Wedding Bells

Last post I mentioned about a wedding which is in pipeline? Its confirmed and I will be there in Kerala to attend it. :)  Even though I will be able to attend only the engagement which will be happening in bride's place, I am really excited. My mother's sister's son is getting married on Jan 9th which happens to be my birthday as well. The engagement is on Dec 29th  and the same day a close friend of mine is getting married. I am caught in middle of 2 important events and I have to choose. I even bought a salwaar with the dress code color which my friend planned for his wedding . Now this reminds me of 'dont plan anything in adavcne'..
Someone, brighten me with an idea please to attend both the events!

It was really sad to hear about Connecticut school shooting. I was going through the articles on line and was struggling to hold my tears. Because one eccentric looser turned mad for no apparent reason,26 lives were taken. My prayers for the little ones and 6 adults who lost their lives on that fateful day. 

Jingle Bells!Jingle Bells

Its Christmas time yet again! And its everyone's favourite time of the year. Till today I haven't met anybody who does not get excited hearing the word Christmas. I remember my hubby telling in June...yayayayay 'Its only 6 more months for Christmas'.. Such is the excitement I say!!
The shopping malls in Dubai started displaying winter clothing.The celebrations here start as early as in October. The Filipino family  stays next door decorated their home in November first week itself.All the  shopping malls there is a big Christmas tree put up.

Me ,hubby and little gaby(my son) put up the Christmas decorations at my home as well. I am travelling to Kerala on 26th December.Its Gaby's First Birthday on Jan 3rd. My parents wont be around on his birthday. So to compensate that me and gaby will spend some time  with them  towards the year end.

Rewinding the year 2012, it has been good. Last year's Christmas gift was my son (though the delivery of the gift was a bit late.. :) ). Soon I am hitting 30.. don't know whether to feel good or bad about it.. (But generally i feel sad about that fact! How did you feel ?)

Its time for some  home made wine,plum cake, cutlets,Carol songs,winter clothing..In Kerala its time for weddings post Christmas.I have 3 major functions to attend.2 are confirmed and other one is in pipeline.Ok !Ok! Let me not get too much excited about the whole thing... :)

Here is picture I took during my recent trip to Thailand.(Not a complete picture.But wanted to post it anyway!)

Wishing you All A Merry Christmas and A Wonderful New Year!

Meeting An Old Friend

I met an old friend of mine after 5 long years. She was travelling to India,via Dubai and took a transit here.Eventhough our chit chat over coffee lasted only for half an hour,it was really exciting .We met in Dubai mall and I succeeded in persuading them(she and hubby) in not going to 'At the Top-Burj Khaleefa' .Instead we spent time in clicking snaps and taking a stroll in the mall.
I was gratified to find how she has changed for good over these years.Changes in attitude, lifestyle, dressing sense..I guess living in US people tend to change.But deep down inside her, she was still the same, we shared the same warmth and joy ,were delighted to be in each other's company , just like old times.
She was the one who taught me riding a 2-wheeler.Gold shopping always reminds me of her as back in college days she was very fond of Gold ornaments.( that part also she has changed now).

After meeting me,they went on to Atlantis and myself back to home.I assured her next I will meet her in US.. :D
US Callingggggg....... :)

Continued from here  :

From that year onwards ,  during Christmas I have tried in my best ways to decorate my home.

During one of the Xmas over the years, I learned that making A Crib or Decorating a Xmas tree is not for others to see or admire how good or bad it is. Its for keeping our faith and to spread the joy of Happiness around us.

Years went by, I had to move to Bangalore for my graduation. Post Graduation, Work, Marriage,Relocation to Dubai, Again Back to Bangalore ,Again  to Dubai  and now A Kid , all theses things happened during the course of time with a pinch of sweetness and bitterness as well..

Nowadays, I am contemplating as to where would I keep the Xmas tree this time as I have a toddler who is getting naughtier day by day. But at the same time I smile to myself thinking I have more reasons to celebrate Xmas and in a way I can reprise and  reminisce my own childhood having my kiddo around... :)

A November Memory/ Xmas delights

To this day, I can feel the pain I went thru when I had to shift my house to another place. It was in Nov 1994 when I was in my 7th std. I remember sleeping the last night thinking this is my last night and almost in tears. That was the place where I was born,and spent my childhood...Leaving it was a very painful for me and my younger brother who was then 7 years old.. 


When I shifted to my new house, Xmas celebrations with friends in old home were missed terribly. Back in my old house, Xmas celebrations used to start much earlier with my neighbourhood kids and playmates. I  never owned a crib set and every year me and my bro used to spend much time making those small statues and of course every time it was futile.Somehow I managed to make sheep perfectly with plain paddy-field clay whicc were of no use and found its place in the trash eventually. Imagine A nativity scene, only with sheep..!!!

