I have just 9 more months!!!

I have just 9 more months!!!.

Feels like the New Year just began and, we've already said goodbye to 2 full months.

Everyone makes resolutions, some keep them and some don't. I'm in between both. 

What have I ticked off from the resolution list?

I have had a few resolutions that I wanted to keep up and be the kind of person who is content and satisfied with my beautiful life. Of course, God has blessed me with a wonderful family, good job and all the mundane things of life. But, being the 1st of the year and the beginning of a fresh clean slate I wanted keep up with some firm decisions.

Firstly, I wanted to lose weight like every normal person who loves food. I left out the 1st 2 months and thankfully I joined the gym this month. (happy face)

Next, I wanted to be more frequent on the blog and write more. Which never happened.

I wanted to travel more which is still in progress.

I wanted to upgrade myself in everything especially education and technology.

I wanted to cook and bake more new recipes.

Well, there's more but, lets just stop with the basics.

On a more positive note, I have  9 more months to achieve all this and I hope and guess I will.

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

Until next time.

What a day it was!! When WE met.

It must've been just another day for many people but, for me and the boy it was a day to remember. Too cheesy? Yeah, this post is going to be a cheesy one actually.

August 7th, 2013 - The boy and myself were already acquainted with each other a bit (say a week since we started talking and getting to know each other). We decided to meet on this day as we felt it would be apt. I took a day's off from work and so did he. The morning was a bit relaxed with me waking up late and lazying around the house choosing this or that to wear.

By mid morning I started getting ready and left to the coffee shop we had planned. I was there on time while he was late by 5 minutes. We got talking and eating, and talking and eating. We knew then that We were soulmates. He even shook my hands to confirm I'm the one he's going to be with for the rest of his life.
We left the place and went to a friend's place to pick up some things my brother sent me, I introduced the boy as my fiancé already without confirming with our parents and relatives yet.

We later went to a walkers park, walked around a bit, talked random stuff and left from there to another favorite restaurant and we had the boy's favorite dish from there.
The day was going by so fast and we had so much in our head to do. Both of us were excited we met each other and decided to share our lives together.

WE DID! Four months later we married each other and lived happily ever after.

We still recall that day and enjoy the feeling we had for each other, now that the feelings have increased through the years.

Thanks BlogAdda for the prompt and making me relive the day.
Indeed "What a Day it was...".

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

Super Heroes in Disguise!

A good start to the week I would call it.

Here's my Super Hero in Disguise.

There was a fine Sunday when I woke up lazily, had some amazing breakfast (I can't recall) and got ready to go to Church with my mom.

It was a big day for me as the boy's parents were coming home to meet me and my family (pre marital prep).

Everything went on well and we were returning back home on my bike. All of a sudden, my bike started wobbling and I was forced to stop to check what was wrong.
To my dismay, the front wheel of my bike was punctured. And to add to the misery, my stomach felt grumpy and made some noises (In the process of getting upset).

It was a Sunday and almost all the shops in and around the place were shut I was helpless.
As I was trying to look for a mechanic's number on my phone. Out of nowhere a stranger walked up to us(my mom and me) and suggested we call a mechanic around the same area and request him to check the bike. I was surprised as the road was almost empty and I was not expecting any help.

I took the number and spoke to the mechanic and he agreed to come. Just as I was about to thank the stranger he disappeared and I felt bad. The mechanic arrived, worked on the wheel and it all happened in a time frame of 30 minutes.
I was surprised and happy as I didn't want to be late when I met his parents.

Recalling that day 3 years back today the memories are still fresh and beautiful. I'm sure there are a lot of SuperHeroes in Disguise like this and we all have to be one too to make this place a better one.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Thanks to BlogAdda for this wonderful prompt. I enjoyed writing this as it brought back some good memories.

Random act of Kindness - Chennai Flood (Our Story)

Linking this post with #FridayReflections on Write Tribe for the Random Act of Kindness I've experienced and it was so good remembering and recollecting memories. 

