OMG!!!! WORLD CRICKET CUP!!!

March 29th, 2011:

Please do not disturb me tomorrow for ANY reason!!!  Tomorrow is the WORLD Cricket Cup between India and Pakistan - in our house all clocks have stopped and we will not be answering the phone - all eyes fixed on the game!!!!

March 30th, 2011:

OK - today I got my part of my annual "Cricket FIX" out of my system....until Saturday!  Well played game today between India and Pakistan.  India won by 29 runs, but Pakistan put up a good fight and it was an EXCELLENT game....suspenseful and well-played by all. 

NOW comes the ULTIMATE FINAL World Cup Cricket on Saturday - India vs. Sri Lanka.  This is a tough one for me!!!  Of course I'm leaning heavily on the SL side!!!....but I tell you that Sachin Tendhulkar of India's team is AMAZING to watch as a batsman!!!....and he's no spring chicken, but he's seasoned and thoroughly amazing!!!  

SO - I just say - may the best team win!!!

CONCENTRATION "Memory Game" to improve brain.....

Hi all,

I found this website with about 3 different themes, but surely there must be MORE (free!) out there - please feel free to advise:

http://www.zdaily.com/conc.htm

It's not only addictive, but it builds brain power!
Night to all,
Chandani

EASIEST EVER Kottha Roti (Kottu Roti)!!

You'll find the word "kottha" spelled "kottu" "kotha" and a hundred different ways.  Basically, this is a Sri Lankan dish that mixes leftover curry with leftover rotis and new life is breathed into it!

AND, like all the cooking I do - I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.  I want to be with my family (although sometimes we cook together, making it a family affair) - walking, playing board games or having fun together.  So, I CHEAT and use ready-made spices and the food-processor (which for some UNKNOWN reason our family calls "robo-cook"????)  This one is for Chicken Kotta Roti, but you can make it with lamb too.....or if you're vegetarian, you can make it with channu dal:
The recipe is only USD $3.99...step by step easy to follow instructions. I have 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want!!

Syrian Style Stuffed Grapeleaves & Greek Style Stuffed Grapeleaves

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

African Peanut Chicken Soup

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Coq Au Vin Blanc.....

More often than not, "Coq au Vin" is prepared with red wine, but I also like this white wine preparation.  You can serve with rice or even your favourite pasta.

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Roasted Carrots....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Another Computer Tip.....

The black screen of death (not as bad as the BLUE screen of death, by the way!)...but SCARY!!!

Turned my computer on and just got a BLACK screen.  Of course, tried it again, thinking something wasn't pushed in right....SAME BLACK screen of death.....not SAFE MODE - BLACK SCREEN!

Glad to have a full Iyogi team behind me - called them and right away the IT asked if I had a disk or anything else plugged in.  Turned out, I had left a FLASH drive in for months (forgot to take it out).  Took out the flash drive and the computer rebooted as normal.

By the way - I came across "Iyogi" computer techs (based in India and work 24/7) last August when my techie guy was away visiting his first grandchild and I had a TROJAN VIRUS.  Had to do something, so took a chance.  I believe I paid something like $139.99 for a FULL year's service with Iyogi and it has been worth it!!  Their technicians are polite, helpful and FIX the problem almost instantly.  They helped me install an external hard-drive and helped fix a problem where Internet Explorer wouldn't go to certain sites (not only fixed it, but installed Foxfire Mozilla as a back-up).

So, the "BLACK SCREEN of DEATH" could be because of something (flash drive, CD, etc.) in your CPU - I just found out that flash drives CAN absorb malware and viruses....i.e., the virus, or malware will not destroy the data on the flash drive, but the flash drive CAN destroy your computer if infected.

You know, I want to say America and Canada should have our own IT persons....but I truly believe in this Iyogi company (look them up on Forbes 100).  Their toll-free number is 1-800-237-3901 and eventually they will place a "support dock" on your computer - if it's a problem that does not involve Internet connection - you can click 24/7 to chat live with a technician.  Like I said - they are SO polite and so reassuring and they FIX the problem, even on a very OLD piece of DIRT like MY computer!!

Yeah for IYOGI!!!!!

  

Elizabeth Taylor - March 23, 2011

We lost a great person today, Elizabeth Taylor.  I know her less as an actress and more as a humanitarian - an advocate for AIDS-awareness when it was not popular to do so, and I remember her allowing photographers to take photos of her (BALD) after a brain tumour surgery.  She did so hoping it might encourage others (who had brain tumours) to keep going.

I KNEW a flight attendant who met her.  My friend had a severe headache and Liz Taylor "picked up on that".  She said to my friend: "Are you alright, dear?  Can I get you anything? An aspirin?  Water?".

We are talking about a GREAT DAME (in every positive sense of the word).  She had her flaws, but made them public in order to help others.

Today on NPR's "Tell Me More" I was extremely disappointed.  It was "supposed" to be a story about and tribute to Elizabeth Taylor.  Instead, the 3 guests who obviously had not even met her, let alone were qualified to speak on her life spoke....not about Elizabeth Taylor but over the racial issue of the role of "Cleopatra".  The first guest admitted she knew NOTHING about ELizabeth Taylor but brought up racial issues over "Cleopatra" and how it should have been played by a woman of colour instead of Elizabeth Taylor.  Within 10 minutes the diologue went from Elizabeth Taylor's role in "Cleopatra" (that was only ONE of many films: 2 Oscars for "Butterfield 8", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe", "A Place in the Sun", "Giant", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Elephant Walk", "Taming of the Shrew" and too many to list!)  to the RACIAL comparison between Charlie Sheen to Chris Brown.  This "tribute" acted as if "Cleopatra" was her ONLY role in films, and was cheaply abused to show racial inequalities (and not to make a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor).  Had they wished to drag the subject so low, they might have called it "Cleopatra: Should a Woman of Colour Have Played the Role?"....instead of a so-called TRIBUTE to Elizabeth Taylor.  That was utterly disappointing and this GREAT lady did not deserve such a "tribute".  

