and use your 4G ready device to experience the SUPERFAST speed internet access with your 3G pack. Place a request on the website and your nex 4G ready SIM will be home delivered -free of charge.

Check out the new TVC and accept the challenge.
If your network is faster, Airtel will pay your mobile bills for life.

So what are you waiting for???

Smart and Sassy Dining, Penang Food Trail

2015-08-04T06:14:00.001-07:00

Smart and Sassy and modern dining ,Spoon Cafe, Ghotel,Kelawai , Penang.
The next step in my Malaysian holiday.
The first evening in

To start with desserts.
I mean, you never know which meal might be your last. So before I indulge in any cholesterol rich, meal at a buffet- this spectacular buffet at the G hotel,Kelawai, I needed to try the desserts.
And what a spread it was.
Spoilt for choice.
Totally.

I quite loved the flavor of the pandan leaf. In rice and in the sponge cake too. Cream ,every where is dairy free , so I skip that ,but the cake was good.
So was the Kuih with the pandan and some kind of jelly.

What I really loved was the visual appeal of these tiny rainbow cake bites. However, I love homemade. So I passed. But the gelato was to die for . Twice. Strawberry. Coffee. Repeat.
And then there were the Kuih Bahulu , Bread and Butter And Raisin Pudding with a vanilla sauce and Marshmallows and the candy and fruit skewers and the ubiquitous chocolate fountain.
And jello shots.
And some lemon meringue tarts ,which were good and tart.
I loved the granite platters too...

The frozen or super fresh fish was up for the offing at the Atmosphere 360 in Kuala Lumpur too ,but I never had the guts to try them there. Its was now or never... if you have been keeping track ,I cant eat fish with my boys as they are allergic to most shell fish. So I tried the mussels and the prawns and also the oyester, however, I prefer the cooked version.
A little wasabi and lemon juice goes a long way , but this is certainly an acquired taste.
The salads were awesome and the bread spread was vast too.

These were what were interesting. The local Penang /Nyonya cuisine . Presented in cute casserole dishes. u cant believe that I passed over a Le Creuset casserole on 50%discount at the Mitsui Brand Outlet, Kuala Lumpur for a Guess Tote.
Vanity.
Anyway, squid, crab ,prawn and fish curry.
My only difficulty was that the prawns were not shelled. We are spoilt in India. Jumbo prawns are shelled here. So I had a major problem...
The curries was fabulous. Not all had coconut and they were tangy and spicy and Yum.
I joted down the names... but cant seem to find them.

Nasi Putih Pandan was the carrier for my curries. I loved the flavor of Pandan in the rice.

The nyonya sour and spicy fish curry Gulai Tumis Ikan was the best.

And they had an assortment of tapas , spicy ,fried, crisp and yumm. The glutinous rice cooked in banana leaves has been making regular appearances and was nice.

What was really cool was the effort made for our vegetarian companions by the chef. A wonderful platter of dal, rice pickle and papad ,to ensure that they didn't feel left out.

Yup, the pic of that platter is somewhere in this miasma...

Overall, the stay at the G HOTEL, Kelawai ,Penang was comfortable and the food superb.

I would love to go back again.

Planning to attack unshelled prawns next time...

So what are you waiting for???

Of Kuala Lumpur and Some Food

2015-07-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

That Malaysian Holiday,it was all about the food , but I would be doing KL a great disservice by not blogging about the mighty Petronas.

These are the most iconic of all buildings in the world-The Petronas Towers.
I learnt two things here.

1. That vertigo is not to be laughed about.
2. That Dan Brown has forced me to look for symbols in whatever monument I see and question them. However bizzare they may be. Here it was the Rub el Hizb Islamic symbol. The two overlapping squares in unicode (8 pointed star)ending the Arabic Chapter in Calligraphy. I read about it first after I noticed it in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

This picture was taken after the Suriya KlCC experience.
Majestic , these twin towers 86 levels high . And with a concrete ,steel and glass facade. Oh and the Sky Bridge is where I realised that vertigo comes to one and all.
41 and 42 levels above and all you can see is the clean and planned BBKLCC /Golden triangle or the Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre area of KL city. The observation deck is at the 86th level.
Suria KLCC houses a shopping complex of upmarket brands and offices. Small tableaus recreating village life and Kites had been set up in honor of the holy month of Ramadan . Salam Aidilfitri is the greeting of the hour, a way to greet the people in the holy month of Ramadaan.

