tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85971892024-03-18T09:15:32.637+01:00MindBlogging(V):The art of blogging whats on my mindJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.comBlogger742125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-71927835650511906782011-01-05T11:40:00.000+01:002011-01-05T11:40:55.222+01:00Happy New Year!Well... Happy New Year 2011 to one n all. Here's hoping that the new year brings joy, prosperity and good health to one n all.
I am here after a month not just to apologize for the lack of updates but also to convey the fact that I am going to be vanishing off the blog for a few more months while I deal with the work that goes with the PhD territory. I shall, if possible, of course keep updatingJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-19989941189242719452010-12-05T10:48:00.000+01:002010-12-05T10:48:39.197+01:00Reflections on 2010..Even though the month has just begun, I guess it isn't too early in the year to start recapping and reflecting on what has surely been a great year all over. And considering that I haven't come up with any smart ideas to blog about over the past few days, I think it's the perfect excuse to kick off December with a "Reflections on 2010" post.
So here we go.. lets kick off with the good of course -Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-34592508123285194742010-11-30T14:33:00.000+01:002010-11-30T14:33:48.845+01:00Blame it on the Kindle..Whoa! 2 weeks and then some have passed since I last blogged! To be honest I am shocked! But then I do have 2 very plausible excuses - some thing that are very apparent to attribute the decline to. So here goes nothing -
1. PhD is time-consuming - Who knew?? But apparently being in the final year can have its toll on personal effects like the blog and such. I vow to bounce back soon!
2. Kindle! Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-71448579976051383732010-11-14T19:59:00.001+01:002010-11-14T19:59:53.926+01:00Happy Birthday to me!As always here I am celebrating my birthday on MindBlogging with all of you! For everyone who wished me through every means possible – Email, Facebook, Orkut, GChat, and most of all phone calls, thanks a million! It did make my day further super-ultra-special! You know how I love getting wished and never shy away from reminding everyone who doesn’t want to be reminded either. But so be it! Happy Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-62154455701264203722010-11-12T11:55:00.000+01:002010-11-12T11:55:42.797+01:00Chapter 2 - The Dark NightThe story continues here. For new readers or for a quick refresher, start here - scroll to the bottom and work your way up)
Chapter 2. Now.
And he hadn’t. He trembled as he got up and used the wall for support as he walked towards their bedroom. Surely he was mistaken. Shalini wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t be in there. He willed her not to. He could hardly breathe as he reached the Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33439497337008459122010-11-10T23:03:00.001+01:002010-11-10T23:03:17.907+01:00Les MiserablesI wish it were the popular musical/novel to which I was referring to. What I actually mean though is the immensely lousy weather that seems to have descended upon France and decided to wreak havoc in our happily mundane lives. It has rained like there’s no tomorrow over the entire week. And by that I don’t mean a convincing downpour. I mean an annoying in-between thing which is halfway between a Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-32348167967991362152010-11-10T22:27:00.001+01:002010-11-10T22:29:32.683+01:00Micro dosai/uthappam appetizerHas this ever happened to you? You make dosai/idli batter and once you’ve used it a few times for breakfast/lunch/dinner, you’re left with one last bit. An amount that won’t make another filling portion for everybody, is a waste to throw away and cannot be mixed with a new batch of batter. Typically I used to make the 1-2 last dosais and put them in the fridge only to certainly throw them away a Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-12779022210511233822010-11-10T08:12:00.000+01:002010-11-10T08:12:00.658+01:00Sweet tooth – Carrot halwaEver had guests over and looked for some dessert to make.. something that’s easy yet tasty.. subtly sweet yet light… and definitely drool-worthy? Think carrot halwa! Okay, I admit.. shearing the carrots is the least part of the fun. But once you see past that hurdle, you have this really amazing Indian dessert that wows most people with it’s simplicity and okay – cheap shot… but Vitamin A points?Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-57759474696114160032010-11-09T11:44:00.001+01:002010-11-09T11:44:57.715+01:00Vegetable puff pastryAnyone hailing from India surely loves veg./egg puffs! It was something available at every bakery in any street corner and perfect to quench the hunger pangs that struck with renewed fervor especially when one crossed by the bakery. That fresh-baked aroma and the convincing crunch of the puff made it an instant favourite with one and all. Fast-forward to France. Sure we have a Hot Breads at ParisJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-61771658795929620632010-11-09T09:57:00.000+01:002010-11-09T09:57:30.046+01:00The 6 friendsI don't remember when or where.. but someday I read that a person can never have more than 6 soul-close friends... that means no more than 6 people in anyone's lives knows everything about them - their deepest, darkest secrets, so to speak. And it set me thinking. And I literally counted off my fingers that I probably had 7 very close friends, but not everyone made it to the first tier amongst Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-78876358620017180892010-11-05T07:40:00.001+01:002010-11-05T17:44:23.819+01:00Chapter 1 – The Dark NightHere's my Diwali gift to all of you.. the continuation of the story... If you haven't read the prologue, read it here. The story continues below... _______________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1. Then. “Where’s the groom di? Yengayen onna ditch panitaara?” Priya teased Shalini as she dipped a piece of loose cotton in the lemon and sugar mix and Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-81859243079120760252010-11-04T10:04:00.001+01:002010-11-04T10:20:45.734+01:00Happy Diwali!If you've been on MindBlogging long enough, you will know that I am about to direct you to a post that was written 4 years ago. And unsurprisingly though life has changed in many ways, my sentiments about this huge Indian festival of Diwali remain absolutely unchanged.