What she did in efforts towards AIDS was a non-racial outreach to humanity - reaching out to people of all colours.  This show took a cheap shot to bring up racial-role-inequalities (which certainly can be addressed, but NOT in a tribute to the late, great Elizabeth Taylor!) and I am ashamed I listened to that NPR show.

Caribbean Coconut Chicken....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Spicy Moroccan Chicken....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Ukrainian Borsch

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Ear Aches caused by cold or sinus infection.....

Once again, I'm not a doctor, so you can take or leave my helpful hints and always check with your doctor.  There was a time my ears got so clogged that I could not hear.  I tried nebulizer, neti pot (which is good, by the way!....in my case it wasn't enough) but still clogged.  Finally, I remembered a very old Sri Lankan home remedy.....place two drops coconut oil in the blocked ear.  No, you cannot substitute olive oil for coconut oil - it HAS to be coconut oil. 

Do not EVER shove anything into your ear (or you could puncture your eardrum and become deaf for life) - just GENTLY place 2 drops coconut oil on a cotton swab and place in ear briefly; squeeze the cotton ball, but do not PUSH into the ear.  It is "supposed" to also work for ear wax problems, but I've never had an ear wax problem, so I can't verify that.

Computer Tip.....

Ever start typing something and have the computer open up some other (bothersome) window instead?  At first I thought it could be a virus, but always CHECK to make sure your CONTROL key is not halfway stuck.....instant relief!   Never saw that "solution" on Google or any other computer FAQ.....simple enough to check.  Keyboards (no matter how you clean them) get junk stuck in them and keys DO stick....so check your CONTROL key before calling a virus removal service!

Watch out for the black ice......

My husband and I did not come from a place of snow or winters. We'd never seen (or driven in) SNOW or ICE until we moved to the Northeast.

We were here about 2 months, a little afraid to get on the Thruway due to the snow and ice, but we did one snowy day. The cheerful toll-gate keeper said "Watch out for the black guys!" HORRIFIED and shocked at such blatant prejudice, we said "EXCUSE ME? WHAT did you say???" She repeated "I SAID - watch out for the black ice; it's dangerous and there have been a few accidents already because of it". Not only were we not familiar with driving in snow or ice, but we also weren't tuned in to the Northeastern "accent".

We would later learn that places like "Long Island" would be pronounced "Lon Gailand".....and that places like Salina (a beautiful Mexican name) would be pronounced "Se-LINE-ah" or that a place named after a famous Polish-American "Pulaski" would not be pronounced as it was in Polish but would be pronounced "pu-la-sky" (as in "sky"!), or a place named Medina which is a beautiful word of Arabic origin would be pronounced as Me-DINE-ah! (as in "dine"!).

Regional "isms", but the hearts of the people in Northeast are warm and good.

Tollywood films!

Tollywood films - in India can mean "Telegu" films or "Tamil" films - in OUR house it only means TAMIL films!!!  And there is a number one Superstar in "Tollywood" named Rajnikanth.  We like his humble start - he was a bus conductor who was very animated....made people smile and laugh and soon a Tamil (Nadu) director "discovered" him. 

Although Tamil isn't his native tongue - he learned it fluently and became Tamil Nadu's SUPERSTAR!!!  As for his private life - he is married with daughters - he is religious.  His wife is extremely active in charities as is he.  He's a GOOD GUY.

It would be hard to find a "best" film for Rajnikanth.  His most recent is "Endhiran" (Robot) and I have to tell you that the technical aspects of that film are outstanding!!!  Two other great films he's starred in (he's starred in over 100 films) are "Sivaji" and "Padiyappa".

Another great Tollywood (Tamil) actor is R. Madhavan and you can really catch his skills in a film called "Ramji Londonwaley".

A truly inspiring Tamil film is "Aaya", and another called "Anjali" (which approaches the subject of a "special needs" child....believe it or not, this is new territory in Indian cinematography).

Please enjoy!!

A True Ghost Story - believe or not

This is a true story that happened to me; you may opt to believe it or regard it as rubbish - it makes no difference to me, since I know it really happened.

There was an "Aunty" I was particularly fond of since childhood.  I will call her Aunt Gen.  Hardly ever connecting to my biological aunts, I took to my "Aunties" and "Uncles" as my own.  They were all I had outside my parents - my grandparents had already passed away.

Aunt Gen was especially fond of me because she never had a daughter....only 2 sons.  I suppose this happens to those who have only children of one sex that they grow enamoured of those of the opposite sex and WISH they'd had a daughter or son (if one only had daughters).  Personally, I am happy with the child God gave us and never longed for a son, but Aunt Gen LOVED me.  She didn't just LOVE me....she ADORED me.  Everything I uttered as a child - she found so deep, so meaningful, so cute, so precocious.  I loved her too.  Some of her favourite moments were when I could do a "sleep over" (her grown sons already had left home) - we'd sing or cook; we told many jokes and laughed a lot.  I loved her a lot.  One thing that was unique about Aunt Gen was that she wore a unique perfume of "roses".  Uncle traveled a lot bringing orchids, plants and fragrances from all over the world and Aunt Gen loved only ONE fragrance....that of roses.  Sometimes she would let me splash the precious perfume on my face or wrists and I would inhale this beautiful aroma of roses.

Time marched on and because I was in Sri Lanka - my dear Aunt Gen was separated in another country.  Oh, she and I wrote letters to one another and always she doused the letters in my favourite roses perfume.  Sometime in 1969 the letters failed to come.  I knew something was wrong.  Aunty would not just stop writing to me; we loved one another greatly.  A few weeks later, my Dad showed me a telegram that arrived.  It was from Uncle....Aunt Gen had died of a cerebral hemorrhage just 2 days prior.

I cried and cried, missing her so much.  At the time my bedroom was on the second floor of a house in Colombo.  Most of all, loving my Aunty as much as I did, I could not believe she would just "go" to heaven without saying goodbye to me in some way, although we were 12,000 miles apart.