Before the ascent to the top...in two stages-one to the sky walk bridge -the 41st floor at 170m and then the deck at level 86, you will be guided by a virtual presentation. This little boy had the time if his life walking through the video.

The Petronas Sky Bridge is almost like a walk in the sky. I needed the force to be with me... Luke ...Luke...

Solar panels and the logo of the Suria KLCC visible from the 41st level skybridge.

The ride up to the 86th level was in two stages...level 83 and then up three levels to the observation deck. This was the coolest thing. The interactive TVs could read the bar code on our tickets and produce visuals.

I tried looking out and taking pics from the observation deck but I was beginning to feel giddy.
A few more pics...

So I sat and looked around.
There's more about the BBKLCC and stuff but it was time for dinner already. At the Big Apple Restaurant in the Berjaya Times Square ,Kuala Lumpur ,dinner was served.

Iftaar is the meal at the end of the Ramadaan fast and is had at 7:28pm after the prayer plays on the Radio.

Rose drink and pitted dates

So every one fills up their plates and waits patiently for the fast to end. The Ramadan fast ends with a date and a sip of the Rose drink.

signsolutionsshop.com

While wandering, I checked out the dessert platter first.
Such a huge array of fruit and sweets. I had tried the Malaysian Papaya and melons the same morning and of course the star fruit and Dragon fruit are common enough in India. But ,I had only ever tried the Rambutan in a can.

I wasn't quite sure how to open it... camera in my hand you see...
So flash a smile and you get tons of information.

A fresh Rambutan is firm ,sweet and tastes similar to a lychee. Its a lot easier to peel and the seed is smaller. The mango steen was thankfully peeled and the startfruit sliced. I loved the star fruit here. Tart and sweet and juicy.

Spread of Ciku-Cheeku,Rambutan starfruit,Rose Apple(from crocodile and monkey story) etc

The ones we get in India are way too tart to eat without the requisite masala salt. This was delicate and not as tart but sweet-nice.

Bite sized desserts made of Pandan leaf and also the Malaysian Kuih.

The cookies were different too,ubiquitous chocolate fountain and snowy marsh mallows...

I tried coating my dragon fruit slice in chocolate too...Strawberries taste way better.

That was the pièce de resistance.
A huge barbecued lamb with roast vegetables.
And gravy. All nicely carved out for you.
When you have the lamb, the veggies are just add-ons.

There was a slew of accompaniments, pickles, relishes and preserves. Fish-Anchovies seemed to be the favourite. Beef and chicken and veggies were served too Salted duck eggs quartered were being enjoyed too.

That was the chef doing tempura. He did oyster(or was it scallop?) and squid tempura for us.
Lemme say I am not really partial to Japanese cuisine. I love my flavours strong and my music loud.
So wasabi is good. But a tempura does not inspire my taste buds so.

The chicken and the roast mutton and barbeque's we eat here In India too. I was more interested in the fresh sea food . And I had a taste of it all.

Coming up, more food adventures in Malaysia...

Selamet Datang and a Teh Tarik

2015-07-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Yes ,not English here.
If you did notice ,I have been MIA -Missing in Action from blogosphere here.
Baketitude has been part of the Mega Familiarisation trip to Malaysia these last few days.Being a Media VIP with three other writers enjoying the legendary Malaysian hospitality in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Well,What can I say?
The last few days have been a wonderful experience. For once I can respond with more that "Same old,Same old" to "Hows Life?"

Shonita Joshi learning just how we say Selamet Datang.

Five crazy days with strangers who became friends before parting at the airport. An education for me...I re learnt what it is to be young again and forget the "Been there done that" phrase that I repeat often.
And it started at the Mumbai International Airport. We boarded the Malaysian Airlines MH195 to Kuala Lumpur at about 2330hrs and were welcomed by pretty stewardesses with a Selamet Datang. At that moment all one could think of was reaching safely.
The stewardessesbseemed nice...

At Kuala Lumpur International Airport, we were welcomed by our super friendly Ground Handler and tour Guide Mr Azhar Esmi at. He welcomed us with a Selamet Datang again and a Salaam al lekum...
Hosted at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel ,Kuala Lumpur we were welcomed with traditional Malaysian Hospitality and a Teh Tarik.
Teh Tarik... or Pulled tea.

