Baking bug

Baking is one thing that the more you do, the more you want. I don't care about eating everything I bake, except tasting to make sure its edible, sometimes all I want to do is bake! Its therapeutic. The churning of the flour, mixing of the ingredients brings some sort of joy. Adding the sweetness brings some joy to my life and melting butter seems to melt some of the stress away. All in all, its a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For a while, I had abandoned baking; not because I ceased to enjoy it but simply because time is a huge variable. Not every weekend is the same, the same applies to the fluctuating energy levels.

Anyway, the new edition of Cooking Light magazine made its way into my mail box. Flipping through the magazine, I saw a recipe for a lighter, healthier version of carrot cake. Normally I shy away from sweets and try to keep my husband off of them too (he has a bad sweet tooth), but carrot cake just melts my heart! It is my favorite dessert and if there is a way to make it healthier you think I wouldn't try it?

So I set off baking the cake this weekend and I am happy to report that it turned out MUCH better than I anticipated. See, baking breads and muffins I am ok with but this was the first time I was baking a cake. If I was nervous I didn't show but honestly I didn't know what to expect. Sometimes -- and we've all been there -- you make something with a lot of care and love only to realize that something has gone wrong and it isn't what you thought it would be. This, I am happy to say, was not one of those times. I shone in the kitchen like a new penny. And it earned me a lot of admirers too! All the way into the hallways of my husband's work were people talking about it, thanks to him of course. OK, there might be a little exaggeration here but whoever tried it loved it. I was called a hero, a savior of the dessert and many other adjectives, suffice to say, raised my self esteem and made me want to try baking the cake again.

I will put the recipe on here soon but for now salivate on the pictures. If any of you know how to make a cake lighter and fluffier, please share it so I can improve upon a nearly perfect treat! Also if you find modesty anywhere, please send it my way.

Cricket World Cup 2011!

I've been away for a while but the reading has been ongoing. After finishing Veronika Decides to Die, while perusing the book aisle at Costco (yes they have a book aisle and prices are usually half those found at bookstores), I came across The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History. Normally I wouldn't give it a second glance but as I started skimming through it, I realized it was extremely interesting. Starting with the African slave trade, the author had made a novel attempt to understand how yellow fever came about.

Over the years, scientists and doctors have learnt that the fever is spread through mosquitoes -- something that was impossible for people to accept earlier. They thought diseases can only be spread via bacteria and something so small killing so many people was not easy to fathom. However, it did kill. And it killed a LOT of people! More people died from yellow fever than the Civil War!

The author also traced the life and works of Major Walter Reed. Now, we've all heard of the famous hospital erected in his name, but I didn't know what role he played in the nation's history. His steadfast leadership as head of the yellow jack commission, bold ideas and fearlessly ability to experiment avenues which were hitherto dismissed as naive or a waste of time, was definitely imspiring. Along with his team members, Major Reed was instrumental in deciphering the clue that yellow fever is spread my mosquitoes. Period.

The book reads like a medical detective novel, we know what will happen; that eventually a vaccine was found and man conquered the disease. Nevertheless, it is an exciting page turner to read the folly of early man, description of life in general and to realize how in the past 100 years we've made landmark progress in science. It's a great history lesson while having some interesting reading.

That done, I've moved onto Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang -- more on that next time. However, I'll be MIA for a while again (probably until April 2). The cricket World Cup is on and only today India beat Australia in the quarter final. You might say, oh that's just another game. Actually no, for 2 main reasons. #1: Australia has won the World Cup past 3 times! #2: India meets Pakistan in the semi-finals! The adrenaline is high and the pulse racing for what could be a World Cup win for India after 27 long years!

I don't ask you watch the game or hold any interest in it. But please, for my sake, say a silent prayer for India. We shall do it this time. Victory will be ours! GO INDIA!!!

To LIFE!

One of the reasons I love reading Paulo Coelho is because he never disappoints! There is always a refreshing ending to his stories – you learn something new and feel rejuvenated. Victoria Decides to Die sounds morbid and it is – a young woman in her twenties trying to commit suicide because she is fed up with the way of the world. She decides she knows everything that is going to happen with her life, it doesn’t hold any novelty or excitement for her. The daily drone of the alarm going off at 6am, brushing your teeth, going to work, coming back from work, eating dinner, making love and falling asleep is a routine we are all familiar with. And time and again we ponder over how robotic our lives have become. We end up doing things because society expects us to do so not because it comes from the heart. The zeal to be different, innovative and creative that most of us held when we were younger, in school; when there was a real desire to change the world, to do something novel or that which mattered is somewhere lost.

And she feels the same way. So she decides to end her monotonous existence.

But then something changes – in the mental hospital where she is committed to spend the end of her days, she discovers living. She finds out life isn’t what everyone tells us what it is. Life is what we make of it. We can do what our families, friends, spouses, children and everyone else expects us to do or we can dare to be different. Yes, we risk losing the love of those we care about but then do they really love us or they love a mental picture they have created of us? Isn’t such a love questionable that erodes when it doesn’t fit in the mold they have for us? Is such a love necessary for us to not live our life and spend our days in fear and frustration?

With the help of 3 “mentally ill" people at the asylum, Veronika unaware of her new desires starts to lose her inhibitions and learns that each day is a blessing, each day new. The only problem is she has only 6 days to live. Now, she doesn’t want to die but fate has different plans for her. So what happens? Well, I am not going to divulge that but you will find out if you care to read.