Somehow Diwali is the one f'estival that we simply have to be back home. Nothing makes up for the atmosphere there... the food,Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33403824309623765712010-10-30T19:27:00.000+02:002010-10-30T19:27:04.696+02:00The unexpected saturationHas it ever happened to you? You don't need something but you go to a store and are tempted and end up buying something? It maybe something as inexpensive as junk jewelry for 2€ or something as extravagant as that faux fur coat (ok all the men substitute with watches or Xboxes or what not). But I am amused and extremely happy that I seem to have outgrown this phase. I went "shopping" with 3 Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-6035396105443147472010-10-29T19:07:00.001+02:002010-10-29T19:35:51.434+02:00The really easy vegetable biryaniOwing to popular demand (read on Facebook and GChat), I’ve decided it might be worth my while '(and yours once you see how easy and quick this recipe is) to post this recipe on the blog finally. So here’s another look at this one.   Vegetable biryani Ingredients For tempering   1. Mustard seeds (kadugu) 1 tsp 2. Cumin (jeeraJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-89472150270692861742010-10-28T11:12:00.000+02:002010-10-28T11:12:09.475+02:00One cold tablet.. two cold tablets.. three co.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzWhat's up with my freaking cold anyways? I swear there should be a way for these diseases to make demands to the people they infect, get whatever they want and then leave... something like a ransom situation. I swear.. just when I thought it was going away... it returned this morning and with a vengeance. Which is incredibly sad considering that the weather in Paris has improved dramatically thisJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-46114569101923786322010-10-27T12:07:00.002+02:002010-11-05T17:45:11.345+01:00The prologue – The dark nightThis is a story I am working on. Needless to say, it's "copyrighted". :) _____________________________________________________________________________ Now. 6 :15pm. The steel-grey Maruti Suzuki Swift pulled into the parking space 1312A in the underground parking of the multiplex at Gandhi Nagar, Chennai.  Bharath killed the headlights and drummed his fingers on the Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-82728472718248907652010-10-26T22:29:00.001+02:002010-10-26T22:29:55.742+02:00The foodie birthdayIn honour of the husband’s birthday, I cooked. A lot. Here’s only a glimpse of 3 of the dishes. The starter… Baby corn crispies. The main course Vegetable dum biryani. The dessert  Hot and creamy – Carrot halwa. And there’s always room for cake! Presenting one of the best renderings of black forrest that I’ve had. Ever. Period. And before you all freak out that I bake it, I will goJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-70033967798927384652010-10-25T08:11:00.002+02:002010-10-25T09:51:18.309+02:00Viral infectionMaybe for me.. but surely for my computer! So I’ve been suffering from a terrible, relentless cold over the past week but that’s hardly worth any internet footage. But what is worth it is the fact that my computer contracted something over the weekend. Something that made it crawl like a learning baby, slowed it enough to alarm me and even went as far as disabling the battery. What was worse is Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-65369265963798618442010-10-24T12:51:00.001+02:002010-10-24T12:51:20.519+02:00It’s just there!Have you ever done this? Watched something on TV because it’s there? Like some movie you’ve seen many times over. But just the fact that you have to brainlessly only watch it and didn’t have to choose to (for instance if you own the DVD of the very same movie) makes it appealing somehow. I’ve done this more times than I can count. Somehow the appeal of something that was unintendedly chosen for Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-78388603242804139972010-10-24T11:28:00.001+02:002010-10-24T11:28:45.790+02:00Mini rava idlisI confess… for time immemorial, I’ve cribbed about how I don’t like idlis. Indeed, I followed on my brother’s and his friends’ adage of expanding IDLI as I-Don’t-Like-It. And as is usual in such cases, I am a big dosai fan. Which then evokes the surprise that now I not only like idlis, but I make them regularly too. But that is in keeping with the fact that I hated brinjals back in India but now Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-29051963703633393622010-10-21T19:33:00.001+02:002010-10-21T19:33:43.240+02:00Aloo parathas It’s comfort food. But a lot of people I know are turned off by assuming that there’s a lot of effort involved. That it takes too long. That its hard to roll. But guess what? Its none of that. Aloo parathas are a great variety of Indian bread and you can just as easily replace the aloo (potato) with any other filling of your choice (think onions, garlic, cabbage or cauliflower). Here’s a first Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-91293214598020083802010-10-19T12:53:00.002+02:002010-10-19T13:04:19.526+02:00The creepy crawly in meWhen does going to the loo in the middle of the night become an adventure? When you are extremely careful not to wake the sleeping husband. When the ancient wooden floors resonate creaks with every move. When the bathroom door makes it's typical whine as it eases open. When the light switch in the bathroom also sets off the exhaust fan. Ah so many parameters... which make the simple act of a Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-387072250527137202010-10-18T13:35:00.001+02:002010-10-18T13:35:35.750+02:00Kabootar ja ja ja Iconically Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona. Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-53790679541567670452010-10-18T13:28:00.001+02:002010-10-18T13:28:24.769+02:00The promised recipesOk so there were 2 recipes that were pledged to appear on MindBlogging. True to my word, here they are. “Pudhu Vidha kozhambu” Amma’s nomenclature. It literally means kozhambu made a new way. Don’t ask me why or how or where from. All I know is that she discovered this some place and once I tasted it, she shared the knowledge with me and now I share it with you. Here’s a shot though, in case Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-15948208210807515852010-10-17T22:20:00.002+02:002010-10-18T00:13:37.516+02:00Barça BarçaAh so all of you’ve gathered from a couple of blog posts that I was indeed in Barcelona last week for a conference. And without dwelling too much on the actual purpose of visit (which went great by the way), I am going to talk about Barcelona. It’s easy to fall in love with the city, its sights, its restaurants, its architecture, its culture and its lifestyle. On the other hand I was forewarned Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4