New and improved

Did you guys check out the new look on gmail? Have you picked your favorite theme yet? Mine, by far has got to be 'Zoo Zimps'. I just love love love love these characters. Makes me want to check gmail all the time, yo!

Here's how it looks, for those that havent had the pleasure yet.

















See that character peeping into the chat window? He's the cutest. I also love the character that shows up when you look at the spam/trash folder. There's this zoozimp with a spanner in its hand when you go into settings. Uff! Too cute.

So which one is your favorite theme?

Brunch, anyone?

The holiday season is right around the corner. The sun decides to call it a day at 4pm. Whats better than waking up on a cold winter Sunday morning and prepping for a special brunch? Saturdays are busy mornings. Laundry to be done, chores to be taken care of..there's usually a lunch or a dinner get-together...or a long overdue shopping trip. Now Sundays- Sundays are to make the best of the 24 hours before a busy week begins.

Usually my Sunday brunch menu consists of dishes that are kinda sorta fancy and special-not your usual week day fare. My choices vary, and it'd been a while since I made Pav Bhaaji. So thats what it was.

So, while on the topic of Pav Bhaaji- you know, for many years I could never get the right taste for the bhaaji. I always felt something was amiss. It was NEVER just the way I used to have it back home- at our neighbourhood Ice Thunder(people who are familiar with the Gandhi Bazaar area, would know!). I have tried MTR Pav Bhaaji masala and Shaan and MDH and Badshah so far. I've come to conclude, MDH comes closest.

Whats your favorite brand for Pav Bhaaji masala? Or maybe it doesnt matter, perhaps its all in my head! Anyhow here's how it turned out. You couple this with some warn strawberry crumble for dessert(pic not included)...Yummm.

And Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Food, challenged

This post comes as part of the Food Allergy Awareness month that was initiated by Tharini of Winkie's Way. Please follow the badge for links to other posts on this topic- the why's, the how's, what's of this challenge called Food Allergy.
This will be an interview-style post. A good friend of mine has a 7 year old son who has been tested positive for quite a large subset of food items. This is my humble offering to document some of her daily challenges, a little goes a long way- I am told. Real names are not being disclosed to preserve privacy. Before we proceed, a shout-out for all those moms out there that are faced with such situations. Its not easy and all of you deserve kudos.

Lets start at the beginning, always a good place to start. How did it begin?
When he was 2 months old, he was being breast fed and started developing eczema. He was proving to be lactose intolerant. When he was 12-16 months old, his growth chart had not been up to the mark for a while, mostly because of lack of milk intake. At that time, no significant allergy tests were done. But eczema was still a problem, homeopathy treatment started. All artiicial flavoring/coloring was avoided. Wheat was found to cause rashes. So everything was based on an elimination process and plenty of documentation of results and observations. Even a few play items like play dough and sand would cause reactions. At that time nuts like almonds, pista and cashew were not causing a reaction.

As he grew older, his sensitivity to food items started increasing. While at pre-school one day there was an activity with raw eggs and he developed a severe reaction. Until then he had not been fed eggs. Slowly over time, it was noticed that he was developed reactions for walnuts. So at that time it was conclusive- no dairy, wheat, eggs and nuts. Most common allergens are corn and soy.

So, what are the common symptoms?
Hives(Hives are red and sometimes itchy bumps on your skin), swelling of the eyes, nose runs and rashes are the most common symptoms and cannot be taken lightly.

What do you normally do when such reactions occur?
Always move the child away from any exposure to potential allergens. For skin reactions, apply cortizone cream or soothing lotion(calamine). An antihistamine might be needed, but that is preferably upon a doctor's instruction. Make sure breathing is under control, rush to emergency is symptoms appear serious.

What could have likely caused such allergies?
Most of the effects are immune sytem related. Its also said that some of the preliminary vaccines could have affected the digestive system.

So where do we stand now? He is what, 7+ years now?
A year ago a skin and allergen test was conducted. Skin test came positive for bananas which affects stomach and causes behavioral problems as well. He was tested for environmental allergens such as pollen and grass as well since his breathing gets affected during spring and fall. He has now been tested positive for lentils, but continues to have them without any reaction.