Not a lot of people know but when Coelho was young, his parents had admitted him to an asylum 3 times because he didn’t fit their definition of normal. They wanted him to have a career as an executive but he could care less. Finally, after running around and escaping life for 38 years, Coelho discovered his true purpose was to be a writer and since then he has never looked back. To be able to follow his dream, he had to suffer obstacles, the wrath of a lot of people but that didn’t faze him. He continued on and today is one of the most beloved authors in the world. Indeed, a remarkable story!

Don’t know about anyone else but I needed to read this story. Sometimes in the daily drag of life, I forget to live. I am breathing but my mind forgets that I am alive. I am too bound in coming to work and going home and making dinner and washing the dishes to see that everything around me is sensational. That I am sensational to be alive and living this beautiful experience called life. This story reminded me of that and for that alone I am grateful.

Sufi learnings

A famous Sufi master was invited to give a course in California. The auditorium was full at 8AM - the time announced - when one of the assistants came onto the stage.

The master is just waking up. Please be patient.

Time passed, and people started leaving the room. At midday, the assistant returned to the stage, saying that the master would be starting the lecture the minute he finished talking to a pretty girl he had just met. Most of the remaining audience left.

At 4PM the master appeared - apparently drunk. This time, all but 6 people stormed out.

I will teach you this, said the master, ceasing to act drunk. Whoever wishes to go down a long path must learn that the first lesson is to overcome early disappointments.

On Friday this parable, from Veronika Decides to Die, reverberated through me and I came to understand patience more. This wouldn’t have happened if a dear friend hadn’t  texted me to vent her frustration over her totally undeserved job performance review. Apparently she isn’t a ‘team player’.

During our talk she mentioned to me, much to my agreement, how with each passing day and each unfulfilling review, team lunch/dinner/drinks she was rooted more and more to the idea that the path she is on is her true calling and she is not one of the corporatey people.

That got me thinking - what if we have to walk this path to test our dedication? What if the seamless flow of knowledge, enlightenment, fulfillment, peace, whatever we seek is not too far away but will be available only to those who pass the test of patience and those who learn to overcome early disappointments? What if this path has been brought into existence to weed out all those in the audience who left when the master was still sleeping or busy talking to a pretty girl or was pissed drunk? Nature could be that master, couldn’t she? She could be throwing obstacles or delays in our way to see for how long we stay committed to our goals.

So for everyone who is in doubt, wavering or unsure, don’t give up. Nature will give us our peace, our creativity and the opportunity to make good work of it. And then, team playing will be our strongest suite and the job review will be A+!

Itchy soles

Past few days the soles of my feet have been itchy. No, I don't have fungus or anything remotely gross like that. Probably my skin crying out loud because of this damn weather that won't change but it reminded me of the omens my mother associates with itching. I know that sounds weird, but I promise its getting better. If you were to tell her, "Ma, my sole is itchy." She would say, "You will travel." If you say, my right palm is itchy, she would say you will come into money. I can't remember what happens when your left palm is itchy.

Anyway, so I had some time to burn and was curious so I set off to discover if besides travel, itchy soles meant anything else. One person had asked the same question and said I know when the palm is itchy, it means I will come into money. What do itchy soles mean? The reply -- it means money will walk away from you. Easy come, easy go. LOL!

I moved on.

Believe it or not, I then stumbled upon a list of omens where the slighest itch on your body signifies something. Some of them are quite funny so I am sharing them here. If you know of any other such quirky omens, feel free to share!

An itchy crown of the head
You will have an advance in position.
An itchy right cheek
Someone is speaking well of you.
An itchy left cheek
Someone is speaking poorly of you.
An itchy right eye or eyebrow
You will have a meeting with an old friend.
An itchy left eye or eyebrow
You will have a great disappointment.
An itch in the Inside of the nose
You will meet trouble and sorrow
An itchy outside of the nose
You will be annoyed, cursed, kissed or meet with a fool soon.
Itchy lips
Someone is saying something disrespectful to you.
Itchy back of the neck
There will be an illness in your family.
An itchy right shoulder
You will discover a legacy.
An itchy left shoulder
You will discover sorrow.
An itchy right elbow
You will get exciting news.
An itchy left elbow
You will get meet news and losses.
An itchy right palm
You will gain some money.
An itchy left palm
You will loose some money.
An itchy spine
You will have a disappointment.
Itchy loins
You will make amends after an argument.
An itchy stomach
Someone will offer you food.
Itchy thighs
You will find somewhere else to live.
An itchy right knee
You will have a happy journey.
An itchy left knee
Your journey will be troubled with bad luck.
Itchy shins
You will have an unpleasant surprise.
Itchy ankles
You will be married or increase your wealth.
An itchy sole of the right foot
You will have a profitable journey.
An itchy sole of the left foot
You will encounter losses on your journey.

Purpose

Once in a while a thought arises

That brings to mind the word "purpose"

What shall I do when on this Earth?

What is my purpose?

When I was growing up I was told

Fancy stories that would encourage me

No prince featured in these tales

It was always about my endeavour

Change the world, you will

Bring change to your homeland

As the years go by in your life

Your purpose will be brought to light

I wonder the truth behind those tales

Will they ever be deciphered

Or did I make other choices

That have altered the course of my life?

Does purpose really matter?

Or happiness in your current state is all important?

Why do I feel a void despite "everything"?

Why is there emptiness despite joy?

I look to the universe again for answers

But there is only black silence to be found

Some day in this life time I hope

My plea is heard

Not to change the world I say

But give me the joy of changing lives

A little voice speaks inside of me

You have already started that, it says

Keep your work going

And don't look to the heavens for answers

Come back here often and learn to chat

So your purpose shall be revealed