That night, I tried to sleep but could not - missing my Aunt ever too much.  I suddenly heard a "scratching" at the window, which was strange.  As I said, I was on the second floor - why would anyone or anything scratch at a second story window at night??  The scratching noise grew louder and louder.....and at the same time my bedroom was FILLED with the scent of ROSES.  The aroma overpowered me and I HAD to go look at the window.

There at my window was my Aunty Gen....basically just "floating" (there wasn't a balcony) or "hovering" at my window.  Although this was a STRANGE sight, I was not the least bit afraid.  She waved at me.  I knew it was her only way to say goodbye.

She disappeared into the night and gradually the smell of roses died away.  One can think whatever one wishes, but in my mind it will always be that her Spirit wanted to say goodbye to me.

A Chinese Tale....

A Chinese Tale…..

Once as a child, I recall hearing a very mysterious legend.  Here is how it went:  There was a man in London who lived alone in his barren flat.  The walls were particularly bare.  One day he went to a second-hand shop and saw a Chinese oil painting.  In the painting was a river surrounded by tall verdant mountains, and in the crystal clear river a boat with paddle.  Inside the boat stood a Chinese man in traditional garb with a conical hat made from straw.  The frame was damaged with nicks and bangs, and the painting itself was quite dusty.

Thinking how nice it would be to have SOMETHING to look at on the wall instead of a blank wall, the gent asked “How much for this painting?”  The shop owner thought a while and said “Oh, that old thing has been sitting here collecting dust for years.  I’ll let you have it for two shillings!”  Counting his coins, he just happened to have the right amount and purchased the painting.

Once home, he knew exactly which wall to place it (although all walls were bare).  He hung it directly across from his easy chair so that he could look at the painting whenever he was sitting down.  After careful measuring as to where to put the nail, he began to dust the painting….ever so gently.  At first he used only a dry, clean rag, but then he moistened the rag with a bit of water and noticed it cleaned everything much better.  The once dull painting with muted colours came to life with bright green mountains.  The river was so clean one could imagine fish jumping in them and the ripples sparkling when touched by sunlight.  “A wise choice!” he thought.

The boat (which contained a Chinese man) was quite far in the distance of the river.  One could barely make out the figure and his conical straw hat.  Every evening after work the gent came home.  After cooking himself a small dinner, he retreated to the comfort of the easy chair, where he read his favourite classics.  But now he had something else to look at in-between reading….the pleasant scene of the river in China. 

Some evenings the gent tried to imagine the beauty of such a place.  He’d never been to China and could only glean from the painting what China must be like.  Some evenings the painting seemed ever so realistic.  He closed his eyes and could even imagine the sound made by fish jumping in the window and the gentle breezes carried down by the mountains. 

After a few months, the gent stared at the painting with intenseness.  Was his imagination playing tricks on him?  The Chinese man in the small boat SEEMED to be closer to the foreground than the previous day.  Surely, he thought, this was just his imagination and served him right for not having paid more attention to the placement of the boat the previous day. 

Many more months passed and the Chinese man in the small boat moved closer.  Now it was not a case of an overactive imagination.  He could even make out the colour of the Chinese man’s gown, which was emerald green.  Why was this happening?  It defied all logic.  Figures in paintings do not move!

As the months passed, the Chinese man in the painting came closer and closer.  Now the gent could even see the gold threads in a dragon design on the emerald gown of the man, and he could see his long queue.  Suddenly, the Chinese man turned to look directly at the gent in the easy chair, and with one hand motioned for him to come in to the boat.  Startled and afraid, (mostly the fear of going insane) the gent covered the painting with a tablecloth so he did not have to look at it. 

Still, his curiosity was peaked, so a few days later he removed the tablecloth.  Indeed, there was the Chinese man still close to the front – beckoning him to come.  This time he extended out a hand as if to help the gent hop on board.  The Chinese man began to speak, in Chinese, naturally, but what was so mysterious is that the gent, who knew not a word of Chinese, could understand everything the man was saying.  He was saying “Come with me on my boat.  We will sail to the house of the Emperor, who is my father.  He will be so happy to see me that he will give you gold, jewels and fulfill any desire you have.  But I am trapped within this painting, so only you can rescue me by jumping into the painting and taking us to my father”.

It wasn’t the lure of wealth so much as the desire to help a trapped young man see his father again, but the gent reached into the painting and took hold of the Chinese man’s hand.  Instantly, the gent was no longer in a cold, dreary London flat.  He was elegantly garbed in Chinese robe along side the young man.  He was in China!  Quite a few times the gent pinched himself to see if he was dreaming; it was not a dream; it was really happening. 

Many years had passed.  The gent was in the company of the Emperor and his son.  He had everything he could possibly ever want: gold, jewels, banquets where he could dine, beautiful silk gowns.  He no longer thought about his old life in London.  He was ALIVE and doing well in China.

Many years later a young man came to rent that same flat in London.  Others had come and gone but this gent mentioned to the landlady how barren the walls were.  “Ah, I have just the thing for you to put up on the wall.  Mind you, it’s very dusty as I put it away in the attic when a former tenant never showed up years ago.  But if you’d like to clean it up, it’s yours!”

The young man began to dust the painting….ever so gently.  At first he used only a dry, clean rag, but then he moistened the rag with a bit of water and noticed it cleaned everything much better, so he hung it on the wall opposite his easy chair.  The once dull painting with muted colours came to life with bright green mountains in China.  The river was so clean one could imagine fish jumping in them and the ripples sparkling when touched by sunlight. “What a pleasant scene” he thought.

The boat (which contained the figures of what appeared to be two men) was quite far in the distance of the river.                  

Some evenings the young man tried to imagine the beauty of such a place.  He’d never been to China and could only glean from the painting what China must be like.  Some evenings the painting seemed ever so realistic.  He closed his eyes and could even imagine the sound made by fish jumping in the window and the gentle breezes carried down by the mountains.

After a few months, the young man stared at the painting with great intenseness.  Was his imagination playing tricks on him?  The two men in the small boat SEEMED to be closer to the foreground than the previous day.  Surely, he thought, this was just his imagination and served him right for not having paid more attention to the placement of the boat the previous day…….

