Happy Thanks Giving ~ 2014

This year has been a roller-coaster ride, as is life for each and every single one of us.  I have seen, done and experienced more than many and I am eternally grateful for.

But the one thing it has been important  is I am independent.

Slowly but surely I managed to wean myself away from the idea and notion that I needed someone else…

I tried to understand myself better, understand my limits and expectations, handle my emotions so that now nearly nothing can phase me, and challenge myself so I’m never left wandering what I could have been capable of in life again.

Life offers you a priceless opportunity in every single moment to see and experience Who You Really Are.  Seize it! 

Sometimes we get completely lost in trying to live life for others, trying to meet their expectations, doing things just to impress them. 

Take a moment now and stop yourself. Are you doing things because you truly believe in them?

Or is that because of someone else in your life is telling you to do ? Remember your own needs and goals. Remember who YOU are.

Live, do and love so that you are happy too, because when it comes down to it, you can’t be true to others unless you are true to yourself first.

Promise to stop the drama before it begins, to breathe deeply and peacefully, and to love others and yourself without conditions. Promise to laugh at your own mistakes, and to realize that no one is perfect; we are all human.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being  you.

Don’t let the wrong people from your past keep you from the right people in your present.  Forgive and move forward. 

Regardless of whether you are in love, hate love, long for love or really just don’t even think about it at this point in your life, the most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself.

And to learn to love yourself first will inevitably lead to the ‘right’ kind of love in the long run.

You will in turn become the truest and most happy version of yourself.

You will know what you like as well as what you don’t like and you will be confident enough on your likes/dislikes/thoughts/beliefs to be able to stand by them.

You will have your own opinion. You will fight for that opinion in a healthy discussion, rather than side with another’s view simply because you aim to please them.

By loving yourself you allow yourself to be loved for who you are… not who you intend to be.

Just like our fashion sense, physical appearance and musical preference changes over the years, so do our feelings toward people we love and have loved. 

Change is healthy. Its natural and evolutionary; it makes life interesting.

Every one of us is fighting our own private battles.

The strongest among us aren’t those who show strength but those who have won incredible inner battles we know nothing about.

Always remember that the words and actions you choose can only be forgiven, not forgotten. 

If you sit around for too long blaming others for the things they did or didn’t do, or know or didn’t know, you’ll remain sitting in one spot until you pass. 

Placing blame is easy, because it means you don’t have to do anything.

Living  every instant is important life injects many opportunities into your story, into your relationships, and ultimately makes you moves  forward.

Persistence pays off, from rejection letters  through to controversies, backlashes and ‘haters’, there will be  more challenges around every corner as you continue to conquer new targets.

But for every one bad egg in the world, there are 20 (or more) good ones.

Remember, your failure does not define you, your determination does. 

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, smarter than before.

Tomorrow is a new day. 

You shall begin it peacefully and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with old nonsense.

& that’s what I learned this year.

Happy Thanks Giving 2014...

I am taking a break for holidays and some other entertainments in life so wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas in Advance and see you next year 

..take care

Love and Regards

Ann

Bee Live FM

Came across a beautiful #Malayalam #FMRadio ..

Here is the direct link --->  http://beelive.fm/ 

— at Beelive Radio - Malayalam

Enjoy 

Special Thanks to #Pearle Manney 

It is an Online Radio Station targeting the Malayali diaspora in the UK and India.

Beelive is a cloud based web & mobile online radio application. 

The programs are created and fed from Beelive’s Kochi studio via Airtime/Shoutcast hosted on Google’s cloud servers (Compute Engine) with an additional boost from Cloud Flare to speed up load time and improve security.

The programs are fed simultaneously to the Beelive web site, as well as the IPhone and Android apps. 

Together, the Beelive applications have the capacity to reach out to thousands of online radio listeners simultaneously.

Do you shout at some one ?

A saint was walking along the river Ganges when he noticed some family members shouting at each other. 

He smiled and asked his disciples, "Why do people shout when angry?"

The disciples thought for some time. Some said "because they lose their temper and calm", others said "that they want to stress upon their views" and so on. 