This happened about 5 months back though the memory is still fresh.
Everyone know about the Chennai Floods as, it was one of the worst disasters Chennai has faced. Lots of people suffered and many were left homeless.

By God's grace and his protection the area we resided in was not much affected except for the power cut. But, the boy's family were stranded in their house as their area was surrounded by water and they had no way of moving out from there.
So, we (the boy and myself) decided to travel all the way to their place and almost rescue his mom who was not at her best health.

Finding a cab at 10:30 pm on a weekday is not a tedious task but, on a rainy day where all the sub - urbs are flooded - it definitely is. Again by luck and grace, we found one and the cabbie was really an angel sent from above.
We explained the situation to him and he was ready to help though his car was not ready as he was running out of fuel and all the gas stations were closed due to the flooding.

We left to the place keeping our fingers crossed and the ride was scary. The cabbie was ready to drive into places, roads and streets the vehicle might have gotten submerged in but, he was ready to take the leap.
We almost rescued my mom-in-law and came back home still keeping our fingers crossed as we still couldn't find a gas station and the tank was running dry. We thanked the cabbie who volunteered to help when no one would, at that point of time due to the fear that their car might not function or water entering into the car.
We do have some good souls left and we met one such person in our life.

Thanks to him and to OLA for their help during the floods. 

Here's a picture of the area we went to, I couldn't take pictures as it was dark and my mind didn't function at its best.

Image Source- Google

This post was written 

Breaking the Stereotype.

Women are mostly judged based on their appearances. I'm a Woman and people very often judge me, they have judged me and still do but, I prove them wrong most of the time and I'm glad I do.

If she has SHORT HAIR - A Tomboy

If she prefers jeans - she has no regard for tradition,

and so on.

I am a straight forward person and I like to voice my opinion when I feel the need. I used to work for a Corporate and I hated my Team Lead there.

In short, he was a moron but, I had no other choice than to report to him. He thought I spoke a lot and I was too straight forward. In his terms being a girl means to keep quiet when every other man spoke and I broke that stereotype quite a number of times.
During one of the one to one meetings, he mentioned that if I was this way I would never get married and my husband would have a tough time with me. I changed his opinion by getting married and found not my better half but, my BEST half. P.S - He was not invited for the wedding. **evil grin**

Story continues - After I quit the corporate I started working as a Teacher. One of my friends during a chat mentioned that to him(yeah the same moron) and he said I was not fit for the profession and that I needed patience which I don't have blah blah. I proved him wrong again by continuing to work as a  teacher(P.S - A kindergarten teacher) for 2 years now and I love my job and kids. P.S - Well he was terminated for integrity issues. **evil grin** again.

Well, by now you get the idea. We women are strong and we break any stereotype. So, don't judge a book by its cover.

I was shocked at the statistics. Take a look at some of the startling figures that the Nihar Naturals #IAmCapable survey conducted by Nielsen India reveals.

a. 69% of men agree that their judgement of women is based on their looks.

b. 64% of women agree that the judgments passed on them have affected their ability to reach their true potential.

c. 70% of women agree that majority of judgments on women are from family members or friends rather than strangers.

d. 72% of women agree that working women face more judgments on their looks or their clothes than housewives.

I'm breaking and will continue breaking the stereotypes based on appearance by sharing my experience for the #IAmCapable activity at Blogadda in association with Nihar Naturals.

I hope you enjoyed reading and do check this video by Nihar Naturals.

This post is written for the #IAmCapable by Nihar Naturals focussing on Women breaking the Stereotype based on appearance.

Until Next time.

Prawn Calzone - Recipe!

My experiments with yeast are not that great. That's changed now. The other day we went shopping and I picked up Instant yeast at a supermarket. It's not easy finding instant yeast near by my place.

I was searching for recipes that included yeast and I was not too convinced that I could make it. But, I saw a recipe for Calzone on raks kitchen and I instantly decided to make it.