REAL "Halva" from Greece

This recipe for Greek Halva (there are MANY "halvas" or "halwas" from Nepal to Iran to Iraq to Syria to Turkey....but this is the best one from Greece, given to our family by a Greek friend over 40 years ago).

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

ALASKAN Potato Doughnuts....

As I said, I have collected recipes since I was 9 years old.  Loved this recipe from a friend in Alaska:

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Bourbon Balls - comes with WARNING!!!!!

Why does this come with warning???  BECAUSE the bourbon is not actually "cooked" therefore it is very, very much ACTIVE as alcohol.  We learned a hard lesson in making these!  My sister made these, placing them in the sitting room for "later" (we were in the kitchen).  Suddenly, my sister asked "How do you sober up a 5-year old?"   "Huh????"  Well, it seems that my nephew and his buddy (who lived next door) had gotten into the bourbon balls....matter of fact, they polished them off and the 2 of them were quite DRUNK!

So, if you make these where there are children - please keep OUT OF REACH or you will end up with same problem!

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding)

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Coffee Jelly (Dessert)

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago.....

Came across this wonderful cookery book by Ramin Ganeshram called "Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago".  It is FULL of delightful surprises and I highly recommend it.

He included many, many recipes, but the one for Chinese Cakes (a variation of Chinese mooncakes) quickly caught my eye.




And for a limited time, if you go to www.npr.org and click on Food then "Chinese New Year Trinidad Style" you can see a few of his many recipes, but the book is far more complete.

The Finger Lakes Book...

Here is a great book about "The Finger Lakes" region of Upstate New York.  It's written by Katharine Delavan Dyson (born and raised in the area)......includes many black-and-white photos, several maps and is about 300 pages.....PAPERBACK.   It's USED (in good condition).  Many "off the beaten track" comments and a great guide to the region.  Originally $18.95.....I have TWO of these books and trying to downsize, so I'd like to sell one.  I'll sell it for USD $3.00 (no Canadian or out-of-USA orders) plus postage.....shipping ONLY within USA (can't give you an estimate but I doubt postage would run over $3.00).....

IF you are interested, please email me: farrshimla@gmail.com
and put "The Finger Lakes Book" in the subject line

Thanks

Needlepoint......Elephant number one

Here's another needlepoint. Again, if you enlarge photo and count, you can make a pattern:

Bollywood 101.....

Bollywood Films (here is where the name came from......American movies were almost all made in Hollywood.  Indian films were almost all made in the city of Bombay....now called "Mumbai" but the original name caught on as "Bollywood".....the "B" standing for Bombay".

People are usually either great Bollywood fans or NOT (there doesn't seem to be a middle ground).  As a kid in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) there was no TV (it hadn't been "invented" there yet!  Seriously!!).  We had a choice of going to the cinema to see the LATEST Bollywood film (whose songs we all knew as they were played on Radio Ceylon all the time).....OR we could go to the Majestic Cinema to watch British or American films that were ANCIENT.  So most of us preferred the Bollywood films and began to learn Hindi because of it (although there were subtitles in English, Sinhalese and Tamil)

On the "con" (against) side - Bollywood films are quite long (some 3-4 hours even!) by Hollywood standards.  If you're a FAN, you count that as a benefit.....if you're not, you say "ach!  TOO long!!  Who can sit and watch a movie for 3-4 hours??"  But let me tell you about the length element.  For almost 50 years in Bollywood it was against Gov't. of India censorship to show kissing (or anything "heavier"!) on screen.  Thus, a boy and girl in love couldn't just KISS.....they had to make a song and dance out of it instead.....the song sequence could take as long as 20 minutes.  The other element is that people in the sub-continent wanted our money's worth!!  After all, if we paid 6 rupees to see a film, we EXPECTED it to last a long, long time.

On the "pro" side - once you get Bollywood films in your blood, you cannot get enough of them!  Names like Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwayra Rai, Amitabh Bachan, Abishek Bachan, Rani Mukerjee, Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor become household names. 

To the AMATEUR who wants to watch a Bollywood for the very first time.....I highly recommend "Main Hoon Na" (translates to mean both "I'm There for You" or "Trust Me") with Shah Rukh Khan.  It has high-powered ACTION (which guys will love) - suspense, good guys, bad guy, not-so-bad guy....of course it has songs and dances, comedy, sentimental scenes.  It's a great starter film!!

Besides "Bollywood", there is "Tollywood" - now it gets confusing.....in OUR house "Tollywood" means Tamil language films but it can also mean Telegu language films.  And Tollywood has its own set of superstars, but that's another blog.

Needlepoint PARROT....

I began needlepointing as a small kid.  In those days in Ceylon we used burlap sacks (a rice bag was perfect, and a great way to reuse it as well).  This (and cooking) is my relaxment (as is reading).  This is one I was inspired to do after reading the book and watching the video "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill", which I highly recommend, by the way.  It is a refreshing documentary....an unexpected jewel.  It's been a long time in my life since a story (and a true one at that!) moved me.  Parrots....there was a period in time when it was legal for pet stores to import them.  Everyone had to run out and get one to be chic-chic!!  But parrots are high maintenance, and some bite.  Many parrots were released by frustrated owners.  However, parrots are not native to San Francisco (Telegraph Hill is in the city of San Francisco), nor are they accustomed to being "wild" in a colder climate.  The book's author, Mark Bittner, also has a blog that is fascinating.

     Actually, if you enlarge the photo, you can obtain the pattern by counting.  Good luck!

Who am I???

So far, it's very interesting that I have followers of my blog from all over the world - and I am surprised at some of the places, and honoured.

You may like my recipes, my politics not so much, my opinions even less. 

But WHO AM I???

Finally I should introduce myself.  I am Chandani Diaz....a multi-cultural individual - a wife, a Mom.  I was taught to cook when I was 9 years old and by age 10 my Mum asked me to entertain a whole "ladies group" (high tea, you might say).

