The day I decided to Quit (Story)

I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with god
“God”, I asked,
“Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”.
His answer surprised me…
“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo ?
“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said.

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”.
“I would not quit on the bamboo.I will never quit on you.”
“Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said.”The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”"Your time will come”, God said to me.
“You will rise high”.
“How high should I rise?” I asked.
“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.
“As high as it can?” I questioned.”Yes.” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”
I left the forest and brought back this story.I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on
you.

Never, Never, Never, Give up.

Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

House Plants

25 AWESOME TIPS FOR BEAUTIFUL LIFE!!!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. & while you walk, SMILE. It is the ultimate antidepressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. When you wake up in the morning, Pray to ask God’s guidance for your purpose, today.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, broccoli, and almonds.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past,negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Forgive them for everything !

11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

17. Help the needy, Be generous ! Be a ‘Giver’ not a ‘Taker’

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. Time heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed ,Pray to God and Be thankful for what you’ll accomplish, today !

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. Live and let others live........

Vegetable BBQ/Grill

How to cut mango?

BF

Ice Cream and Personality

WHAT DOES YOUR ICE CREAM CHOICE SAY ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY? 

• Chocolate: dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive and gullible
  
• Vanilla: impulsive, easily suggestible and an idealist
• Very Berry Strawberry: a tolerant, devoted and an introvert
  
• Mint Chocolate Chip: argumentative, frugal and cautious
• Rocky Road:   aggressive, engaging and a good listener
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: ambitious, competitive and a visionary
  
• Pralines 'n Cream: loving, supportive and prefer to avoid the spotlight.
  
• Jamoca: scrupulous, conscientious and a moral perfectionist
  
• Chocolate Chip:  generous, competent and a go getter
  
• Rainbow Sherbet:   analytic, decisive and a pessimistic 
  
  

Pictures courtesy of Baskin Robins

Coffee

What your hand writing means?

• If letters slant to the left: Indicates introspection and a lot of emotional control. 
• If letter slant to the right: Reveals a person who’s outgoing, friendly, impulsive, and emotionally open. 
• If letters are straight up and down: The sign of someone who’s ruled by the head, not the heart. 
• Letters that slant in more than one direction: Indicates versatility and adaptability. 
• An erratic slant: Usually means a lack of flexibility. 
• Heavy pressure writing (like you can feel the rib made on the back of the paper): The writer is agitated. 
• Moderate pressure (the writing is dark, but you can’t feel the rib on the other side of the paper): Shows ability to deal with stress. 
• Light pressure: Indicates someone who seems to take life in stride. 
• Tiny letters: Indicate the writer is has somewhat low self esteem but is intelligent. 
• Small letters: The hallmark of quiet, introspective types – they’re generally detail- oriented and have good concentration. 
• Large letters: Sign of a confident, easygoing individual. 
• Huge letters: Indicate someone who’s theatrical, usually loud, and needs to be the center of attention at all times. 
• Wide letters (their width and height are about the same): The mark of someone who’s open and friendly. 
• Narrow letters: Show someone who’s somewhat shy and inhibited but very self- disciplined. 
• Letters that don’t touch: Indicate an impulsive, artistic, sometimes impractical free thinker. 
• Some letters connecting: Means the writer’s personality blends logic and intuition. 
• All letters making contact: The sign of someone who’s highly cautious. 
• A curved first mark: Shows a person who’s traditional and plays by the rules. 
• A straight beginning stroke: Reveals someone who’s rigid and doesn’t like being told what to do. 
• A final stroke straight across: The writer is cautious. 
• An end mark that curves up : Reveals generosity. 
• Perfect penmanship: The hallmark of a communicative person. 
• An indecipherable scrawl: Indicates a person who’s secretive, closed-up and likes to keep his thoughts to himself.

Cough recovery @ home

Cough Treatment Using Grapes

Grapes are one of the most effective home remedies for the treatment of a cough. Grapes tone up the lungs and act as an expectorant, relieving a simple cold and cough in a couple of days. A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey is advised for cough relief.

Cough Treatment Using Almonds

Almonds are useful for dry coughs. Seven kernels should be soaked in water overnight and the brown skin removed. They should then be ground well to form a fine paste. A quantity of twenty grams each of butter and sugar should then be added to the paste. This paste should be taken in the morning and evening.

Cough Treatment Using Onion

The use of raw onion is valuable in a cough. This vegetable should be chopped fine and the juice extracted from it. One teaspoon of the juice should then be mixed with one teaspoon of honey and kept for four or five hours-it will make an excellent cough syrup and should be taken twice daily. Onions are also useful in removing phlegm. A medium-sized onion should be crushed, the juice of one lemon added to it, and then one cup of boiling water poured on it. A teaspoon of honey can be added for taste. This remedy should be taken two or three times a day.

Cough Treatment Using Turmeric

The root of the turmeric plant is useful in a dry cough. The root should he roasted and powdered. This powder should be taken in three gram doses twice daily, in the morning and evening.