All food needs to be gluten-free.

So what does his daily meal consist of?
He can have soy(havent tried yet), rice, lentils, quinoa, brown rice cereal and buckwheat flour. I make rotis with sorghum or buckwheat flour. He can have most vegetables except green beans(causes stomach problems), purple broccoli and eggplant(he has never been given eggplant, so we dont know if he is allergic to it).
His main sugar intake is through fruits, organic variety only. He has never been given pineapple though, because there is potential for a reaction.

I also never use store bought ghee. I buy organic unsalted butter, heat it and pass it through a cheesecloth for two rounds to double filter and remove all protein content. I also only use safflower oil or olive oil. I use spices like chili powder, turmeric and garam masala- sparingly and once in a while. He has had no milk intake at all whatsoever so far. We might try soy milk on him some time.

So what are some of the gotchas that got you unwittingly?
LG Hing, can you believe it- has wheat content in it. Something like Lay's potato chips- has corn content. Something thats never been tried on him so far. I am now very aware and cautious while reading the ingredients list and labels. Watch out for labels that indicate these products are made in a nut or dairy facility. Those are very helpful signs to make sure you dont get misled.

Can he eat out?
Its a challenge, hence we rarely attend parties and other social gatherings. We have to be very careful to only go to places where there is close to no contamination. That is a big challenge. We once took him to an Indian restaurant , where, despite all our precautions, he did get a reaction due to cross contamination. Usually we avoid Asian and Mexican places as well.

Where do you shop for his groceries?
I usually find sources for gluten free flour thanks to support groups that provide a lot of information. For example, if I have to bake blueberry muffins, I use this flour, blueberries with some honey and as little sugar as possible(since sugar results in hyperactivity and lack of focus) and substitute butter with oil.

What wise words would you have to share to others who might be going through such challenges?
Becoming aware and taking extensive notes is a good start. At the onset, most of the research is trial and elimination. There is way of automatically knowing or finding out. There are support groups out there with reams of information and assistance. The internet is a valuable asset. Calcium supplements, fish oil etc are good, organic ways to make up for the lack of the essential nutrients for the body which otherwise cannot be obtained due to these allergens. There is no set method that works for all children and challenges. At that point, its a matter of diligence and perseverance, both of which are a must for parents with children who have food allergies.

Tag #11

Sigh, yes this is what we have come to. Its 3:20 am and I find it hard to go back to sleep. I check out my blog at this ungodly hour and realise posting has been irregular and sparse. No, its not the usual- "I've been busy" routine. Well it is, but the actual reasons are that I've not been able to a. find good topics to write about b. not been very enthused to write. Ha! I know, neither of them are good and unusual reasons. So we have come to that stage where taking up tags, any tag, seems like a good reason to write a post.

And Archana offered this on a silver plate to me, for exactly the same reason as mine...what could be a better deal?

Sidenote : Did I mention I met up with her and SK on my Bay area trip over Halloween? Dont they say, good conversations go well with good food? Where there's one, there's bound to be the other, no kidding. Food at Saravana Bhavan- what can I say? I indulged in some terrific dosa and ended it with Badam halwa. With this kind of ambience, there was no doubt that the company was pleasant and enjoyable.

A Sunday morning well spent - Check.

Now, on to the tag.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
If I didnt say- it was thanks to mom- she'd probably kill me :-). But honestly, yes-it was my mom who introduced me to this wonderful world called books and reading. My earliest memories are of her reading to me, taking me to British Library near Koshy's in Bangalore(Bus Route 34 and 37, right across our house), feeling the colorful books in the shelves, that high of the prospects of many lazy afternoons enveloped in the warm bubble of words......yes it was very early on, and it was thanks to mom.

What are some books you read as a child?
Enid Blytons- the Amelia Jane series etc, Noddy, Ramona the pest series by Beverly Cleary, Rumer Godden, Amar Chitra Katha, Grimms Fairy tales, Aesop's fables.. then I graduated to the Famous Five, Five Find Outers etc. The usual Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew...hm I know I am missing quite a few...and Oh, that Magic Geranium book- that which I wrote about some time ago.