Gathered all the ingredients and in no time it was out of the oven and into our stomachs. It was that good. I tweaked the recipe a bit and added prawns for the filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
• 1 tsp Instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Italian seasoning
• Pasta sauce or ketchup - as per requirement
• Mozarella cheese 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup - shredded
• Prawn masala filling

Method:

• Add flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a wide mouthed bowl, mix.
• Warm up water and milk, it should be luke warm or the yeast will die if its too hot.
• Add the water and milk into the flour by making a dent in the pile of flour.
• Add oil and knead well. I kneaded it for about 5 mins.
• Use cling film to close the mouth of the bowl and keep in a warm place.
• I kept mine in the oven.
• After an hour, the dough would have doubled in size. Punch down the air and knead again.
• Make 3 to 4 small balls and flatten using your fingers.
• Place the stuffing in and pinch around to make a purse like form.
• Pinch on all sides and make sure there is no opening.
• Before you close the dough around the stuffing don't forget to place the cheese.
• Place in a baking tray and bake in a pre heated oven for 20 to 25 mins.
• Each oven is different, mine took around 20 mins to cook and extra 5 mins to brown on top.
• Allow to cool a bit on a rack and serve with sauce or any salads.

Here are the pictures.

Living it Stress-free.

The other day I was tired, sick, fed up and stressed. I try not to get stressed often, due to the fact that it affects my physical being and that in turn affects my whole self.

However, once in a while we all get stressed. And, I came up with some of the things that makes it stress free for most of us if we try following some of these examples.

These steps are mostly my personal stress busters and works for me most of the time. I'm no expert or pro in this but, I'm sure it might help someone.

Here we go.

Do the thing you love. For me, its baking.

1. Baking:
My stress is relieved when I bake. The feeling of creaming the butter and sugar, cracking open the eggs, the splash of vanilla itself is enough. Finally when all of it is mixed and ready to be tipped in the oven. I'm no longer stressed and I'm a happy me. The finished product gives me immense joy and happiness that nothing can give me till date.

2. DIY and Crafts:
Off late, I've been obsessed over DIY and the things you can do to make your house or room look better. I've created a few DIY decors and accessories and I love it. It distracts me from the stress I am into.

3. Going for a walk or exercising:
You must have heard this a zillion times or read about it. Yes, it does work. I tend to breathe well and by the end of the walk or exercise I'm more than alive.

4. Children:
As a part of my full time job as a Kindergarten teacher I interract with children on a daily basis and the thought of not being with them for a while actually stresses me hence, I expose myself a lot around babies and children. The activities and the tantrums they pose helps us de - stress.

5. Reading:
This slows my speedy mind and brings it to a halt as I immerse myself into whatever I'm reading. Be it a book or an article or blog.

The other mentions are

• Praying - You feel better when you pray or talk to God about it and hand over everything to him.
• Talking to a friend or close one.
• Sleep on it.
• Writing about it in a journal or a blog.

DONT'S

• Don't be on social media or the internet. It messes with your brain.
• Don't listen to music that might disturb you more.
• Don't do retail therapy. You might regret later.

Hope you enjoyed reading. Do let me know what are your stress busters in the comments below.

Until next time.

Review on Zahana Chennai!

I'm someone who is drawn towards jewellery, in particular earrings. Recently I was on Instagram and I came across a page that lured me into its pictures and by the time I knew, I was on their website booking a pair of earring and contemplating on buying one or two for the start.

But, now I'm regretting. I should've ordered more. The page is called zahana. Zahana is a contemporary creation and the selection of colors are beautiful, trendy and classy at the same time. The moment you enter you get attracted to all their products and are compelled to try some. The page is colorful and attractive. You can shop from anywhere and the process is that simple.

I love oxidised silver earring and I already have a collection of them. Will share that soon. This site has more than what we could ask for and the quality is beyond words.

