I have a new Word Press Photo Blog now Yippeee!!!!!! A collection of all the pictures I love and the new theme Monotone is FAB!!! Perfect theme to show-off your photos I recommend it to one and all. I already have one at photoblog.com but think I like the wordpress one better.

A new blog means more work which means I will HAVE TO wake up atleast by 8 in the morning. Nevertheless, I am excited :) 

Pic Courtesy: www.watton.org

1. The first thing I saw on tele yesterday morning was NEWS of the Earthquake in China. Atleast 15,000 people are believed to be dead and thousands missing. Most of the vicitims were children who were caught unaware when their school building collapsed in a matter of seconds. Since China implements ‘one-child’ policy, a generation of children have been lost in some of the worst hit provinces.
2. Day before, I also learnt of the serial blasts in Jaipur, where alteast 60 people are believed to be dead and atleast 150+ injured. The bombs were placed bicylcles parked in busy market areas. One of the bombs placed at Hanuman Temple was defused by the bomb defusal squad. As far as I remember, it was first Bangalore, then Delhi, then Hyderabad, then Ajmer Dargah and now Jaipur. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be re-named ‘The World’s Most Unintelligent Bureau (TWMUB)’. My reaction was that of shock when it happened in Delhi and Hyd. Now, I have somehow got used to the NEWS. They are bound to happen in our country…if not today..then tomorrow. I am sure most of us feel this way…since we live in a country where the security system is in shambles and IB seems to be doing nothing about it! It agitates me!
3. Atleast 32,000 people are believed to be dead and scores unaccounted for due to Cyclone Nargis in Burma but the Burmese Military Junta is not accepting help from foreign authorities for food and aid…inspite of it’s people dying of starvation and illness. God, please give them some sense. First they force their power on the Burmese and now they don’t care inspite of so much suffering. If you want to help, please donate here. I read somewhere…IT IS ONLY THE POOREST THAT ARE HIT THE HARDEST BY NATURAL CALAMITIES.

My prayers are for the families who have lost their loved ones….to give them strength to cope with their irreplaceable loss. It is difficult…very difficult. But if our thoughts are with the vicitims and their families when we pray…it will be easier.

When such things happen, my faith in God is questioned. Why can’t God stop all this from happening?

Our current Fav!!! and Ileana looks pretty for a change I personally feel DSP (Devi Sri Prasad) is one of the talented music directors our film industry has.

Watched Jalsa over the weekend. It was OK. Comedy was good…but couldn’t bear PK’s over acting. Why can’t he just act and not over act? HUH! I was also glad that the dubbing artists spoke telugu…and not ‘Vankaratinkari Telugu’. Correct me if I am wrong… but I think the girl who dubbed for Ileana was Colours Swathi….not that I care! Some of the dubbing artists are sooo badd….nangi nangi ga maatladatharu (If anyone can translate the word ‘nangi’ for me into english…please let me know Njoy!

I spent the morning fighting a bee which refused to leave my territory. The bloody thing. I hate bees. I still remember my friend who was bit by a bee on her cheek and she swell up like a balloon. Nyways, seems like this bee won’t be coming back anytime soon….Muahhahaa (evil laugh) {Why can’t wordpress have emoticons? Saves me from typing crap!)

Okies..coming to the recipe…here goes..

Banana and Walnut Cake

Preparation Time:  30-45 minutes (Quicker if you’ve baked a cake before)

Cooking Time (in a pre-heated oven at 180 °C):   50 - 60 minutes 
Ingredients:

1. Kitchen Scale (Max upto 2 Kgs) 
2. 3 medium Bananas, ripe if possible (approx. 400 g)
3. 300 gm Self-Raising Flour 
4. 150 gm soft Butter 
5. 150 gm soft Brown/White sugar (Demerara)
6. 2 medium Eggs (at room temperature) 
7. 80 gm Walnut Kernels
8. 2 Tsps Lemon Juice
9. 2 Tbsps Olive or Vegetable oil
10. 1 Tbsp Vanilla Essence

Ingredients for Cake Topping/Icing (Optional. I bought a ready-made Icing Sugar tube and decorated the cake. Little effort and saves time too…esp when you are super lazy like me! :D)

1. 125 gm full fat Soft Cheese 
2. 75 gm Butter 
3. 200 gm Icing Sugar 
   

Kitchen Equipment

1. 2 large bowls to mix the ingredients
2. 900gm loaf tin (rectangular, square or circular)
3. Small amount of greaseproof baking paper
4. Kitchen Whiskser/Handheld Blender/or just a Fork

Method

Note: Butter must be soft. The best way to achieve this is to measure out the butter an hour or so before
it is needed and leave it at room temperature. If this is not possible, break up the butter with a fork
and beat it for a minute or so. If all else fails, put it in a bowl and float the bowl in warm water.