What is your favourite genre?
I'll have to say Fiction- but more specifically- I enjoy humour, any author that has a wonderful style of writing, fluid, those that create magic out of words. I am generally less inclined towards science fiction, horror, mush(M&B kind- ok confession time- I never read a single M&B) and wordy-heavy fantasy stories(another confession- I have only read the first 2 of the Harry Potter books and none of the Lord of the Rings :O).

Do you have a favourite novel?
Its hard for me to pick "a" favorite novel. Let me list 5 of my all-time favorites..

Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier
Blanding's Castle- PGW
The Lost Continent- Bill Bryson
The Sherlock Holmes series
Mrs Harris goes to Paris- Paul Gallico

There are so many others which can make it to the all-time faves and faves list, but then since I said I'd list 5 ...as in these I'd go back and read a million times and still enjoy them just as much as I did on my first read.

Where do you usually read?
It doesnt matter...I can read on flights, at the airport, at home...anywhere just so long as the book keeps me hooked.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
Hm, no. This isnt my style. I only read a book at a time.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
I do, unless the non-fiction book is mind boggling and spell binding- I have less patience for this genre. Hence I get distracted very easily. I generally dont carry non-fiction for travel.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I very rarely borrow. But the rest depends. Sometimes, the wait in my library for a book I want to read is too long. Then, I buy - either online or at the store. Usually I buy in-store if I have to travel some time in the near future and I dont have the time to wait for the online shipment to arrive.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
I ONLY keep the books that I have absolutely fallen in love with and would want them to go in my lifetime collection. If I've bought a book that I am not particularly inclined to keep- I give them away at the library, or sell it at a used book store or I sometimes use paperbackswap.com to swap for something else.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
N/A

What are you reading now?
Nothing :). My reading cart is empty and I've lost my reading habit(in addition to the writing habit, as you will note)

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
Not really. If I hear of a good book, I would have already put it on hold at the library or ordered it or bought it. Its all very instantaneous.

What books would you like to reread?I guess the answer to this would be what I said earlier...my all-time favorite collection is of books I want to and I do re-read many many times over.

Who are your favourite authors?
Actually, a few of those that Archana listed are mine as well....PGW, Bill Bryson, Agatha Christie, Dave Barry... and like she says, my profile page lists most of them...but let me go ahead and list them anyway. Its also hard to list authors as opposed to specific books by these authors. Most times I dont like ALL of a particular favorite author's works. Daphne DuMaurier, the Botswana series(by Alexander McCall-Smith), some of CBD's books(Chitra Banerjee Diwakaruni), Khalid Hosseini, Gerald Durrell...

Alright, thats it :). So, anyone that wants to take up this tag, please go ahead.

I see the pink hues of dawn are just around the corner. A brand new day and 24 hrs to do the best you can with it. Have a great day everyone.

Yet another tag

This time, this one is from Usha, so here goes.

My oldest memory:
...is of sleeping in my great-grandmother's bed for an afternoon nap after school. Nothing as cosy or warm as being patted fondly by your great-grandmom and drifting off to snoozeland. I want to say I must have been 4-5-6 yrs old. Not sure. She was my playmate, my caretaker, my guardian angel- my great-grandmom.

Ten years ago:
I was getting ready to come to the US. I was full of dreams and couldnt wait to board the flight. Little did I know how far I'd be going and how irreversible a step that was. But then at that time and at that age, I had the world to conquer.

My first thought this morning:
Where's the laptop?

If you built a time capsule, what would it contain:
My ipod(with my lifetime collection of mp3's and photos), a letter to the future about who I am(was?) and my Asterix collection(those are timeless, arent they?).

This year:
is not one of my favorites. I'd prefer for it to be over, and soon.

14 years from now:
I hope I
- can be a better person than I am today
- am able to make a difference in the lives of at least a handful of people
- am less prone to despair and hurt - equanimity?
- can love one and all, cos we all know that love conquers all
Everything else is secondary.

I am terrible at tagging. For now I pass this onto Seren ;). Anyone else that wants to take up this tag, please be my guest.