I ordered a black and gold antique earrings which was on sale. The products have a additional amount of Rs 50 for shipping. I had a pleasant experience with them and unbelievably I received my order in 2 days despite the Chennai monsoon and rains. Too good.

I was so excited and cut open the package to take a look at my order. I was so surprised by the package and I was wondering why there were two pairs inside and outside the transparent ziplock, a handwritten note saying it was a FREEBIE with a small heart beside. That's it! I fell for it.

My earrings were packed so well with the brand card and a freebie, all carefully kept inside a plastic box so its safe and secure.

I wore the earrings and absolutely loved it. Will definitely shop again and I already added few items to the wishlist. The site is a must try and you wont regret it.

Here are the pictures.

This is the cute packaging.

Th is is the pair that I ordered.

The freebie.

Both of the earrings.

All of the pictures in a collage.

Jewelry lovers and online shoppers will fall for their collections.

Thank you ZAHANA for such a wonderful experience and I'm heading to your site soon after.

Until next time.

The most awaited trip with the Fam!

This post is about the trip we went to Pondicherry with the family.

Its more of a rambling post.
So, we took off in the early hours of the day. We packed Salami and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, coffee for a refreshment and some tit bits to munch on the go.
My outfit was more of lounge pants with a comfy top as we were on a road trip.
We left with the boy, my mom and me along with a professional driver on the wheel. On the way we picked up my mom-in-law and headed on the ECR road. It was a scary drive I must say and the weather was helping us that day by being cloudy but, no rains.

We pit-stopped for a stretch break and had our sandwiches and the coffee. We reached by around 11ish. It got delayed due to the pit-stop. We roamed a bit in pondy.
We went to a lake side and just drived by. Later, we went to Lunch at Kamatchi Biryani Veedu where all of us had a wonderful lunch.
The highlight of this hotel is they serve rasam with white rice towards the end for digestion and the rasam is something I've never tasted anywhere.

We finished and headed to the beach for a walk. By, this time it was kind of sunny. We did some shopping of clothes and eats. Back to the beach and dinner at Surguru.

We left by 9ish and reached by midnight. Both the moms loved it though they struggled a bit with their aches and pains.

Here are the pictures

On our way, at one of the tolls. 

Loved how green this looked and the different green hues.

Inside the car.

Welcome to the French colony.

The scenic view.

One of the corners.

The beach road.

Our dinner.

Black coffee with sugar.

I didn't click pictures of lunch as I was too hungry and couldn't wait to eat. This was our trip and the pictures. We had a lovely experience and we will definitely be going back.

Until next time.

Choco chip cookies - Recipe.

Chocolate chip cookies was on my to do list like forever. I had Chocolate chips and butter, eggs and all the baking staples but, never found the perfect recipe.

Finally, while browsing Fb found Fondbites. This is one of my favorite baking site. I used to be part of their bake alongs sometime back. Found the choco chip and made it.

 It was delicious. Especially, while warm I devoured two of them.
There was a small change though. I ran out of maida and added wheat flour instead. Worked out as a healthy option too.

Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup maida, 1/2 cup wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tspn baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 1 tspn vanilla essence

METHOD

• Line a baking tray using butter, ghee or oil or even parchment paper
• Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 mins
• In a bowl, melt butter to liquid form, cool it down.
• Add sugar and beat with electric beater on high for about 5 mins.
• Add the egg and beat gently, add vanilla essence and mix well.
• Sift flour, salt and baking soda and add this to the butter and egg mixture.
• I used my hands at this stage.
• The mixture was a bit too sticky and wet, so I added 2 tbspns more flour and it was the right consistency now.
• Add the choco chips and incorporate well.
• Make small round balls and place on the baking tray at a nominal distance.
• The heat is going to melt this and bring it in the form of a cookie so note the distance here.
• Bake for 15 mins. I kept an eye on mine at 10 mins and took it out by 15 mins. 

Let it cool and devour to your hearts content. Trust me you can't stop.

Store in an airtight container. 

Lloyd's Tea house - Restaurant review!

Lately I've been visiting Lloyd's tea house regularly. like say, once a month and I've always had something to drink there. Once, I had the Bruschetta platter and I was kinda ok with the taste. I could make that at home.

But, last week on a Sunday evening the boy and me decided to have something there as we were really hungry. Read through the menu and the boy decided on Pan Seared Basa with Pesto while I had Chicken Lasagna. 

The Lasagna came in first, we loved it and half way through the Basa arrived and we never let it go. The basa was accompanied with a salad, sauteed vegetables and mashed potato. The mashed potato was out of this world. The food was great and great ambiance too. We finally ended with something warm. The boy had peppermint tea while I had my favorite Hazelnut cappucino (I've never had such an amazing cappucino anywhere). We thoroughly enjoyed our food.

The service was good and the place is a great one to try

Here are the pictures.

The chicken lasagna.

The pan seared basa with pesto.

The basa alone. It was divine.

The accompaniments.

The beverages.

Overall, a wonderful dinner and the total cost was Rs 1011 including vat. The cost is a bit on the higher side but, wonderful food.

Rating ****.5/5 minus 0.5 for the price.

Until next time.

Perks of being a teacher - Part II

Here I am again with the series - Perks of being a teacher. I'm glad I received several comments on the Part I and I enjoyed reading and writing it too.

Today, the Perks of being a teacher are Semester breaks. Oh yes, I love this profession for this reason as well. Which job pays you to sit at home?. That's just another benefit however, there are more to list and they are on their way.

So, I had this 10 day break last week and I so loved it. The early morning chaos and routine was given a pause button and I took all the rest I needed though I missed my kids from school at times.
Throughout this time I baked, went for walks, slept like there's no tomorrow and helped with the boy getting prepped for work. I watched Breaking Bad back to back.

Now, I'm back to school but, recalling that break feels good and I believe every profession needs this as it helps you reflect on your life and unwind. No stress involved.
I've worked in a corporate, as a nurse, as a Nursing tutor and at a Hospital in administration but, nothing gave the amount of happiness and rest I receive from Teaching.

Hope you enjoyed reading. 

Until next time and the next Perk. 

This is written for #MondayMusings on WriteTribe.

Banana Cinnamon Muffins!

It was a holiday and I wanted to bake something quick and tasty.

Browsed a bit and decided it's going to be Banana and Cinnamon Muffins and the boy loves muffins compared to cupcakes.

Got started and it was yum and the smell of cinnamon with banana wafted indoors.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients

• 2 small bananas
• 1/2 cup castor sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 cup odourless oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

• Preheat oven at 180 degrees
• Line the muffin tray with liners
• In a bowl, add bananas and mash them with a fork
• Add oil to the bananas and mix well
• Add the egg and vanilla essence
• Sift the flour, add salt, cinnamon and baking soda
• Add these to the wet ingredients and mix well
• Finally add milk and incorporate everything
• Don't overmix, gently fold all the ingredients well.
• Scoop the batter into each muffin liner and bake at 180 dgrees for 25 to 30 mins
• Cool it and serve or store it in an airtight container.

Here are the pictures

The liners are in sync with the color of the muffins.

Until next time.

Restaurant review- California Burrito!

It was a Sunday and not so productive Sunday. The boy and me were not in good terms and decided we'd have a cup of coffee each.

After coffee we didn't feel like going anywhere and decided to while away some more time at the food court. I had been there sometime back and spotted this place called California Burrito but, never bothered to glance at the menu or the food.
But, this time I decided to give it a go as we had time and it was worth it.

