Aji

Last week Anika and I spent a lovely morning with Nikhil's Aji(grandma) and Ajoba(grandpa). They are here from India to visit their son Abhi, a dear friend of ours.

While growing up in Bombay/Mumbai I had easy access to tasty food made by friends' mothers from different parts of the country. One of my favorite foods growing up was 'Puran poli', a Maharashtrian speciality. I only got to eat it on festivals when some mothers would prepare it for poojas. My mother never made it because she didn't grow up with it in Punjab. A puran poli is basically a wheat roti(bread) stuffed with a delicious filling of gram dal(lentils) and 'gur'(natural sugar). YUM! Moving here reversed my fortunes with good, authentic, Indian mother made food. Abhi's mother is Maharashtrian and I thought learning how to make the dish from her would give me a chance to prepare it myself and introduce an authentic version to Anika. Aji very graciously agreed to teach me. Truth be told, I really just wanted to sink my teeth into a fresh, hot, delicious Puran poli myself.



The process was a lot harder than I expected. The stickiness of the sugar made it very hard to roll the dough into a round roti without breaking it. I watched in awe as Aji filled large amounts of yummy stuffing to a small circle of dough and gracefully closed it while turning it in her hand. She rolled it out into a perfect circle and transferred it off the 'chakla' or rolling surface onto a newspaper and gently slid it off onto the tawa(pan) in two fluid motions. Amazing to watch. My attempt was very clumsy and nerve wracking, after creating one lopsided, under filled roti, I offered to just watch the 'naazuk kaam' or delicate work. It was a good decision, because when it was done and ready for tasting..it was dream like.

Anika LOVED it! She literally danced after every bite and said 'yummy!'



I asked Anika, "Atta do you like it?"

Anika. "mmmmm..yummy!"

Me,"How much do you like it?"

Anika,"Too much!"

Aji said, " This is the reaction we mother's cook for."

Anika crooning to Pia masi

Missing Pri and our days in Bombay. Here is a video of Anika singing a song she made up, don't know what it means.

Meaning of my life

Saw an interesting test here and had to try it myself.

What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Justice (Fairness) Your life is guided by the concept of Fair Justice: Everyone, yourself included, should be rewarded and punished according to the help or harm they cause. "He who does not punish evil commands it to be done." --Leonardo da Vinci “Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.” --Dwight D. Eisenhower More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page... Justice (Fairness) 90% Utilitarianism 90% Hedonism 80% Existentialism 80% Kantianism 65% Strong Egoism 35% Apathy 20% Nihilism 20% Divine Command 0%

Weaning woes

I've been really irritated because Anika refuses to drink milk anymore. After a lot of patience I finally had her at a point where she was drinking almost 10 oz a day and suddenly nada, not one sip. It's driving me up the wall. I think she needs the nutrition and I am ready to wean her. Slowly does it, I know. Whenever I try to force anything she resists, just like her father, if it seems like its her decision, milk is casually around when she is hungry , she asks for it herself. Its taking a lot of willpower to 'not insist'. I think its the talk of not mama milk only cow's milk that is making her feel like I don't love her anymore or something. I don't know how to do this humanely, I want our Bf relationship to end positively. My threats yesterday of drink this milk or else no park are definitely not the way to go..According to Dr. Sears and gang she should self wean, but that could be anywhere between 2 to 4. I DO NOT want to go there. I was planning up to 2 and she will be two in a month and a half. Any mamas have any ideas? I cannot be mean and say NO MORE...any other gentle suggestions? Or am I being silly? Is it like quitting an addiction, cold turkey..or can it be gradual? She was taking milk from the bottle in the day except when she was going down for her nap or night sleep, I thought that could be the last one to stop..but now we're all out of control again..Its like Pri says, I have to be consistent and firm..but she's just a baby and she really loves it so much, she is showing no signs of being disinterested..

Gun Dun Go Do! Djembe'ing rocks!!

I went for my first Djembe class today and I had a blast! I loved it so much, I feel ALIVE!! The Djembe is a West African hand drum that is carved out of a tree, is covered with the skin of an animal and is meant to be played with bare hands. I had no idea my hands could make music and stay in tune/rhythm with other players. I was part of a drum circle that consisted of mostly unknown people. It was invigorating and meditative. I felt like a child and a primal woman all at once. What a trip.

Mae is a 40 something woman who teaches the class in her home. She is a great teacher who loves to drum so much its infectious. She is funny, warm and down to earth. Andrea thank you for introducing me to this. I really got into it. I was like eyes closed and zoning out, and it was my first day ever. I can't wait to go next week.

Sex and the city

Getting dressed up, sipping a beverage and watching this movie with friends was definitely the best way to do it. My verdict on the movie: Fun but I have some gripes. In general it pales in comparison to the series in its hey day (ie on HBO not the doctored version on the networks). I kind of liked being left with the last season in my head, in Paris with Carrie in that beautiful grey dress and Big driving up to her...I think the problem was Mr. Big, he's gotten too big and just didn't feel sexy anymore..=( There was no chemistry between them...Maybe its because his sex appeal came from his elusiveness? Seeing Mr. Big designing closets is a far cry from red balloons and a limo.

The story was predictable but good. Scenes with all four of them were as great as always. Carrie/SJP was fantastic throughout the movie, I'm a die hard fan. Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte did not skip a beat. Carrie and Miranda's friendship was very satisfying as always. The clothes/fashion, were a delight to watch. I can't imagine wearing most of them because I'm no longer a size six physically or mentally and frankly unless I got them at Goodwill I couldn't afford them. But watching, yum. All the colours, the fabulous bodies..that's the trip with SATC, livin' the life vicariously.

I missed seeing the city more...there were so many interiors in the film. I guess the four of them are just too famous to do long takes on busy NY streets anymore. Crowd control must have been really hard. The show had so much more of an independent feel because of the locations and the not yet 'so famous' cast. Some scenes really recreated the magic. The 'coloring' conversation, Charlotte in Mexico, Carrie packing with the girls, Valentine's day and New Years night were quintessential SATC.

I loved the music in the film but I really missed the original soundtrack in the beginning and also the opening credits. It was very clever the way they 'caught everyone up' in the beginning with the story but STILL I wanted to see Carrie on the streets of NY in her pink tutu, sans bra getting splashed by the bus with THE music in the background.

I think the real problem for me was the change in format. This was always meant to be vignettes into the lives of these people/divas, not actual chronological events leading up to a resolution. Fantasy can't be encapsulated into a marathon 140 minutes, 20 minutes once a week was more suitable, always left you wanting more.

BUT, BUT, BUT, go see it because its THE girls, its fun, you have to go! You can't not go for this if you were a fan of the series.

Another one?

Today Anika and I met a 2 week old baby, Lucas. One of the O mama's, Monica just had her second child. She opened the door with him on her breast, it was the most beautiful sight in the world, she looked tired and lovely like only a new mother can. We talked about the emotional impact of a second child on mama and child number one. Suddenly mama has to be shared. I always wonder about the same thing, Anika is the love of my life, will I be able to love another child as much as this? And won't she feel left out and replaced. Monica had tears in her eyes as she said, I had to keep Gabriella away from Lucas last week because she had a cold, she was so sad. When I asked her about feelings for the second one she said that even though she wondered about how she would feel, when the baby came she felt the same powerful love. The only reason I think of another child is to give Anika a sibling. My sisters are my best friends, surely Anika deserves the same opportunity for love, friendship and support in her life...