I grew up in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and I've had many, many positive influences in my life and not just in the cooking sphere.  I try to learn (old dog learning new tricks?) even now.

I support democracy to all and religious freedom.  I am susceptible to bronchitis (my fate in life) and cooking is my PASSION.  I cannot think of even a week when I wasn't thinking of or creating some new recipe.  Have collected recipes from friends of family since I was 10 years of age and never knew what to do with all these except to share them with others who like to cook.  Julia Childs was my heroine, although I never bought her cookery book - she just was COOL to me and had learned by school of "hard knocks" (in her times a WOMAN was not supposed to earn Diplome Supreme).

Mostly, I try to be vegetarian, but have a daughter who is a carnivore (chicken - we do not eat beef)  and who would "die" (I doubt it!) if we didn't at least serve one chicken dish.

We're Hindu as a family and as such believe that each person is entitled to his/her own belief (be it Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or atheism) - that is the basic principle of Hinduism - that each individual is entitled to his/her future according to his/her belief or lack of.

My "heroes"??  The late Mahatma Gandhi.  Mr. Bean!! (yes, I said Mr. Bean!), Mother Teresa, "Hugging Amma" (Amma Sri Mata Amritananda Mayi Devi) and our own guru Sri  Haran Aiya.  Have met many, many people in these many decades I've traversed this earth - good and bad.

Pet peeves??  Perhaps the way some individuals of some countries regard "adopted children" - we adopted a child and to US she is (and legally so) our daughter....to some in other countries an adopted child is a
"servant", definitely not one accepted into the REAL family.  Frustration - told a frield of ours in a certain third world country how pleased we were that their daughter made honour roll and told him that ours did too.  I was not prepared for the response:  "Oh, but that is our REAL daughter, not like YOURS!"  (oh, so sorry, our daughter is made from plastic or foam!!).  But I can't cure all the world's problems.  There are places on this earth where domestic adoption is not necessarily the BEST option for a child.  I know of 3 "well-to-do" families in such countries who have "adopted" a child - always a girl....she sleeps (in each case) on the FLOOR in the kitchen as a servant and is not allowed to eat with the rest of family....these are Ph.D. educated individuals, so I do wonder.  

     I miss my Mum, my Dad, my 2 late sisters, my niece, my Aunts - and sometimes wonder why I am still here...who am I to deserve (?) to stay on this earth.  I have one biological sister in Florida and many adopted sisters and cousins from Australia to Canada to Singapore.

     And now - I'd best go see what my husband is doing because he's making sounds in the kitchen that are SCARY!!!!!

love to all & nighty-night!
CD  

EASY Indian Samosa with Flour Tortillas!

Let's get real!  We all work; we have limited time.  Here's a great recipe for Indian Samosas with half the work!!

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Spinach Balls - Appetizers.....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Deep-Fried Egg Curry Ceylonese....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Peruvian Corn Casserole....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

1000 year old eggs (in hours, seriously!)

OK - we've all heard about these 1,000 year old eggs in Chinese cuisine.  There MAY be some, but NONE of us has been alive (or ever will be) long enough to see if these 1,000 yr. old eggs are even edible!

Here's a recipe I learned from a Chinese family while living in Hong Kong - a LOT less time than 1,000 years!!

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Carrot Soufflé

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Chickpea "Meatballs" - no meat.....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Easy Beer Bread....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want.

Dandelion Wine....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want

POL SAMBOL (Coconut Sambol from Sri Lanka)

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want

Baba Ghanouj (Eggplant Dip) from Middle East....

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want

Finnish (Finland) Rice Wine....Rusivini

Recipe is only USD $1.59.....step by step easy to follow instructions. 49 years experience as a gourmet cook. Pay at: Paypal: farrshimla@gmail.com and please mention WHICH recipe you want

Am I the only one who feels this is SURREAL??

We are in deep prayer for the people of Japan, who are currently undergoing tremendous challenges of shelter (and it is cold in Japan; certain places have snow on the ground...these are people whose homes have either disappeared or are uninhabitable), food, electricity.  Many children (in kindergartens, schools) lost their parents.  Many families are missing members, still searching.

Then there is the scary part about the possible nuclear meltdown.  Government is trying to keep people calm so are not disseminating too much information.

Am I the only one on this planet who feels that:  A: we are trying to help people in Japan recover from a combination of natural disasters: earthquake, tsunami and.....we still don't know what the "aftershock" will bring to these people.

MEANWHILE - B: at the other end of the world a MADMAN is trying his level best to PRODUCE a manmade WAR of "earthquake" and "tsunami" to his people!!!   How can this be happening?? 

It happens because of selfishness and madness and the desire to hold POWER at any cost.  This is all too surreal for me, and I can only GIVE to organizations listed by trusted NPR:

In addition to the American Red Cross, the United States Agency for International Development works with the Center for International Disaster Information at CIDI.org. They coordinate aid from individuals, groups, corporations and the diaspora population.
Amazon.com has been accepting Japan-targeted donations and passing them to American Red Cross.
The online coupon site Groupon has set up a page for donations to the International Medical Corps' relief efforts in Japan.
The American Red Cross, Verizon and AT&T are among organizations and companies that are soliciting relief effort donations via text.
Free information on America's charities can be found at Charity Navigator and at Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has been tracking donations to aid victims in Japan.

At the moment CASH is the best donation!

As for the MADMAN in Africa - he is creating a living hell for his people and I'm not sure how we can help there.
 

Tenacity!!

So there are these tenacious mountain goats (ibex) in Italy who are REALLY, REALLY fond of licking the minerals of the moss & lichen growing on a dam wall.  This is the Diga del Cingino dam in Italy.  To see them in action is incredible!   At first the photo looks like "dots" on the dam wall, but the closer you look, the more you can discern the goats. 

 

Ownership.....

Sometimes each of us has a feeling - "yes, I own my own house and I will take good care of it....but over THERE - that road, it's not mine; it belongs to the city, not to me". Over there, that river....it's not mine.