Tides of change

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can."

Past midnight, on the 5th of November, I was sitting up to listen to this speech. I cant tell you what was so special about this election, or this presidential campaign or why it was so different from the so many others that have happened so far. All I know- in my finite wisdom- is that this was different. This was people making their voices heard. This was telling everyone that each of us matter. This was showing to everyone that we are all in one. One in all.

This was the first time that so many young adults took it upon themselves to make a difference. This was the first time there were crowds at Times Square not for New Years but to hear who their new leader was going to be. Every city across the US, every downtown had excited people waiting with bated breath, waiting to hear that hope was just around the corner. That change is inevitable. That change was good, that we need to give change a chance. The world was watching to see who would lead this country thats so long been the beacon for hope, equality and liberty in the true sense of the term.

In such grim times of hopelessness and despair, fear and frustration...we needed this sunshine of promise.

This was to tell the future that we can make a difference, only when its one voice. Many voices only leads to noise. If there's anyone out there who has dared to dream, this dawn only goes to show that it can and will come true- with due perseverance and persistence. You can if you think you can...

Read this?

You Can If You Think You Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

~ C. W. Longenecker ~

Fall, at my doorstep

A fall weekend at the bay

After many hiccups, that seemed like eternity, we finally took off. I was going for a 48 hr, action packed weekend at the bay area. Meeting family and friends. Come Friday evening, I was exhausted. All I wanted was to be home, curled up in bed with an early dinner and mindless TV. But here I was, belted in my window seat of an airline that was carrying me across two timezones. It was late when I reached and even later by the time I called it a night.

The sun decided to show up only around 8am the next morning, while I'd been up at the stroke of dawn. A belated Diwali lunch party had been planned for the afternon. Come 8:30, after a overly stretched morning kaapi session, armed with a sweater and an umbrella the two of us - my aunt and I set forth for a brisk walk.










As we stepped out, I sniffed at the air, much like a dog does. The setting was just right. There was a cool breeze, the sky was overcast, a drizzle had just come and gone. As one meandered out of the row of houses, there were leaves strewn all over. Signs of fall. Leaves of many hues- red, yellow and some the nascent green.

There was light conversation. But mostly, my mind was filled with thoughts of my hometown- Bangalore. I can never be sure if the Silicon Valley turned into Bangalore or vice-versa. Either way, this was like the Bangalore of yore, back in the mid-70s. What everyone called the naturally airconditioned city of the South.

My camera aimed at that time in the morning of a weekend when there was quiet all around. A lazy leaf, a fresh flower, a cheery fruit....there was nature at this job already. A few strides out, we could already see the mountains of the bay. I made many walks that morning. As the rains kept returning at random intervals, those gave me breaks to head home...for more kaapi sessions alongside the patio french doors. With a fleece blanket over the toes.....

My aunt, the undisputed vadai queen, sat on the covered patio- doling out hot, crispy vadais- the cabbage vadai, the keerai vadai and a combo. With a mango chutney dip into that was to die for. By noon I am not sure how many of those had been packed into my tummy.

By then the guests had begun to stream in. There was lazy conversations to be had, kids that needed to be indulged in and tables that needed to be cleared, post-lunch. And the time just flew with barely enough to spare for a last-minute family photo session.

By 4 I was to head over to a friend's place. His new place was beautifully done up by his new bride. More food was served- the tiffin from long gone days was resurrected. Poha topped with some spicy elaichi tinged chai. Within an hour we headed out- for more food- for my favorite kind of food- chaat!

When I was dropped off at my aunt's that evening, I could sense food right at the top of my throat(seriously!)- talk of an overstuffed turkey! Over the course of the next day, there were many lunch and dinner sessions with friends and family, drives from Fremont to Milpitas to Cupertino to Sunnyvale...all in the perfect bay area weather. A dash of sun, a sprinkling of rain, a cool breeze, a foggy morning, a cloudy evening...all the many flavours that make up the quintessential bay area weather. The one that reminds me of my hometown...green, warm and wonderful- namma Bengaluru.

Yenjoy while I go get my laundry done.