Platinum Day Of Love: The day we cut an onion together!

18 days from now, we will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary. When I sit back and think of the year gone by, one quote runs in my mind time and again. It is the content from my wedding invite which had these lines - “I cannot fix on the day, or the time, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. I was in middle of it before I knew I was in love with Abhay...Time to exchange vows and seal the love forever…”. The lines were inspired by the quote from my favourite book Pride and Prejudice - “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

Ours was an arranged marriage. We got engaged on 29th June, 2012, 20 days after we first met each other. We got married on 29th November, 2012, 5 months after we got engaged and maintained a long distance relationship because Abhay was in the US and I was in India. We had met just seven times in person before we tied the knot. We talked everyday over the phone, but it never could replicate the feeling of being with each other in person. Like in the quote above, I cannot decide exactly when I fell in love with him. Was it the first time we met after we decided to get married or was it on the day of our engagement or was it the day when he surprised me when he flew down to India before the scheduled date or was it the day of our marriage? I am still not sure. But, I do not worry much about it now because I know I love him, and have loved him all along.

Being in a relationship is one thing and living together after marriage as husband and wife is a different ball game altogether which I realized only after marriage. We live in such close proximities with the other person that we begin to see them in a new light. We witness their positives, negatives, interactions, day in and out which influence our state of happiness, sadness, fears, insecurities and other unfathomable emotions. In arranged marriages, these emotions are accentuated because the only time you actually get to know your partner is when you get married to them and start living with them and start observing them carefully. I went through the jitters that marriage and a new home brings along initially. Though my new family took all the pains to make me feel comfortable, it took me sometime to get adjusted to my new home. I had created a wall of my fears that were tying me down until one day.

Back at mom’s place, I would cook only when my mom would go to our native. Dad was never particular about what I cooked and I seriously didn’t have much cooking experience if you can call it that. When I got married, my mom-in-law always cooked all of us a wonderful meal while I only helped her a wee bit. But, when my mom-in-law had to go for her Shirdi trip a month after we got married, I knew I was in knee deep trouble.

The next day after my mom-in-law left for Shirdi, I woke up and went to the kitchen so that I could prepare breakfast for the 4 of us and pack lunch for the 3 of them - my dad-in-law, sister-in-law and the husband. I thought it would be an easy task. Well, the moment I entered the kitchen, my legs were shivering. I had to cook a meal for my family in a matter of few hours and I realized I was so unprepared for it. Though my mom-in-law had made a few preparations before she left and the others insisted that they could manage by themselves, I didn’t want to disappoint myself by letting them down or so I thought.

As I stood motionless in the kitchen at 6:00 in the morning thinking what I would do and how I would finish cooking and packing their lunch in another two hours, I saw my husband enter the kitchen. I knew my husband cooked well and he loved cooking, but, I was still surprised to see him in the kitchen at 6:00 in the morning because I had never seen him wake up before 8:00 in the morning and that also would be after a lot of nudging and fidgeting around with him. He smiled like he understood my predicament. As I stood there with a knife in my hand and a half unshapely cut onion on the cutting board, he gave me a reassuring look and took the knife into his own hands and cut the onion into thin slices. I was crying, well, it might have been the onion, but I would like to believe that it was the tears of joy for having discovered our “Platinum Day of Love”. It might not sound like a heroic gesture on his part but for me, this was when we discovered our real love that is everlasting. It was the moment he beat his prolonged sleeping habit to be with me during my crisis time to restore the fact that he would be with me for eternity, supporting me and pulling me out of my difficulties whereas I stood there facing my wall of fears head on so that I could integrate into the family and keep them happy.

As silly as it may sound, we found our everlasting love cutting an onion in the kitchen that day. Today, when we look back, we wish that we had something eternal like platinum rings with us that day that would etch this day in our memories forever. But, all we had that day were some onion rings and tears of joy.

Note: This post is a part of a contest conducted by Platinum Day Of Love hosted by Indiblogger.

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Be Smart, Stay Safe with Smart Suraksha!

I still remember the day very clearly. It was around 7:30 in the morning when I left home for college. I was pursuing my Masters back then. Bangalore weather was at its best - a foggy morning with a slight breeze. As I started from home that morning, I didn’t have the slightest idea that what was about to happen would leave me so emotionally distraught for a long time.

As I left home, I saw the sun coming out of its horizon and the beautiful sun-rays kissing the ground. I was ready for a wonderful day ahead. But, it was not to be. I used to take public transport back then and I had to walk for around 10 minutes to reach the nearest bus stop. As I climbed the steep roads of our colony, I saw that most people were still inside their houses. Bangalore weather can do that to you sometimes. As I walked on, listening to the chirping of the birds, the hymns coming from the houses and the air being filled with the aroma of the incense sticks, I realized how I loved my everyday walk to the bus stop.

I was halfway through when I saw a man on a luna rode past me. Before I knew it, he took a U-turn and strode past me trying to grab me. My instinct was to move and I did. But, by then, he had speedened up and when I turned back to see what had just happened, I saw him making some lewd gestures. It all happened in a matter of few seconds and I stood numb without knowing what had just happened. There was no one on the road and I felt stranded. I felt helpless. I continued for the bus stop and reached college without any other incident, fearing all the time that the man would come back. I still don’t know why I didn’t go back home even though I had just faced danger. I guess I had totally blanked out to think anything by myself.

I spent that whole day in college thinking about that incident. When I reached home in the evening, I burst out crying, because, that is when I fully realised in how dire a situation I was in the morning. At the time, it was more than 20 years since I was residing in the colony. I had played on the same road, walked to the bus stop on the same road for past 10 years and yet I was not safe in a place I grew up in. After that day, my dad dropped me everyday to the bus stop because I was left scared and scarred emotionally.

I still remember the man on the luna. He looked to be in his late 20s, wearing a check shirt and grey pants. I can still see the lewd gestures he was making, so clearly before my eyes. I wish I had done something about the situation back then. I had my phone, I could have called my parents, I could have called the police, but, it would take more time in explaining the situation to them. But, I regret not calling them. I wish I had Smart Suraksha with me then so that I could just press a button and let my folks and the police know that I was in danger, and also where I was even without my GPS being switched on. It would save a lot of time.

Thankfully, we now have the technology at our hands, though I wish no one is in such a situation wherein they will have to use this app but I know in this big, not-so-good world, it always pays to be cautious. So, download the “Smart Suraksha” app and be safe!

P.S. This is a true incident and the views presented here are solely mine.

I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

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A Corny Meal !!!

What do you do when you have been out the whole evening and return home at 11:00 in the night all hungry? You search for your favourite restaurant or a to-go place, isn't it? Well, that is what we decided to do that fateful day. But, here in Beaverton, almost all Indian restaurants close by 10:00 PM and we didn't want to eat "phoren ka khana" that night. :( 

We returned home hoping to eat some junk food and sleep. Alas, there was no junk food at home, thanks to our newly adopted "healthy living mantra". As our stomachs grumbled and our hearts craved for some yummy Indian food, I knew it was upto me to cook something in a jiffy and tend to my husband's growling and my grumbling tummy.

Thankfully, I had some leftover rice and sweet corn in the fridge. I knew I could make something delightful to soothe our taste buds So, I decided I should make some Corn Rice which is both tasty and filling.( It takes hardly 15-20 minutes if you have boiled rice ready at home.) After I made Corn Rice, I decided to surprise the husband with a 3 course meal and made Corn Bhel as a starter and Corn Halwa as a dessert, both in a time range of 10 minutes. It took just 30 minutes to cook this 3 course meal and at the end of it, we were two very happy souls. :)

The recipe is as below:

Please click on the image for it to enlarge.

CORN RICE

1.)Take a deep bottomed vessel and put it on a medium flame.

2.)Add approximately 2tbsps of ghee or oil.

3.)Add 1tsp of cumin seeds and let it splutter.

4.)Add 1tsp of ginger-garlic paste and saute it till the raw smell disappears.

5.)Chop a medium sized onion and saute it till it changes its colour. 

6.)Chop a medium sized tomato and saute it till it becomes soft. *You can add a little salt at this stage to quicken the process.

7.)Now, add around a cup of boiled sweet corn to the above mixture and mix well.

8.)Add 1tsp garam masala, 1tsp chilli powder and salt to taste and give it a good stir and let it stay for 5 minutes.

9.)Now, add 2 cups of boiled rice and mix well. Check if salt and other masalas are in the right amount or adjust to your liking.

10.)Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

*Now, with the remaining half of the corn, you can make a quick version of CORN BHEL as a starter by adding chopped onions and tomatoes to the boiled corn. Add salt, chaat masala and chilli powder to your taste. 

*Also, make a dessert CORN HALWA by adding blended boiled sweet corn in 1tsp of ghee at medium heat and 2tsps of sugar. Mix till you get a halwa consistency.

Enjoy a 3-course meal prepared in less than 30 minutes in the comfort of your home.

My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com .

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The Perfect Road Trip: Our not-so-perfect yet perfect honeymoon!

Abhay and I got married on November 29^th, 2012. Before marriage, like all couples very much in love, we also discussed our honeymoon plans. But, nothing materialized because sweet-nothings would always cloud the so called serious “honeymoon” discussions. So, even on the day of our marriage, we hadn’t decided where we ought to head for our honeymoon.

Like in case of most marriages, our marriage was also followed by a series of functions that continued till December first week with a few breaks here and there. During this time, we had to visit both our natives to finish off every ritualistic commitment we had, which we finished quite successfully, barring the fact that we travelled back to Bangalore with me suffering from a bout of food poisoning.

Abhay had applied for leave till December 17^th and it was already December 11^th and we hadn’t planned our honeymoon yet. To top it, he was super skeptical about travelling to far off places because of the food poisoning his new wife, yours truly “me” had suffered earlier. So, we dropped our initial plans of going to either Maldives or Andaman or Kerala (these weren’t planned actually, we only mentioned these in bits and pieces whenever we found time from our sweet-nothings and decided to get some serious talking done about our honeymoon plan).

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Breaking Barriers...

I feel empty today. I feel very restless. I can feel my thoughts tying me down. As I struggle to come in terms with the way I am feeling, I ask myself "Did I go wrong?".

The fear of going wrong has always been a constant fear for me. It pops up all the time like those fungi on a rotten piece of vegetable. So, am I the fungus or am I the vegetable? I am both. I fear and hence I am the fear I have. Confusing? You will get it in due course. 

I am being very blunt today, am I not? It happens all the time when I am in a mood like this. But, today, I don't feel like saying a sorry for my bluntness. I want to be me and be in the mood I am in and express the mood I am in. For me, it is a bold step but I have got to be real. I have got to be me to be peaceful - to be peaceful with the world around me and most importantly, to be peaceful with myself.

I always fear losing myself to the intricacies of life. I fear that I will lose myself when I try pleasing others or stick to the image others have of me. It surely is not easy being yourself and being bold and being real in this world. But, there are exceptions - exceptions who require to be applauded. 

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My Hair, My story: My Hair-On-Experiences…

When I was born and my mother had her first look at me, my head to be precise, she thought she had given birth to a bear cub ( Post-delivery delirium I suppose if there is something like that)!!  I had more hair than most babies do at the time of birth. My mother tells me now that people who came to visit us in the hospital back then always noticed my baby hair and complimented me for the same. I remember nothing for obvious reasons. Coming to think of it, that must have been my first ‘wow moment’ and all credits to my hair.

I have had absolutely no problems, during my growing up years, regarding my hair. I had smooth, silky, lustrous hair until I was 13 years old. My mother oiled and shampooed it regularly. School was nearby, hence exposure to pollution was minimal. So, till 13, all I received was compliments for my hair.

When it came to high school and college, I had to travel long distances. This is when my hair started to lose its shine and turned dry very quickly. All thanks to Bangalore’s ever-growing pollution and my stubbornness to not oil my hair regularly since I considered it old-fashioned for college-going girls to have oily and sticky looking hair!!

By the time I started to work, a year and half ago to be exact, my hair was in its worst condition ever- dry hair, split ends, hair fall, colour change from jet black to lighter tone of black and dandruff. The compliments dwindled. 

It was time to act and I turned to my crisis manager, my mother. She gave me some tips which I have personally tried and am going to share them with you here:

Oil your hair regularly: Apply oil onto your hair, massage gently and leave it for a minimum of 20 minutes before washing your hair.

Rub your scalp with lemon soaked in lukewarm oil: Cut lemon into thin slices, soak it in lukewarm oil, rub it on the scalp and leave it on for about 15 minutes before washing it off. It is known to reduce dandruff and increase the shine of your hair.

Apply a mask of hibiscus leaves: Grind fresh, green hibiscus leaves and apply the thick paste onto your hair and keep it on for atleast half an hour before washing it off. This works as conditioning for the hair.

Wash your hair atleast thrice a week using a mild shampoo and conditioner: I know washing hair daily is not feasible for working professionals like us. So thrice a week is fine to maintain them in good condition.

Comb regularly: Comb your hair regularly to keep it untangled. But, do not over-comb as it can stress the hair roots.

Use only lukewarm water for washing your hair: This I can vouch for. I am a Biochemist and I know that heat causes proteins to denature and constant hair-wash with hot water can do the same to your hair since hair is nothing but protein, keratin to be specific.

Lifestyle: Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Drink lots of water ( I need to work on this myself), eat less junk and sleep well.

All the above worked really well and my hair started to regain its lost texture. But, I found the first three tips very cumbersome  and they dirtied my bathroom floor and I hate cleaning oily and messy bathroom floors. Also, the overall process of retexturing took months together.

I wanted something more effective and less time consuming. And lo, when I was thinking of what next, I received the New Dove Nourishing Oil Care Range, a set of 4 awesome products – Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner, Dove Nourishing Oil Care Vita Oil Serum and Dove Nourishing Oil Care Repair Mask. I have used these personally and by my hands on experience , err, hair-on-experience, I can tell you that my hair started to look more healthy, more smooth, more shiny and more black just after 2-3 washes. I will not go into the details of the products or the contents (Remember I am a Biochemist, so I tend to get carried away when talking about the ingredients. I will be a little thoughtful of my readers :)  For more info, you can login here).

The best part, I don’t have to worry about my hair looking oily and sticky because the products seem to absorb quickly into the hair leaving no traces of oil on surface. Also, no more dirty and oily bathroom floors. The end result is just smooth, silky and shiny hair and an add on bonus is that it doesn’t leave my hair smell of oil; instead, it leaves my hair smelling lovely. My only concern was the pricing but I think it is realistic in today’s market.

And yes, the compliments are back. Just the other day, my friend asked if I was in love since she felt I looked more happy and more confident. I said ‘yes’ and it is true- I currently am in love with the way my hair feels. It is time to let my hair down. Well…literally.

PS: This is my entry for  Dove and IndiBlogger present the “Love your Hair and it loves you back” contest . The opinions presented here are solely mine and are based on my personal use of the above mentioned tips and products.

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