In Hindu belief we don't say that God created the world, but that God and the world are one and the same. Thus, this Earth is meant both as a place of worship and a place to be worshiped....not as just a site where we pursue our personal gratification. We human beings revert to selfish behaviour and justify rulers of a countries to continue making violence and war. When we do this, we are not just destroying our world around us, but also destroying a part of God.

Until we have a relationship with the environment that ALL belongs to us and is entrusted with us to care for, never will we understand that "what is mine" extends to our planet and earth and is ours to look after.

If you pollute the rivers with harmful pesticides just to have a beautiful lawn, you have destroyed your "home". This is where we live; where our grand-children will live.

There was an era when it was fine to talk of Environmental Protection....suddenly, it became "global warming" then "climate change" and these are easy ruses for us to forget the initial concept of keeping this planet alive and green, for it's easy to say "Oh, global warming has been disproven!" But if we go back to the talk of Environmental Protection, we cannot avoid the consequences.

Some of our Hindu ancestors practised the "three for one" theory....i.e., if you dare to cut one tree, you must plant three in its place. This is not such a bad practice to share with your children and grand-children. We cannot continue to abuse our environment at such alarming rate.

The greatest sin of mankind is to take another human's life - how does one go about replacing a life?....a son? a brother? a husband? This is the greatest of all God's commands. The second greatest sin is to sit back and watch people or sentient beings being tortured. By being tortured, it can also mean sitting and watching a child die of hunger when we have food to share.

IF we continue to mess up this planet, where are we all to live?

We START by opening up to people of other faiths and beliefs, genuinely listening to them and finding our commonalities rather than our differences. After all, we share "humanity" in common - who among us as parents (Christian, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists) wants our children to end up starving and selling themselves in the street to survive??? WHO??? Every parent in the world I've ever talked to wanted the same thing for their children: a better life, not a worse life. Yes, we have differences, but if we continue to dwell on these, we only dwell on the differences and can't see the whole picture of humanity and its commonalities.

In this equation we also have to realize there are those who are genetically insane and do not comprehend SENSIBILITY because they are lost in their own power trips: the late Hitler, Gaddafi, late Idi Amin, late Mussolini, many, many others. There are others who albeit on power trips were just duped into believing themselves important. In the reality of things a small plant that grows has more worth than many of our "leaders". We had a great saint Mahatma Gandhi and fanaticism (and as a Hindu ashamed to admit it was a Hindu who killed him) murdered him. God sends "avatars" (no, not the MOVIE "avatar", give me a break!) who lead us out from darkness - there have been many: Moses, Mohammad, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Amma Sri Mata Amritananda Mayi Devi.....more will follow, but if we destroy our planet how will he/she be able to come and lead us?

My "brief" career as a Chinese Swordfighter.....

As mentioned earlier, I admired the Chinese swordfighters in film as a youth and one day announced to my parents my future ambition: "Mama, Papa, I want to be a Chinese swordfighter". My parents cleared their throats....hmmmmmmm. My Dad was the first to answer "Sweetie, I hate to break this news to you but firstly, you are not Chinese. Secondly, there honestly isn't much call for swordfighters these days".

And so my "career" ended that day.

Jackie Chan....my ONLY claim to fame!

Long ago I lived and worked in Hong Kong for several years - why?...for the experience of living there. It was a magical place in the late 1970's.

I had loved Chinese sword-fighting films as a kid (when they came to Ceylon or sometimes when I went to Hong Kong with my parents) and developed a teenage "crush" on actor David Chiang, whom I though was the "living end!"

I was much older when I lived in Hong Kong and happened to make friends with a secretary who worked in Run Run Shaw Studios in Hong Kong. Her name was Daisy Yok Fun. We would have lunch together when we could catch 5 minutes here or there (it was a busy lifestyle in HKG). One day Daisy (who knew of my childhood crush on David Chiang, the actor) said "Come have lunch with me at the studio tomorrow....it'll be worth your while!" So I begged off an hour for lunch (unthinkable!) and went to meet Daisy. She showed up at the gate and presented a pass for me to come in. My heart was beating liking butterfly wings....would I SEE HIM?....would I gain his autograph? Daisy sighed greatly (those deep sighs that reveal something is quite wrong)...."well, I had hoped you and I would be having lunch in the cafeteria with David Chiang.....I told him what a fan you are.....but it's all WRONG!!! He didn't come in for work today!!!" I was disappointed beyond belief but Daisy suggested I have lunch with her "anyway" in the Run Run Shaw Studio cafeteria. We took our food and sat at a table - leaned to the left and to the right hoping to GLIMPSE a star (if not David Chiang, then perhaps Ti Lung or Lili Li!) - a gent sat at the table next to us. Daisy called out to him "what a disappointment - my friend wanted so desperately to see David Chiang, but he's not here today". "I know" said the gent...."I was to stand-in for him stunt-wise but he isn't here". Suddenly the gent extended his hand to me and said "Hey, sorry for your disappointment. I'm definitely not David Chiang, but I do a lot of his stunts. I'm Jackie, Jackie Chan...I'm sure you don't want my autograph, but I'll give you one if you want" (and he took a bow - he was a born comedian). I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I said "Oh sure, you can sign my autograph book" - he signed it (I held on to that book for many decades but then misplaced it).

In those days Jackie was a stunt man. He literally BUILT his way up from stunts (some that injured him seriously) to actor and eventually director/producer. My personal opinion of him is that he is a nice person - he's personable, funny, great with kids, not afraid to laugh at himself (which goes against Chinese tradition of "losing face"); he's a good guy.

As for David Chiang?? I've heard he settled in Toronto. Jackie (Chan) never forgot his old colleagues in cinema - he frequently tried to ensure that either Ti Lung or David Chiang made a "cameo" appearance in one of his many films after HE (Jackie Chan) became the superstar and they faded away a bit. I think what I appreciate most abour Jackie Chan is that he only became a "star" when he was already in his late 40's, although he'd put in 20 years prior as a stunt man and "unknown".