The saint was obviously not satisfied. 

Finally, he explained them the reason,

 "When two people are in love, they talk softly with each other. What happens when the love increases much more? They start whispering. And then comes a point, when they only have to look into each other's eyes to convey their thoughts. Now can you guess the answer?"


The disciples were still confused. So he continued, "when two people become angry, the distance between their hearts increases. To cover this distance, they need to shout so that they can hear each other. The more the anger, the greater the distance and hence more the shouting."

This is what happens. So when you become angry, don't let your heart create distance from the other person, because some day it might happen that the distance increases so much that it would be impossible to bridge it.

Lesson On Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. 

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. 

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral lessons:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season. 

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later ...........

Story of 4 burning candles

In a room there were four candles burning. The ambiance was so soft you could hear them talking.

The first one said, “I am PEACE, however nobody can keep me lit. I believe I will go out.”

It’s flame rapidly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second one says, “I am FAITH. Most of all I am no longer indispensable, so it does not make any sense that I stay lit any longer.”

When it finished talking a breeze softly blew on it putting it out.

Sadly, the third candle spoke in its turn. “I am LOVE. I have not gotten the strength to stay lit. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” And waiting no longer it goes out.

Suddenly a child entered the room and saw three candles not burning. “Why are you not burning you are supposed to stay lit till the end.”

Saying this the child began to cry. Then the fourth candle said, “Don’t be afraid, while I am still burning we can re-light the other candles, I am HOPE.”

With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other candles.

The flame of Hope should never go out from our life and that each of us can maintain HOPE, FAITH, PEACE and LOVE.

Author Unknown

Samosa or Veggie pasties

Total Time

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

1 hr 30 mins

1 hr 

Ingredients 

• Bay Leaf – 1
• Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece
• Cardamom – 2
• Whole Cloves – 2
• Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
• Ginger – 2 tsp, minced
• Garlic – 2 tsp, minced
• Green Chilies – finely chopped
• Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder – to taste
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
• Ground (Minced) Meat – 250gm or +Vegetables of your interest (Carrot,Beans,cabbage,beetroot,peas)
• Frozen Green Peas – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup or little more
• Cilantro – finely chopped for garnishing
• Potato-2
• Oil for frying
• Maida / White Flour

For Masala Mix,

1. Add Bay Leaf, Cinnamon Stick, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom and Whole Cloves. Stir for 30 seconds in 2 tbs oil.
2. Add Onions and a little salt, mix well, cover and cook for about 15 minutes stirring frequently.
3. Add Ginger and Garlic, mix well and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes until Onions turn brown and oil starts to separate from the mixture.
4. Add Green Chilies and mix well, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir a few times in between.
5. Remove cover and continue to cook until oil starts to separate from the mixture again.
6. Add Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder and Cumin Powder. Mix well and switch off stove.

So our masala mix is ready now :)

In Pressure cooker,

1. First chop the potatoes and cook for two whistle with minimum water, little salt and turmeric. After 2 whistles remove pressure cooker from heat and allow the pressure to go down before opening the lid.Drain the water and smash the potatoes.

2. Next add the chopped meat in the cooker and cook for two whistle. (Add little water to the cooker, as more water will be coming from the meat). After 2 whistles remove pressure cooker from heat and allow the pressure to go down before opening the lid.Drain the water mince the meat in mixi for 2 min.

Add the smashed potatoes and minced meat to masala mix to a pan and garnish with fresh Cilantro.   

Method:

To make Crust: 

Whisk together plain flour / maida and salt in bowl. Stir in oil until clumps form. Add 6 to 10 Tbs. cold water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until dough holds together. Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside for 20 mins. Roll out Crust dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface. 

I used the dumpling mould dough to make the samosa (see pics in right- Fresh).

Heat Oil in a medium non-stick pan on medium heat

Deep fry the samosas on low to medium heat until light brown.

Serve with tomato sauce or any chutney you love.

Best Time to Travel to London,Dubai,New York,Sydney.