1. Turn the oven on, setting it to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Next, grease the loaf tin with margarine or butter, and line the tin with greaseproof baking paper.
   It’s not essential to cover 100% of the tin but make sure that it lays as flat as possible on the inside
   of the tin.
3. Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork until they are really mushy.
4. Chop up the walnuts reasonably fine.  
5. Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and blend together with a fork. The idea here is to mix the two ingredients thoroughly and at the same time incorporate as much air as possible into the mixture. Mixing with a fork in a figure of eight shape will help to incorporate air into the cake mix.
6. Now, stir in the bananas and chopped walnut kernels and mix thoroughly.
7. In a separate bowl, add two eggs and mix with a blender, whisker or a fork until there is a layer of froth formed.
8. Now sift in the self-raising flour, 2 Tbsps at a time to avoid any bubbles or balls in the mixture and mix thoroughly in a figure of eight. 
9. Now add this mixture to the bowl containing the mixture of butter, sufar and walnut kernels.
10. Add 2 Tbsps of Olive or Vegetable Oil and 2 Tsps of Lemon Juice and mix thoroughly again in a figure of eight with a fork. The oil and juice will keep the cake moist.
11. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth it level and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
12. After that time take it out and test that it is cooked by piercing the cake with a fork and if it comes out clean it’s cooked. If not cook for another 5 minutes and retest.
13. When you take the cake out of the oven, take it out of the tin and place it on a wire rack or something similar. This will stop the cake sweating and getting damp.
14. Allow the cake an hour or so to cool down before icing it.

Method for Icing

1. Make the icing by pouring the icing sugar, soft cheese, butter and vanilla into a bowl and mixing it all together with a fork.
   Spoon the icing onto the cake and spread it evenly with a knife. Pop a couple of cherries or walnuts on the top if you want to decorate it.

Don’t fret looking at the length of the post. This is a very easy recipe. The only time consuming part is the mixing and the baking. You just need to concentrate a little while measuring out the ingredients. Trust me…a home baked cake is much more delicious than the ones you get outside.

Why sometimes I am ashamed to called be an Indian. Please read the article here. And remember, this case is in the NEWS…there are hundreds that aren’t.

The woman was first robbed of her dignity by a couple of men and then again and again by our legal system….by the people who were supposed to protect her. The progress our country makes is worthless unless we learn to protect and respect our women.

I wanted to update my blog with a couple of recipes…but since my head muddled up thinking about the recent event in Birmingham….I wanted to write the hell out about the psychological mess I am undergoing!

I was speaking with my mom when she told me more about the news…of how the guy after killing Jyothirmayee, self-inflicted injuries to avoid any doubts of his involvement in the murder. I was asking S why a girl would want a relationship with a psycho as himself in the first place. Probably she did not know he’d turn out to be like this. Not her fault. Now that she is gone…it is her family who have been punished for life. How can a human being be so selfish that he/she can think only about himself/herself and is ready to ruin anything that comes in his/her way?

Why didn’t God give the same strength to women to protect themselves as He/She gave to a man? Why is it that a woman is always molested or raped…? Why is it that a woman has to listen to vulgar talk while walking on the road inspite of wearing a shalwar kameez? Why is it that a woman is disfigured, tortured and sometimes killed if she doesn’t accept a man’s advances/demand for love or lust? Why is she tortured and murdered if she does not pay dowry to her husband and her family…..and the most sorrowful fate of all: she is killed even before she is born!

Be it Ayesha’s murder case which has now taken a political turn or the gruesome murder of a 10th class student Mendu Lakshmi who was all of 15 yrs old by her 19 year old neighbour all because she did not accept his advances, a woman undergoes pain that is unimaginable. If we dig history…thousands of such cases will come up…most of them still in courts after tens of years. In a country like India, where law is in the hands of the rich and powerful….middle-class families have to see generations of their off-spring perish before a verdict is reached!

My thoughts stop here….SHE IS THE BEARER OF ALL, YET SHE SUFFERS THE MOST!