The Forbidden Kingdom is a great film of his:


Shangai Noon:


Shanghai Knights:


Karate Kid was a real winner:


The Spy Next Door:


Rush Hour & Rush Hour II were hilarious:

"Sentir" (to feel).....

Encountered this gem of a CD by Yasmin Levy who sings in a language that is 400 years old (Ladino) and on the verge of extinction (only 200,000 speakers of it exist in this world).  It was initially "Spanish", but Spanish as was spoken 400 years ago when the Jews (Sephardic) were given a choice of leaving, converting to Christianity or being killed.

Many escaped to the New World: Trinidad, Jamaica - where even there they had to sometimes "hide" their Jewishness.

Yasmin sings out like a songbird released to the wild.  Her father was a cantor (alas, died when she was only 1 yr. old) but she continued in the tradition.



   http://www.npr.org/2011/03/11/134361286/yasmin-levy-rearranging-the-past

You can buy her CD or MP3 on Amazon.com.   To me her haunting voice reminds me of "Fado" music of Portugal......it will move you!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Sentir-Yasmin-Levy/dp/B0039208LC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299883347&sr=8-1

INSTANT relief for bee stings!!!

Ever heard of MSG?   (Monosodium Glutamate) - it's a substance that had been used for years in Chinese cooking until Americans related it to severe headaches (actually, I never had a headache and did use MSG)...so naturally, MSG was quickly taken away "NO MSG in our FOOD!!" Chinese restaurants were quick to advertise. 

BUT - MSG serves a wonderful purpose in your medicine cabinet.  I suppose the only place one can still buy MSG is in Oriental Grocery Stores (or sometimes labeled as Aji-No-Moto) - put it straight away in your medicine cabinet.  If a bee (or mosquito) stings - simply make a "polstice" (part MSG, part water, as a paste) and place it on the sting area - INSTANTLY the sting goes away.  I do not know if this works for people who are highly allergic to bee and wasp stings and need the "epi-pen".....I'm not a doctor!  But in all general purposes, it will instantly relieve the stinging.

How to Clean a DVD disk......

Ever had a DVD disk that was either scratched or so dirty that your DVD player could not read it??  Toothpaste (no, I can't tell you any specific brand!) - take the DVD and put on a glob of toothpaste (about as much as you would put on your toothbrush).  Take a clean cloth and begin to rub the toothpaste in all around basically until it "dries" and then rinse off all the toothpaste.  Using another clean cloth, wipe clean.  It works on 90% of the "bad" DVD's - a few it will not work on.....but certainly worth a try!!

Help for anyone who has ever dropped something valuable down the drain!

Ever dropped an earring or ring down the drain???  Ever called the plumber to try to retrieve it? (then you know how expensive that can be).

Ah!!!!  A SOLUTION (not my own idea, something passed along via email) - next time you lose something down the drain take a SHOP VACUUM......place a pantyhose over the end of the hose - put it on full blast and your item will magically stick to the pantyhose, which you can retrieve. 

Wow, how I wish this had been known when we lost a gold earring down the drain!!   Try it!  It works!!

The Banana Plant Rule.....

The banana plant (musa acuminata) is the path towards a "Green" future.  Every single part of this plant has a use.  Of course we eat the fruit:

I am told the banana fruit can even be made into wine, although I have never tried this.

Banana peels are rich in calcium, potassium and Vitamin D.  The peel can be rubbed on skin to soften skin, or rubbed on teeth after brushing to whiten them.  Of course they make great compost ingredients.

But this is only a small part of how this miraculous plant is used.  The leaves (when fresh) are used as a wrapper (and natural plate) for steaming rice dishes or tamales:

or when dried woven into a beautiful basket:

or as a roof:

The BLOSSOM is a tasty "veggie" for curries, and it tastes very much like meat.  One must know how to prepare it, however, or have black stains on counters that will NEVER come out.  It's delicious!

For weddings or special events the trunks were hollowed out and carved (much like pumpkins) into which tiny coconut oil lamps were placed.  Some were so intricate....sorry I can't find photos of one, but they were beautiful.

The trunks were also used as fodder for animals and the "shoot" within the trunk was used for cooking.  The fibre of the trunk was woven into a fabric as fine as silk and made into shirts and "cholis" (sari blouses):

In essence none of the plant ever went to waste.  Our ancestors used various plants in similar ways...sometimes the roots were boiled to make dyes, but what we need to do is live life according to the Banana Plant "rule" - NOTHING goes to waste, NOTHING!!!

One simple way to start is to carry your own bag (preferably cloth that can be washed) to the grocery store instead of using "plastic bags".   Even as you pick your veggies - so many people place them in plastic bags....why?  Presumably, you will wash all your veggies anyway before cooking, so why waste more plastic?

And what do we do with all the excess plastic that WRAPS chicken and stuff??  Please someone tell me.  And the styrofoam trays into which the meat is placed IS recyclable, so keep that in mind. 

This is my poster for awareness of conservation (that's what we USED to call it, now we call it "going GREEN") - do we want to leave such a legacy of pollution to our grandchildren?

Let's all try the Banana Plant Rule - before it's too late!
   

A GREAT blogspot to read of "old Lanka"

There is a blogspot called "F's Place" (F being Fazli's first name)
http://kermeey.blogspot.com/

If you have any memory of the OLD Ceylon - "Green Cabin", "Perrera's Bakery", "Elephant House", "Hotel Nippon", "the Blue Leopard", "Coconut Grove", "Las Bambas", of hearding "Mignogne & the Jetliners" sing...this is the place to go!  He has many beautiful photos and blogs about OLD Ceylon.  You may have to sign up (I can't remember) but it's free) and a really cool place.  I corresponded through that page with an interesting Ph.D. Candidate from Australia who was researching the old Synagogue in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).  She had such a wealth of knowledge on the Jewish members of Ceylon - she found a plaque at what USED to be a place of a Synagogue, found numerous Jewish Graves at Kanatte Cemetery.