Green ££ means the cheapest times

Red ££ means most expensive 

Orange  ££ means average 

Courtesy #Trivago #Traveladvice

Missing Rib

November 3rd 2014 

Location :UK

This is my 250th blog post. I can’t quite remember why I started the blog. I know it wasn't that long ago, but quite a lot of things have happened since then and, as is the way with life, priorities have shifted, goals and ambitions changed. I think originally I saw the blog as fulfilling three main functions

(a) a chance to share ideas and put it all out there to see what happens,(b) a way of moving the notes and plans from my old files and folders online and into the Web, (c) an opportunity to engage with a wider audience. 

I guess the posts I enjoy writing are those that allow me to investigate a particular issue, think about something in more detail than usual or those that just let me have fun with something.  And I can understand if people prefer the practical, because that sort of reflection is quite a personal thing, no matter how objective you try to be…

Thanks for reading my blog and enjoy a short story

A girl in love asked her boyfriend.

Girl: Tell me... who do you love most in this world?

Boy: You, of course!

Girl: In your heart, what am I to you?  Boy: The boy thought for a moment and looked intently in her eyes and  said, "You are my rib. In the Bible, it was said  that God saw that Adam was lonely, during his sleep; God took one of Adam's rib and created  Eve.

Every man has been searching for his missing rib, only when you  find the woman of your life; you'll no longer feel  the lingering ache in your heart."

 

After their wedding, the couple had a sweet and happy life for a while. However, the youthful couple began to drift apart due to the busy schedule of life and the never-ending worries of daily problems.Their life became mundane.

All the challenges posed by the harsh realities of life began to gnaw away their dreams and love for each other.The couple began to have more quarrels and each quarrel became more heated.

 

One day, after the quarrel, the girl ran out of the house. At the opposite side of the road, she shouted, "You don't love me!"The boy hated her childishness and out of impulse, retorted, "Maybe, it was a mistake for us to be together! You were never my missing rib!"

 

 Suddenly, she turned quiet and stood there for a long while.... He regretted what he said but words spoken are like thrown away water, you can never take it back. With tears, she went home to pack her things and  was determined in breaking-up. Before she left the house, "If I'm really not your  missing rib, please  let me go..... She continued, "It is less painful  this way...let us go on our separate ways and search for our own  partners..."  

Five years went by.... He never remarried but he had  tried to find out about her life indirectly...... She had left the country and back....She had married a foreigner and divorced..... He felt anguished that she never waited for him. In the dark and lonely night, he lit his cigarette and felt the lingering ache in his heart. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he was missing her. 

One day, they finally met.... At the airport, a  place where there were many reunions and good-byes.... He was going away on a business trip. She was standing there alone, with just the security door separating them. She smiled at him gently. 

Boy: How are you? 

Girl: I'm fine. How about you... Have you found your missing rib?

Boy: No.

Girl: I'll be flying to New York in the next flight. 

Boy: I'll be back in 2 weeks’ time. Give me a call when you are back...

You know my number... Nothing has changed.  With a smile, she turned around and waved good-bye. "Good-bye."

One week later, he heard of her death. She had perished in New York. In the event that shocked the world.. Midnight..... Once again, he lit his cigarette..... And like before, he felt the lingering ache in his heart.... He finally knew, she was the missing rib that he had carelessly broken. 

Sometimes, people say things out of moments of fury..... Most often than not, the outcome could be disastrous and detrimental.... We vent our frustrations 99% at our loved ones.... And even though we know that we ought to "think twice and act wisely", it's often  easier said than done. Things happen each day, many of which are beyond our control. Let us treasure every moment and everyone in our lives. Tomorrow may never come; give and accept what you have today. 

Hope you will  find your right missing ribs and have a wonderful and peace  life!!!

How to Take Care of Your Skin According to Ayurveda

• Health and beauty are closely related to each other. A disease free, healthy and cheerful personality makes one look beautiful. You should not go behind artificial cosmetics to create false beauty, but rather you should try to use natural products.

• If your skin is not smooth and clean on all parts of the body, take one teaspoon of olive oil and an equal amount of honey. Massage the oil on the face, hands and neck thoroughly. Wash the body with ordinary water after 10 to 15 minutes.