Cough Treatment Using Belleric Myroblan

The herb belleric myroblan is a household remedy for a cough. A mixture comprising two grams of the pulp of the fruit, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of long pepper, and 2 teaspoons of honey should be administered for the treatment of this condition twice daily. The dried fruit covered with wheat flour and roasted , is another popular remedy for cough condition.

Cough Treatment Using Raisins

A sauce prepared from raisins is also useful in a cough. This sauce is prepared by grinding 100 gm of raisins with water. About 100 gm of sugar should be mixed with it and the mixture heated. When the mixture acquires a sauce-like consistency, it should be preserved. Twenty grams should be taken at bedtime daily.

Cough Treatment Using Aniseed

Aniseed is another effective remedy for a hard dry cough with difficult expectoration. It breaks up the mucus. A tea made from this spice should be taken regularly for treating this condition.

Volume Conversions

17 must haves in diet

Here are some must-haves in your diet:

1 . Consider water
Hydrate your body. Drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water every day. Start your morning with a glass of lukewarm water.

2 . Eat timely meals
Eat at regular intervals. Have five meals a day in which three can be main meals and two can be mid meals.

3 . Breakfast is a must
Breakfast is a must because it provides 25 per cent of the total energy and nutrients required by the body.

4 . Quality call
Good quality of food is a must. Remember the quality of food you eat determines your efficiency in your work. Avoid refined foods like white rice, maida-based products like bread, pasta etc.

5 . Go green
Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables — such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, berries and citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in vitamin c and vitamin A, which may help protect against various types of cancer and other diseases.

6 . Say yes to herbal tea
Include herbal teas. Having two cups of green tea can do wonders for the skin and also increase the efficiency of our immune system.

7 . Opt for healthy fat
Enjoy healthy fats. Include omega 3 fatty acids and unsaturated fat rich foods like olive oil, flax seeds, sesame seeds, soyabean, walnuts, seafood such as tuna and salmon to increase your immunity.

8 . Fibre is important
Have fibre rich foods like oats, barley, ragi, bajra, whole wheat grains, different variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

9. Protein perfect
Having protein is essential. Vegetable sources of protein are beans, nuts, pulses and whole grains. These are good choices as they offer fibre, vitamins and minerals. The best animal protein choices are fish and poultry.

10. Calcium
Include adequate amount of calcium in your diet by having milk and milk products, soybeans, shrimp, ragi, sesame seeds, and leafy vegetables.

11. Vitamin B12
This is a rare  vitamin. A slight deficiency of it can lead to anaemia, fatigue and depression. Vitamin B12 rich sources are oysters, liver, fish, beef, eggs, fortified cereals, milk and milk products.

12 . Healthy snack
Have healthy snacks in between to keep up the energy levels the whole day.

13 . Plate of salad
Consume a bowl of green salad every day — a simple trick to keep away excess calories.

14. Two fruits at least
Have at least two fruits everyday.

15 . Spice it up
Include spices/herbs like saunf, basil leaves, one to two cloves, ginger or garlic in your daily diet to enjoy its enormous medicinal properties.

16 . Go nuts
Have a handful of nuts a day. They are calorie dense foods packed with proteins, healthy fats and some essential vitamins and minerals.

17 . Dine right
Have early and light dinners.

East Indian Bottle Masala

There are many recipes for Bottle Masala which, like family jewels, are closely guarded secrets.
The degree of difference in these recipes is negligible and only apparent to a trained biased palate!The recipe below comes with a Statutory Warning -Make Bottle Masala at your own Risk!
Try and get some from a friend or relative - its easier and stress free.
Courtesy : Economic Times

Bottle Masala

Ingredients:

1. Dry Kasmiri Chillis - 3 KG
2. Dhaniya (Corriander) 750 gms
3. Haldi (Tumeric) 250 gms
4. Teel (Sesame) 250 gms
5. Khus-Khus (Poppy) 250 gms
6. Rai (Mustard) 250 gms
7. Channa (raw Gram) 250 gms
8. Wheat - 250 gms
9. Jeera (Cumin) 125 gms
10. Black Pepper - 125 gms
11. Cinnamon - 50 gms
12. Elachi (Cardamom) 10 gms
13. Clove - 10 gms
14. Bardian (Star Anise) 10 gms
15. Shah- Jeera (Caraway) 10 gms
16. Tiraphal (Pepper Leaves) 10 gms
17. Naikaisar - 10 gms
18. Zaipatri - 10 gms
19. Maipatri - 10 gms
20. Nutmeg - 10 gms
21. All Spice - 10 gms

Method:
Slow, dry roast the above ingredients. Pound/Grind into a fine powder.
Store in clean air-tight containers.  Date it.

Note: Bottle Masala should be red in color.As it ages it may loose a little color and potency.
Hence its necessary to store it in air-tight packing.

Let go of your stresses

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 ml. to 20 ml.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

Outdoor Kitchen

The burning sensation to have a house of our own in London is a big dream. Hope we can buy it and make it "our"home soon.

I have got some ideas for outdoor kitchen if you have a good backyard/ garden in your house where ever your are in the world then look around for inspirations

And the simplest and cheapest one to have for all climate is ,