Great food, good service and value for money. They had a variety of combos like the mini and mega combos, I opted for the mini as the boy was not interested in food. I went for the non-veg salad, chips and salsa and pink lemonade. I added guacamole and chips to the bill and I didn't regret it.
The combo came up to 170 plus and the guacamole and chips were 30 plus and taxes and all that, came up to Rs 270.
After I received the food, the boy who said he didn't want to eat gave it a try and did not let go of the fork. We loved the food and will go for it again for sure.

Overall wonderful dinner and light on the pockets. My rating for this would be 5/5.

Here are some pictures I took.

The outlet at Ambit IT park Ambattur Estate.

Our tray of food.

The spicy chicken salad topped with sour cream.

Aerial view.

Until next time.

Perks of being a teacher - Part I

Teaching as a profession is more than what I asked for. What I majored in and what I worked as, and what I studied further has nothing to do with my profession as of now.

I don't regret my education though, I regret my working experiences sometimes.

But, now everything's changed. This job taught me so much and I still learn something new every day.

Being a teacher, the moment I enter the class in the morning, I am greeted by my children who are aged 3, 3 1/2 and 4years old respectively. It gives me so much joy and happiness when they come up to me talking about their weekend or their amazing experience at the park. Sometimes, I even get compliments about my accessories (my watch, earrings and eye glasses - though I wear the same every single day). And, to add on to these the children walk randomly up to me either kissing my hand, elbow or if they can reach, my cheek. What more do I need to make my day?

There are tons of perks and I've jotted only a few as of now.
That's the reason I've created a series by the name 'PERKS OF BEING A TEACHER'. If you are a teacher or aspiring to becoming one, you will get what I'm trying to exaggerate here.

Image cortesy - Google.

Until next time.

Written and posted on Write Tribe #MondayMusings.

All Good Scents review!

So, as I was whiling away some time one fine evening reading few blogs, I came across a couple of blogs talking about a website featuring perfumes and testers for a moderate price.

Headed to their site and saw a lot of interesting features like the perfume which might suit you  and the tester samples. Immediately chose two for me and one for the boy which I felt might suit us.
The product claims it is made in France and each one of them are different.

Opted for the COD option but, it charged Rs 50 extra for shipping while it said free shipping charges. Anyway, chose the netbanking option and paid Rs 165 altogether.
It took almost 6 days to reach and I was expecting the delivery. Well, it reached and the fragrances for each of the ones I ordered didn't let me down.

Here are the pictures.

The 3 scents : Love & Joy (yellow one), Chic (white one) and Urbane Nights (Black one).

Along with it came a booklet with the list of all their fragrances and a discount of 15 % on my next purchase. The fragrance is amazing and lasted for a really long time. The amount is less though. I'm definitely going to get the bigger versions of it. Nice buy overall.

Rating - ****/5

Check out their site here.

P.S- This is not sponsored, I purchased with my own interest and wallet.
Until next time.

The Dramatic Walker's park!

The other day after a heavy lunch at a Restaurant the boy and me decided to go for a walk to one of our favorite walker's park and we did.

I've been to a lot of parks before and the sight there is usually fitness freaks, wannabe fitness freaks, health conscious youngsters, preventing diseases middle aged adults and following doctor's advice on walking elders. Or, at the most we might see some children enjoying their swings and see - saws if there was any at the park.
But, I was shocked by the sight at the park I used to go to before I got married. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set.

Every corner at the park, I saw couples mostly unmarried or in a relationship kinda couples sitting so close to each other. Some were the desperate ones and some were the get a room kinda ones. I was surprised though I took a short walk around and the boy couldn't control his nap by the time I came back.

It was entertainment for me and peace for the boy.

The scene opposite to where we were sitting.

Some hanky panky happening (If you look closely or zoom in) I focused on all four sides to where we sat.

The path I took for a walk.

A beautiful looking tree that was being dug out.

A small lake alongside the path.

The huge tower.

Nice day with lots of memories.

Until next time.

P.S - Ignore the slang words. I couldn't find more appropriate words to match what was in my head.

This post is going for the #MondayMusings on Write Tribe.