• Take two teaspoons of papaya pulp and honey. Apply this pack on the face and wash it off after 15 minutes, this increases the glow on the face.

• Take a few neem leaves and add a pinch of turmeric powder and one teaspoon of rose water. Apply this on the face. After some time remove the pack by washing with the help of gram flour.

• Take the pulp of fruits kept in the fridge, add one tea spoon of curd (yoghurt), and honey. Apply it on the face and neck. Wash the face after 15 to 20 minutes with lukewarm water. This fruit facial mask makes the face smooth and soft.

• If you have dry skin, then apply sesame oil and multani mati on the face and body. Clean it off after it becomes dried. This makes the skin soft and oily. This is also effective in case of sunburns, and works like a tonic.

• Take one teaspoon of honey and add curd (yoghurt) and one teaspoon of almond oil, apply this mixture on the face, neck and hands and leave it for half an hour. Wash the body after some time. This is good for dry skin.

• Lemon is rich in vitamin C. This makes the skin shiny and beautiful. It should be taken with meals to increase the resistance power in the body, which is also helpful to enhance the beauty.

• Lemon is also a cleanser. Regular use of lemon to wash your skin cleans the skin thoroughly.

• Lemon cleanses the body to the full depth without disturbing the acidic balance. It is a natural astringent, which also tightens the skin.

• Apply curd (yoghurt) on the hands and legs to remove dryness and wash when it when it is dry.

• The elbows are generally dark and look ugly. Take one spoon of lemon juice and add two spoons of rose water. Apply this on the elbows and rinse after some time.

• Take orange pulp and apply it on the face. Wash it after sometime. This facial pack is very beneficial during summers.

• Apply orange juice on the face regularly. This gives a glowing skin.

• Take radish juice and add butter or cream and apply this pack on the face. This is very beneficial for dry skin and is a good skin tonic.

• Beetroot juice increases blood in the body. Apply its pulp on the face for some time and wash the face with lukewarm water. This gives glowing skin.

• Crush a ripe banana and apply it on the face. This tightens the skin and also removes the dark circles under your eyes.

• Crush papaya pulp and apply it on the face. This gives glowing skin.

• Use an umbrella when you have to go out in the Sun and drink lot of water. Water is the most natural moisturizer for the skin.

• Prickly heat, boils, rashes, etc. are common during the summers. Sometimes the boils develop pus as well, which become very painful. Pimples also erupt in this season. Sunburn is another common problem during the summer. Light skin people suffer the most from this. Sometimes infection occurs in the armpits or thighs due to excessive sweat. Take bath regularly to avoid such problems. Take bath with neem, rose and sandal water during summer to avoid skin infections.

• Avoid exposure to the Sun and wear loose cotton clothes.

• In case of sunburn, first sit near a fan and then near a cooler. After take bath with cold water.

• If the problem is severe then use ice in the bath water. Add camphor in coconut oil and apply this on the body. Mint and multani mati lep is also beneficial for the skin after sun burn.

• Curd (yoghurt) and gram flour pack is effective on sunburned skin and gives coolness.

• Grind horse bean (alfalfa seeds) and add curd (yoghurt). Apply it on sunburned skin.

• Wash the face four to five times with cold water throughout the day. This maintains the moisture in the skin. Drink at least 10-15 glasses of water everyday.

• Take enough of avala marmalade, gourd, cucumber, onion, lemon, torai, and sespedula. These are very effective during summers and help protect the skin.

• Add rose water in cucumber juice and wash the face. Drink mango panna to protect from sunstroke. Also take a lot of curd (yoghurt).

• Apply the lep of curd (yoghurt), turmeric powder and gram flour to avoid dryness of the skin.

• In order to get rid off pimples and acne, add curd (yoghurt) with radish juice. Apply this on the skin.

• Grind multani mati, a little bit of mehndi and dry avala. Apply the paste on the face and skin to increase the glow

How to choose best airline seat?

In Boeing 777 used for long haul flights by Emirates, Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways, rows 44 and 45 (the back two rows) are the least desirable.