Pomegranate Tree

The first ever Xmas tree was made  by my elder brother in my locality. I still remember , the decorations on that tree were with cigarette packets and Xmas greeting card cut outs which my elder bro beautifully made. The decorations were put on a pomegranate tree in our garden  which never bore fruit until we moved out from there,though it used to blossom once in a  while (Blame on the Kerala Weather).

Nutmeg Tree

But in our new House, which was facing  a paddy field, and with no electricity(it took sometime to get electricity in the new house) me and my brother sulked when Xmas approached.Our main dilemma was , even if we put up a big Xmas tree who is there to see it? as we had just one neighbour's house nearby and acres of Paddy Fields facing our house. But still every year we did put up Xmas decorations on a nutmeg tree .

To be continued :  

Gitex 2012

Any free pass holders for GITEX DUBAI/2012 out there?How to get one for free? Last year i paid 30 AED/per person for a pass and dint buy anything.. :D

Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Eyeliner

I am a minimal-makeup person not because I don't like to wear make-up, because sometimes I forget to wear it while getting ready for work in the morning. Me, a no-morning person , just get enough time to run to work everyday.Sigh :D. But somehow I  always found time to do my eyes.  

When I shifted to Dubai 2 years back from Bangalore, I found almost everyone on my age group put nice-make up. In this region , cosmetics is easily affordable for any income group and the options are many to choose.Back in Bangalore Lakme,Maybelline , Revlon  were my choices and compared to that in Dubai the brands are countless.. 

For my eyes I always used Boutique Kajal and was desperately looking for a nice eyeliner after moving to Dubai.Test and tried various unknown brands until I found Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Eyeliner.

I am in love with this product especially because the cap arrangement. It does not smudge and its waterproof. Sometimes I feel  bit of heaviness on my eyes. That's the only bad thing I can say about this product.

I bought it from Carrefour in Deira City Center,Dubai for 19 AED with some discount.

Actual Price :

25-40 AED

Product Claims :

 Subtle or bold eyeliner looks that lasts all day.Long lasting gel formula with intense color pigments. Applies easily with built-in brush applicator Waterproof formula stays in place all day-wont budge or smudge

 Packaging:

That’s the best part of it. It is neatly packed where in the brush is kept in the cap itself. Easy for carrying outside and good for travel.

Applying:

It is highly pigmented and usually gives a thick line for me. It does not smudge, but take some time to dry. But once dried, its stays put for many hours. It produces thick black color.

What I loved in the product:

1.Packaging

2. When they say,its waterproof it is really waterproof.It takes a good facewash to get the application off me completely.

3. Gel based and stays for many hours.

What I dint like :

1. Does not dry quickly.It takes minimum 2-3 minuteds to dry completely. 
2. Sometime I feel a bit heaviness on my eyelids after wearing it for a long time.

Ratings:
I will give 4/5 and this my daily wear to work nowadays.

Confessions of A Blogger

For the very first time I came to know about the concept of blogging, 6 years back in the year 2006. I started writing in rediffblogs and somehow, some of my entries were lost. Some are still there in that however I am unable to launch the  page.

I started writing at blogspot in the year 2009 .I write whenever I feel like ,not following any rules. I don’t have a target audience. I have shared one recipe; soon will be posting a product review. I write about things at work, about friends.

Off late I learned that I have a liking towards writing, I cannot still call it as a passion. For some people words come easily .In my case I can talk for hours continuously without a problem but writing down something is really a task. But whenever I have a thrive to write, I do write and I write to pacify my wishing to write.And hence the post :)

Stay Cool! Have fun :)

Dubai At Its Best- Dubai Shopping Festival

Its the beginning of that time of the the year  I just love. Closing of summer , starting of fall and oh yeah winter is Close By.. :)
Weather is changing gradually. Temperature is dropping by and in the mornings fog started to appear .
Winter always reminds me of  X'mas celebrations in my hometown.Detail in another post.. :)

Recently  dates for DSF-2013 was announced and I was thrilled to hear it. My first experience with DSF was in 2009. During the season they conduct various events throughout Dubai , like prize drawing ,fashion shows etc. All the participating shops will be offering discounts as well chance to participate in some draw.
We get amazing deals in electronics ,home appliances and all.
The main attraction is Global Village where we have many pavilions of various countries. And in each pavilion you get to buy goodies from that country. I bought pendants from Yemen pavilion both the times I went there.During Weekends they have various stage shows by many groups representing their countries.

If you are planning to visit Dubai , winter is the best time according to me. It can really get cold during nights and I just love that.DSF 2013 is from Jan 3rd  2013 to  Feb 3rd 2012.