Pic Courtesy: Cornell.edu

Today is S’s Birthday and I am terribly busy. I baked a Banana and Walnut cake for him yesterday  Yipppeeeeee. This will be just my second time…and it has turned out really good! The first time round..I baked a chocolate cake at a friend’s place…which was equally yummyy, but then she was guiding me each step of the way. I am thankful to Pras who not only helped me bake the cake but also for keeping the surprise a secret from S. He did not have a clue what was happening last night. ROFL! Somehow, I had this feeling that he knew what I was upto…but he didn’t!!!! I am sure he didn’t think I would bake a cake…I am the one who will order But the satisfaction I got after the end result was fantastic. It’s different…buying a cake and baking one. All your love, effort and hardwork goes into the one you bake…so it tastes even more delicious I also made Vada with Coconut and Dried Red Chilli Chutney (the credit of which goes to Pras again) for breakfast, Chapala Pulusu (Smoked Salmon Fillet Curry-the credit of which goes to my mom) with Plain Rice for lunch, and probably S’s fav Peri Peri Chicken Indian Style for Dinner. Recipes will be coming up soon

Yup…the cake I baked and don’t worry…S is not 10 There was no space to insert any more candles and looking at the cake…you can also say that I am not very good at decorating it either

Loved It! Loved It! Loved It!

One of the Robert Downey Jr’s dialogue in the movie goes like this..’There is an assumption that I am a Super Hero…I am just not the Super Hero type’…and that is what I exactly thought before I went in to watch the movie…Robert Downey and a super hero….hmmm??!?!

I was skeptical. I remember Downey from movies like Friends and Lovers and Only You…and the most recent being Gothika where he plays the role of a middle aged doc. According to IdliDosa’s rule book…he did not have the chrisma to be a super hero…but I was in for a shock!!! He suits the role perfectly..better than the kiddo Tobey Mcguire as Spider man.

Downey is such a natural…he potrays the role of Iron Man with such ease. From being the head of a weapons manufacturing company (Tony Stark) to Iron Man…resovled to end violence his weapons are creating in Afghanistan and from going into the wrong hands….he blends into both the roles effortlessly. His sense of humour…his quick & intelligent single liners….the way he flirts with women…..he is being himself and not trying to put on an act for the camera! No..I am not exaggerating…you have to go watch the movie.

I will not elaborate on the story ‘cuz you will find innumerable reviews everywhere but what I will say is this…. Downey Jr is simply FAB in the movie….go watch it for him!!!

I’d give it 3.5/5

and i think the beard really suits him…..

Oh…and I almost forgot to mention. There’s this moment in the film where Tony Stark aka Iron Man is kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan and is held in captivity. The leader of the terrorist organisation wants to speak in Urdu..but comes across to us as if it’s Hindi and the remaining terrorists respond to him Afghani/Arabic. S and I were looking at each other every time this happened. 

I am sure it would not have been an expensive affair to get a guy who speaks Arabic or Afghani to play that role. Do these Hollywood people take us to be fools? FUNNY!

I blamed myself unnecessarily for not updating my blog regularly. Don’t think it’s my fault really. I was chopping vegetables today when I had one of those ‘Bodhi Tree’ moments. I realised that the reason for not being able to blog regularly was due to the amount of work at home. Not that I cook alot or do household chores daily…but the minimal work I do keeps me very much occupied…and now that spring is here…time seems to pass very quickly indeed.

I  go on walks with friends…so that keeps me occupied for the second half of the afternoon. I was telling my uni mate the other day that I founded this walking club called the Two Mile Ash South Indian Married Women’s Walking Club and I registered it with the Council and she believed me! ROFL!!

This post is dedicated to all those married women…esp Asian…who do not think that the meaning of being married is just cooking, cleaning and bearing kids but also about spending time on the things we like…be it anything…blogging, photography, dancing, painting, driving etc (incidently, I happen to love the first three

Some Sad NEWS: A Telugu girl was murdered last night by burglars at her University Accomodation. She was a student of Physiotherapy at Uni of Wolverhapton. If sources are to be believed, it was an attempted burglary gone wrong. She hails from Vijayawada. My heart goes out to the family. Jyothirmayi (the victim) came to the UK to study…just like I did some 7 yrs ago. Two other students who were with her at that time were seriously injured.

Okhay…gotta go! Walk time

Our long weekend will be ending in about 5 hours from now and what a wonderful weekend it was. S, I and couple of our friends went to Blemheim Palace near Oxford City. Except for the cloudy weather and the elaborate history on the life of Sir Winston Churchill at the Palace, it was excellent. The gardens were beautiful. Apparently, the current resident of the Palace is John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough (No…I didn’t by heart the whole thing…I cut and paste it :D) and how lucky is he to be living in such a beautiful place.

The pictures below were taken in one of the palace gardens’ called the ’Secret Garden’…sounds mystical doesn’t it? And it is equally beautiful. Two of the pics below…

PS: I thought the pictures looked good in Black & White. If anyone wants to take a look at the coloured ones….let me know Hope you guys like ‘em.

I will also be posting some pics of Jousting.…sport of the rich and noble If you don’t know what I mean…watch A Knight’s Tale starring the late Heath Ledger. So Stay Tuned….!