Teh Tarik

Sweet , warm and full bodied ,this cup of tea was frothy and brought back the taste of home.
Served with a cookie and a shot of water...it was great.
In the next leg of our journey at the g Hotel -Kelawai ,Penang ultra chic and contemporary- ,I saw how it was made.

Typical Tamil vest and belt and lungi and Teh tarik.
I have to redo this tea.

For the

Teh Tarik or Pulled Tea

you need

3 tsp tea leaves to make a strong brew
100 mils condensed milk- Milkmaid.

Boil the tea leaves with 2 cups of water till you get a strong brew.
Strain into a saucepan into the condensed milk.
Pour this mix from one saucepan to another pulling your hands apart.
Steady does it...don't make sudden movements or you just might spill it on yourself and scald your skin or worse ,if it falls on the ground, you.ll need to mop many times or face Ant Attacks...
The condensed milk helps you get a good froth.
OK , I saw the technique only in Penang though. Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur is too cosmopolitan to have Teh Tarik stalls. But the dinner Buffet at the hotel G, Penang and the food stalls at the end of the Persiaran Gurney, Gurney Drive Hawker Centre sure had them.

Now pour into a pretty glass and enjoy.
This is the first impression of Malaysia and a very warm one at that.
Selamet Datang.
Teh Tarik is the Malaysian National drink , as famous as Nasi Lemak. Coming there...
The skill in tarik-ing or pulling the tea is what pulls a lot of people to certain vendors. The condensed milk balances the flavor of the tea. So its a little familiar but then not so...

This is just the beginning, you wont want to miss the excitement of the shopping carnival...come back for more to know more about
Malaysia, Truly Asia and #TourismMalaysia.

Come back for more...
Oh and the real reason,the Shopping Festival...

I'll be recounting my adventures ,but not chronologically- I'm too old to learn to follow the dikats of time...

Honey, I love you -Dabur

2015-07-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Some thing sweet to start the day and somethimg sweet to end the day.
Sweet is the order of the day for a dessert before main course person.
I am Sweet.
For the longest time ,I never used my given name online . I was "Sweet".
Well I am Sweet.
And the best thing to sweeten my day -Honey. Dabur Honey is my choice any day.
And it really knows how to sweeten my disposition.
I start my day with a glass of warm water . The juice of a couple of lemons and a couple of spoons of Dabur Honey.
Now that I am on a sabbatical from work so I enjoy my fresh fruit and green tea breaks . My fruit and green tea and probiotics inspired diet is all thanks to the news flashes that we keep getting bombarded by face book and whats app and email forwards.
All these news flashes talk about checks and balances.Honey and lemon juice in the morning with warm water is a drink that is an elixir.
Like the balance of flavours. Sweet and sour.
This warm drink is what keeps me going.
I have not needed my morning cup of caffeine for more than a decade now.
Other than my allergic rhinitis flaring up once in a while, me succumbing to the flu is extremely rare.
I have clear skin with the rarest of rare acne peeping out to check if the world is still functional.This for me is a wonder, because my teenage years were all Clearasil and Clean and Clear doused.
My digestive system functions well and I am generally free of tummy aches and upset.
I don't have morning breath and am energised and ready to go early in the morning.
"2 minutes" rings true for us. The ease it offers is down right amazing.
A full meal in two minutes, by just boiling water and adding pre cooked noodles or pasta...
Or just by paying a bill and driving trough to the next counter...
But there are no free lunches.
Even if you pay for them.
Somewhere that quick meal will leave behind its dirty footprint in your body.
And those of us who starve ourselves to fit into that little red dress,soon realise how difficult it is to control binges. Because crash diets are disastrous for nutrition loss to our bodies.
Suddenly cutting down all sources of protein and carbohydrate and essential fats and oils to the body does extreme amount of harm to the body in the long run.
Long term effects will encompass something like dull and patchy skin tones, muscle loss leading to slower metabolism ,lethargy ,sluggishness,hair loss,being prone to illnesses and so many more problems .
So be insouciant enough going against the desires to achieve results super fast and take it slow and steady.
Add honey to your lemon water every morning and sweeten your smoothies and tart desserts with Dabur honey instead of refined sugar and reap the benefits as old as time.
Your body will thank you for the change some day soon.

So make a change today. Add honey to your daily routine as the #HoneyDietIsHere