These seats have less leg room than other rows and limited reclining capabilities. They are also close to the toilets and galleys, making for a nosy and possibly smelly flight.

The Airbus fleet, which generally have no first or business class seats, are used by British Airways, easyJet, Monarch and Thomas Cook for short haul journeys. The first row seat, is most coveted for its extra legroom, optimum window view unobstructed by the wing, and being served food and beverages first.It's not all good though, with this seat, as well as 1F, is also known for being the coldest on the aircraft.

Use this section to find the best airline seat for your next flight with Jet Airways.ECONOMY CLASS - BOEING 737-800 Rows 12 & 13 are exit seats with lots of leg room.Boeing 777 : Economy 30C and 30H. Pros: Aisle seat with plenty of legroom (near exit door). Cons: Near bathroom, bulkhead row which may mean babies around you.

For more info of other airlines try this http://www.airlinequality.com/Product/Yseats-entry.htm

What to carry in a handbag?

Top 10 Islands in the world to travel

My Neighbor

Date: October 2014

Location: Leicester, UK.

Dedicating this story to my lovely neighbor in Sweetbriar Road Leicester UK. My neighbor is in his 90's a lovely grandpa, I lived next door to him in upstairs flat. So I have a chance to see my neighbor grandpa whenever he comes of his house and all the views from first fllor flat.. The flat I was living was part of a  big semidetached house and it was almost dead silence in the house and the street where I lived. 

Everybody in that street has a fixed schedule after living in that flat for an year I know who comes and goes.   Even though my neighbor grandpa is pretty old he lives alone, his daughter comes every day with cooked dinner and his son comes every morning with breakfast. Grandpa has only one outing a week that is on all Sundays, a regular taxi man comes and he goes somewhere, which was the usual scene for me when taxi man comes and gives a beep. After seeing his routine for nearly a year I did n’t get a chance to say hello to him. He got a calling bell but he can't hear it, so no point in trying that his kids got their own keys to visit grandpa.

Once when I was enjoying snowing day outside grandpa came out to bin his milk can, I felt that was the golden chance to speak to him, I went near him and said hello, I felt he was comfortable with me and asked me what I am doing in UK where I am from etc. That conversation went on for 2 hours or more than that... For the first time in my life time I felt like I can't find words to explain grandpa “what a Laptop is ...”. Grandpa was an old world war veteran, who watches black white TV (1970 model) in 2013. For him everything is B&W, he was not aware of inventions like PC /laptop. He reads books old war novels and kept himself busy. Some chance encounters with him made me close with him and I got to ask him where he is going alone on all Sundays with the taxi man? On the first day I didn't get answer I ignored him and I thought he must not have heard me.

After 2/ 3 months I saw him again, truth was he heard me and he was actually waiting to tell me his love story on a special occasion. For my surprise he give a ring in my calling bell. The bell at that time of Saturday was very odd so I went down and to check who was that and saw this grandpa in the door. I was living in first floor he said he can't climb stairs so we walked little bit to the nearby park. Grandpa said it was his wedding anniversary on that day and told about his wife, showed me an old black white photo and said she is nursing home for past 4 years due to dementia problems and he visits her every Sunday. She don't recognizes him as his husband but he is visits her every Sunday to have lunch together. He still do the same in October 2014. I moved my flat 1.5 years ago but met this grandpa very accidentally on weekend he was pretty excited to ask me how my job and new location is.   The thought of penning down this was in mind for a while, but when I saw him on Sunday I decided I should make an article for him now before it is too late.I do have picture of grandpa but due to privacy issues I can't share it.

If you do something out of duty it will deplete you. But if you do something out of love it will energize you.Marriage is a choice, even when it's not going perfect. He is your best friend, you have history together, a million laughs and inside jokes. You know him better than anyone ever will. He is your happy and sad all balled into one place, because he owns your heart. Love is worth all the good times and the bad, especially if he is still fighting for you and your heart. ♥

Marriage does not guarantee you will be together forever, it’s only a paper. It takes love, respect, trust, understanding, friendship and faith in your relationship to make it last ♥♥♥

Life Tip

Tip of the day

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.