One story from my side about DSF is , i went to global village in alternative style.I visited in 2009 ,couldnt go in 2010,again went in 2011 , but couldnt make it in 2012... I fervently hope I can go in 2013 with  new addition in my family,thats my son.. :)

To be continued :



Pazam Nurukku and Pappadam/Onam breakfast

Onam day  while I was driving to work , heard somebody on the radio telling she had ethapazam and pappdam for brekafast.I was wondering what that is and googled for it. Came across a nice recipe, and made that in the evening..This is how it looked and it was yummy!!

Happy Onam Everyone... :)

Why do I feel this way?

So what are the significant things happened, last couple of months?


Well, I visited Bangkok for the first time. And that was the longest flight I ever flown. Around 6 hours. During the flight I kept watching movies. I did not sleep, not even for a min and that gave me a headache when I landed in bkk.

I gave the ielts exam in moving forward in the plan of migrating to OZ. I got a good overall good score of 7.5, listening being the least scored module @ 6.5.. I am thinking to write it again.

And what else?

Sometimes memories strike us with touch of pain. I was thinking over a long lost friend of mine for a long time. And for the very first time in a long time I felt like speaking to her again. I wrote a mail, hoping fervently she would write back to me …I am yet to get a reply. Hmm... I am hopeful and waiting for a reply.



This is for you “Jancy Oommen”

Whatever made us break our friendship, whoever it may be, I don’t care  .I always considered you as a dear friend of mine and I still do and will always do.

Angamaly Style Fish Curry/Fish Curry with Coconut Milk

Hello All,
           Today I am planning to share a fish curry recipe which is typical Angamaly style. My in-laws hailing from Kottayam/Changanacherry , find this curry very different and tasty.Its one of the  main dish still served as part of typical Syrian Christian Weddings in my area especially  Angamaly , Kalady etc.

The ingredients which gives a different taste and flavour to the recipe is Coconut Milk and Raw Mango.The recipe shared here is altered a bit to suite my taste buds...

Ingredients :

1. King Fish - 1 Kg (You can make it  with any fish of your choice)
  
2. Onions    - 2  ,sliced

3. Garlic - 3 Cloves , sliced

4. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece,sliced  lengthwise

5. Green Chillies - 4 , sliced

6. Curry Leaves - 3 Stems

7. Chilly Powder -  2 1/2 tsp

8. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

9. Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

10. Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

11. Raw Mango - 2 , peeled, sliced finger-size

12. Coconut milk  (Thin) -  1 Cup

13. Coconut milk (Thick) - 1/2 Cup (Use 1 whole coconut).

14. Oil - 3 tsp

15.Vinegar -  3 tsp

16. Mustard - 1 tsp

17. Fried Red Chillies - 4

18 . Shallots - 4,chopped finely

19. Salt to Taste


How to Make:

1 . In a  bowl mix onions,garlic,green chillies,ginger,curry leaves along with Salt and Vinegar.Mix it with your hand properly till the mixture is juicy.

2. To the above mixture add all the spices along with some oil and mix

3. In a Clay Pot , take thin coconut milk , add water if needed , slip in the mango pieces and start heating in medium flame.

4. When it starts getting hot, add the mixture ,and then fish pieces.

5. Check the level of salt.Adjust if needed.

6.After 7-10 Mins check  if mangoes are cooked.If then the fish is also done.

7. Add the thick coconut milk .See to that you don't boil the curry after adding the coconut milk for the second time.

8. In a frying pan splutter mustard,add fried red chillies, then add shallots , then curry leaves

9. Mix the above with the Curry gently.


Yummy my-hometown fish curry is ready!

Feel of Racism or ?

Me and Hubby work with Emirates Group in Dubai. Being an employee there , you are entitled for discounts in almost everywhere,be it Hotels,Shopping,Night Life etc.
Its custom for us employees to check what are the offers before heading for  a weekend and utilize it for the fullest.

So me and hubby brainstormed(Yes we did!) and decided we will head to a club in  'Address' which is a five star hotel near to Dubai Mall.
We dressed up and I was even told to wear black nail polish to get that exotic look! And I did !

Hired a cab and reached the venue. There the bouncer standing with that rugged look and  he informs ' You need to have booking'. Just ten seconds before he let  other couple without asking anything.

Hubby :  'hmm.. hmmm ..We are Emirates Employees'

Bouncer : "Oh, Cabin Crew?????"

Hubby : "Nodded his head in 'YES'"

Me : Perplexed and  nodding in 'NO"...

Hubby gave me that frowning luk and  the bouncer let us in cuz he belived that we are Cabin Crew!!

The point here is hubby had the assurance and belief that he is qualified to be a Cabin Crew in Emirates Airlines (look wise ..:D )and I dint have that much of a low self esteem... ..

Neverthless,We enjoyed and the Music was good..We were the only Indians and brown skinned out there.Most of them were Cabin Crew of the Group..

Another weekend in Dubai Yet Again! Happy weekend Guys!

Here me , wanting to run away from everyone to a far-off place...