I hope I'm not one of those accused of living "in the past" - but I do know that in order to turn the pages FORWARD we must have studied the previous pages well, or we don't move on in the book.  

I do miss the one-on-one conversations we had in old-time Ceylon.  I feel that today many people are into personal communication or entertainment (i.e., texting - even at the dinner table!)  and that the art of conversation is endangered.  Everyone is in a "hurry" and we multi-task in so many ways but rarely have the time to sit down and talk to one another.   

Mah Jong, Solitaire and Sudoku HEAVEN!

Here are some great free websites (of course they're loaded with JUNK and ads, but what does want for free, eh?)

Mahjong tile-matching:
http://www.freegames.ws/games/boardgames/mahjong/mahjong.htm

Klondike Solitaire:
http://www.freeplaysolitaire.com/FreePlayKlondike.php

Sudoku:
http://www.websudoku.com/

Enjoy!!  This comes with one caution, however, these games are very addictive!

The Boston Experience.....

Have a funny (and true!) story to tell you.  A friend of ours named Jose moved to Boston with his wife and family.  He is originally from Dominican Republic....definitely, not a "snow person". 

Where Jose lived in Boston there was on-street parking only (usually blocks away from the apartment).  Boston can receive such fierce winters that by morning cars and trucks disappear under mounds of snow.

Well, Jose thought he remembered where he parked his car and began to shovel it out from snow in order to get to work.  He was almost down the bottom layer when he realize.....it WASN'T his car!!!

Some lucky soul had his/her car shoveled out and poor Jose had to go shovel out another car (this time hopefully REALLY his car).

They moved to Florida the following year!

Unless WE have personally done all this, let us not criticize!

Mother Teresa spent her life with the poorest of the poor, the dying, the sick, the "untouchables", the orphans, the homelesss.  She accomplished great feats in India from her birth (1910) to her death in 1997.  Her contribution to the world cannot be undone.  Her life calls to me especially in these tense times of "suicide bombers" who can only DESTROY and not build up.  Please take the time to read her biography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa


Thanks!! 

And still ANOTHER refreshing pause:

How could anyone NOT love the name of God?

Yet Another Refreshing Pause.....

Intriguing! Jim Thompson disappeared!

There was an American named:
James (Jim) Harrison Wilson Thompson (born March 21, 1906 in Greenville, Delaware - unknown) was an American businessman who helped revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s. A former U.S. military intelligence officer (with the OSS, which was a forerunner of current day CIA), Thompson mysteriously disappeared from Malaysia's Cameron Highlands while going for a walk on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967.

There have been even books publishes on HOW or WHY he disappeared, but none can prove positively how or why.

I LOVE Wikipedia because it tends to post many answers, not just one biased view.  Here's one opinion of his life and disappearance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thompson_(designer)

A book was written about his disappearance.  I have my own "theory" (and everyone is entitled to his/her opinion) - my feeling is that he might've been still carrying on covert CIA missions using Thailand as a base, and encountered plots with bordering countries (then Burma, Laos, Cambodia).  I think he "knew too much" (not necessarily that he knew too much CIA information, but knew too much information about the adversaries) was "taken out" and carried away in the "white car" to places so remote in the jungles of Malaysia that the decomposed body will NEVER, EVER be found.  I know this differs (my personal theory) greatly from a book that was written about him, but I have hunches, intuitions, feelings and that's all they are. 

Hindu Mommy....

I take absolutely NO credit for "Hindu Mommy" but it's a website I came across unexpectedly and she's not written anything on her blog since 2007 - there are a lot of great projects for kids to do and keep up their Hindu heritage and I would certainly like to encourage this lady to keep going.  Maybe you could write her and encourage her to keep going.  We need role models (Mums and Dads) of all faiths - Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish who sit down with their kids and DO things: crafts, explaining the significance of each.  Even those who are not religious - certainly, you have a craft or skill to pass along to your children and grand-children (who will pass it along for generations more).

Here's her blogspot:   http://hindumommy.wordpress.com/
She has GREAT ideas - let's all try to encourage her to continue her blog (wish I had half her ideas!)

Personally, I got our daughter interested in making papier maché boxes with Hindu pictures.  We've also taught her how to make "diyas" of clay and bake them, decorate them.  We've taught her the practice of making "henna" on the hands (and she's quite good at it). 

We happen to be Hindu, but we also taught her to respect all other great religions.  In fact, she and her 2 Hindu friends are going to a Jewish Purim Carnival on March 19th (they've gone almost 4 years in a row and have thoroughly enjoyed it).  Our dear friend, Richard, once said "we all climb the same mountain to God....does it matter that some climb from the West, some from the East, some from the North and some from the South?"

Om Shanti Shanti - may there be PEACE in this world!!!  May we put aside our "differences" and build up our commonalities.

"Hugging Amma" Amma Sri Mata Amritananda Mayi Devi

We were very, very blessed to have seen Amma in Toronto, be TOUCHED by her special grace and even given our own "mantras".  This is the SAINT of the world who brings only goodness to the hearts of the poor:

Amma's Dream:
 "Everyone in the world should be able to sleep without fear, at least for one night. Everyone should be able to eat to his fill, at least for one day. There should be at least one day when hospitals see no one admitted due to violence. By doing selfless service for at least one day, everyone should help the poor and needy. It is Amma's prayer that at least this small dream be realised."

PLEASE check her website and all the wondrous things she is able to do with God's grace:
http://www.amritapuri.org/

There are soup kitchens for the poor in almost every part of the world, thanks to her calling from God.  She has (and would be the last to take credit for it) built with God's special gifts hospitals for those who cannot pay, widows' pensions and houses in India, relief work in Africa.

Do you know, I have met MANY famous people in my lifetime (Prime Ministers, Actors, Gurus) but when this SPECIAL God-sent lady touched my head.....I felt that she KNEW me and all my life and would heal me of my transgressions against God.  Moreover, the people we met at that Conference were also open to sharing their personal experiences with Amma.  May God bless her and continue to help her help this troubled world!

Love is the Answer: