A Healthy-cook?

It is another new year again. I wish all my blog readers and non-readers a Happy New Year. I wish all your dreams come true :)

A new year signals some new resolutions to be made nevertheless, keeping up is difficult. I had never resolved to take up any task sincerely till last year. It was only in 2009 that, I resolved to be organized in life. I guess, to a certain extent I was. It is quite difficult to be highly organized. However, when considered my previous years of life, I was more organized in 2009. So, this boosted some confidence in me that, I could keep up to my resolution.

Now that, we entered 2010, I had been thinking deeply about making a resolution for this year since yesterday morning. Given my passion for cooking, I decided to become an expert in healthy-vegetarian cooking. I wish I could accomplish my target for this year successfully.

Transition

Few days after my marriage got fixed, and before I got engaged to my then fiancee, (now husband Ashok), I was talking to him over phone when he came up with some topic.

Wake up call:

He told me that, my then to-be in-laws would be more than happy if I had in future started addressing them Amma & Appa (mom and dad in Kannada) since my relationship with them would be more than just an "aunty & uncle" one, although it wasn't a condition :). So, I stumbled a bit and then told him, that, I would start addressing them that way after engagement. I was quite sure that, my husband would inform them in tact. However, my in-laws never mentioned about it during any of our conversations. I still don't know why I replied in that manner. Nor did I analyze that deeply, like - was I rude, was it because I wasn't matured enough, was it too late after engagement to start addressing them in that way or was it my way of procrastinating the wake up call etc. Well, I guess, most of the girls do come across similar situation, at least if not the same way.

My fiancee and I got engaged. My father-in-law just said casually - "Engagement is over" and didn't say anything. I could quickly understand why he said so and I said - "Yes, I remember my promise (uncle - swallowed) :)". But how to keep up my promise was a million-dollar question. I was comfortable addressing them aunty & uncle. Also, I found it embarrassing, funny, weird, and every odd feeling to start addressing somebody Amma Appa one fine day. Though I was aware that this situation would come up one day in my life, and it was inevitable for any girl, I wasn't prepared for the transition so soon.

The transition:

Version 1.0

Well, I stopped addressing them Aunt and Uncle after getting engaged. But it didn't mean, I had started following the new way. I didn't address them at all for a week or 10 days. More precisely, I neither mentioned aunty & uncle nor Amma & Appa while conversing with them. I found it quite eccentric. But this was again with a purpose. Most importantly, I felt, if I did this, then a day would come when I unknowingly addressed them in the new way.

Version 1.1

Thankfully it didn't take too long for the transition, despite the initial hiccups and few embarrassing moments. My in-laws were kind enough to understand my position and gave me time to get adjusted to the new way, thanks to them. My mother-in-law at one stage even mentioned that, I could stick to my old way if I really had difficulty.

Version 1.2

No doubt, I started addressing them the way they liked, but, it was difficult for me to stick to the new way of addressing in front of my own parents. For few more days, I followed Goto -> version 1.0 when I was around both my parents and in-laws.

The Release

After release, which not really implies marriage, more or less with the passing of time, I came to terms with the new way of addressing. Now, I am glad to say that, it comes naturally with no pause, hiccup, or hesitation :).

Mantra:

Today, I feel, the new addressing method adds a great value to the relationship. In general, I attribute the success of the release to both the girl and the in-laws. The bride must be inclined to get along with her new family. At the same time, in-laws should be patient enough to understand and provide some latitude to their daughters-in-law along the journey :).

My update :)

It has been quite sometime since I posted anything here. So, this means, either I am engaged in something else or I have started finding "blogging thing" boring. The latter is not really true. I am still interested in blogging. But of-late I have been quite involved in a number of activities.

I watched few movies, though I didn't like most of them. Watching movies is an activity to a person like me who hadn't really watched movies before. The worst among them was Kurbaan - a completely illogical movie!!! We were three of us sitting together, my husband, my bro-in-law and I. We couldn't stop making fun of the dialogues, scenes, characters in the movie.

I found out that recently that, I enjoy sitting and reading books in a book store than in a library. The ambiance at a book store is splendid. The soft music, internet facility people walking-by, sound of the coffee machines drives me there.

I am excited to share with my readers that, I have started decorating my house now with all home-made craft-work, thanks to my craft teacher who forced me do all the hand-made art-work during my school days. My craft works by no means look professional. But it gives me fun and satisfaction to decorate my house myself. I shall post 2 to 3 pics of the ones I have made in my next post.

Well, that is all for now. Will be back with some pictures in my next post.

UID - not really unique!!!

THE BIG CHALLENGE

I was reading about the Unique Identification Number Project led by ex-Infy CEO Nandan Nilekani. Initially I felt skeptical about it's success. I wondered whether census would be carried out within a year to get the exact head-count. With the already present identification schemes like voter-id, passport, PAN card, what unique purpose will the UID serve? How will it be possible to assign a UID to every single Indian?

THE PROMISE

Despite so many challenges, UID project head Nandan Nilekani has promised that, the first batch of the UIDs will roll out within 12-18 months. Given his extraordinary corporate background, one could trust this words unlike that of our politicians who are known for their false promises.

WHY UID?

No doubt, if the project accomplished successfully will obviate the people to carry multiple documents and id-proofs like ration cards, credit cards etc. It seems logical to have one common ID proof. A person holding a ration-card won't have a credit card. One with credit card doesn't have a voter's id. I recently got my voter's id and always used a PAN card as my ID. Don't you think there should be one uniform system to maintain the identity of the citizens?

TWIST IN THE TALE

Now, Mr. Nilekani, says - UID is optional!!! It isn't a proof of citizenship.

Phew!!! why then should one carry out such a project? PAN cards, passports, voter's id are already serving the purpose what UID project has promised to achieve. With the other forms of ID proofs too, one doesn't need to carry multiple documents. People with PAN cards or any other ID are anyway not questioned to show other documents. Why should one add more confusion by introducing something which is again optional??

Help me!!!

I am short of recipes these days. I have tried almost every possible Indian recipe. My dear reader, please pour your ideas. Well, it should be a strictly vegetarian recipe, containing no eggs too. I hope you come out with some wonderful and challenging recipes.

Bees saal baad

We are so hooked to facebook, orkut, twitter etc that, we spend at least 30 minutes in a day on social-networking :). But will we be doing this 20 years down the lane at the same rate as we are doing now? Or will anything else overtake social-networking websites? With the increase in the number of such sites, I sometimes question myself - "Where will people have time to follow each one of them religiously?". I was myself a big fan of orkut in my college life. But, it gradually faded out now. Though I frequently log into facebook and rarely into twitter, I still ask myself whether I will be using all these accounts a few years from now. Like my husband says - Don't use any of them... You will be leading a hassle-free life. Is it true? Sometimes yes may be. For instance, you happen to miss out wishing some close friend of yours on his/her birthday, wedding anniversary etc. You may be too busy to reply to their scraps, or wall-posts. Or vice versa. It strains the relationship more than what it is intended to do! With day-to-day lives becoming more hectic, will we really have time to continue surfing the social-networking sites? No doubt, thanks to social-networking sites which have brought separated friends, acquaintances etc together and also helped making new friends. But will it help maintain the relationship 20 years from now? Only time should answer :P

Unforgettable Shepherd

It is shocking to hear the news of David Robert Shepherd's demise. He died exactly 2 months before he would turn 69. He is one umpire who can never be hated. He was one of the most fairest-minded umpires that, he turned down the opportunity to maintain ICC's neutral umpiring policy in Test matches when he was offered to umpire the England Test at Lords as his final test. As a good umpire he gave both right decisions and earned respect and trust among the players. His eccentricities too can never be forgotten. The way he used to hop at the score 111(111- considered Unlucky Nelson among British) or its multiple. And what was even more whimsical was that, he continued to hop until the score crossed 111 or its multiple. Alas! it wasn't 111. It was 68 at which misfortune struck his life.

Umpires like Shepherd are just irreplaceable. May his soul rest in peace.